FY 22 APPROPRIATIONS NEWS
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Congress Plans Thursday Votes to Avert Shutdown with Just Hours to Spare before Deadline
The House and Senate are rushing to vote Thursday on a short-term spending bill that would fund the government into early December, aiming to overcome last-minute political snags that risk the potential for a shutdown. The tight timeline leaves lawmakers with just hours to spare before funding lapses for key federal agencies and operations, an outcome that Democrats and Republicans have pledged to avoid given the potential for dire consequences during the coronavirus pandemic. The Senate is set to take the first steps Thursday morning, holding a series of votes on a measure that sustains current spending levels while provisioning billions of dollars to respond to two recent hurricanes and assist Afghan refugees. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) announced the plans late Wednesday, hours after he urged the chamber to act expediently. ( The Washington Post - Sept. 29, 2021)
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BUDGET RECONCILIATION NEWS
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Parliamentarian Rejects Democrats’ Plan B on Immigration
The Senate parliamentarian on Wednesday ruled against Democrats’ plan to legalize undocumented immigrants by updating a decades-old immigration registry, the latest blow to lawmakers’ efforts to include major immigration changes in their reconciliation package. The decision is a major setback for Democrats, who have promised to overhaul the immigration system as part of their sweeping $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation bill to remake American social programs. Following her meeting Wednesday with Senate Democrats, Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough rejected plans to update the immigration registry through reconciliation, according to a Senate aide. MacDonough told lawmakers that updating the registry would be a “weighty policy change,” according to materials obtained by CQ Roll Call. She hinted that any bill adjusting the status of millions of undocumented immigrants would not pass muster under Senate rules for budget reconciliation bills. ( Roll Call - Sept. 29, 2021)
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AAU, Associations Urge Congressional Leaders to Repeal Taxability of Pell Grants
Last week, AAU joined ACE and 17 other higher education associations in sending a letter to Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Ranking Member Mike Crapo (R-ID) urging the committee to repeal the taxability of Pell Grants as part of the FY22 reconciliation process. The associations, including AAU, also sent a similar letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA). The letter draws attention to the fact that, since 1986, Pell Grant awards spent on non-tuition expenses such as room and board have been taxable. “Repealing the taxability of Pell Grant aid would permit low-income students to retain more of this critical financial aid to cover the cost of college,” the letter states. The letter also expresses support for a provision in the Build Back Better Act that fixes a problematic interaction between the American Opportunity Tax Credit and Pell Grants; this interaction results in some Pell students receiving little to no benefit from the AOTC. Fixing the AOTC-Pell issue and repealing the taxability of Pell Grants, the letter says, “will magnify the positive impact for low-income students of these badly needed additional funds to cover college costs.” ( Association of American Universities - Sept. 29, 2021)
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Treating Private College Athletes Like the Pros
The National Labor Relations Board’s top attorney issued a memo Wednesday asserting that athletes at private colleges qualify as employees under federal labor law, entitling them to the same protections as other private sector employees, including the right to unionize. In the memo, NLRB general counsel Jennifer Abruzzo wrote that federal laws and NLRB policies “fully support the conclusion that certain Players at Academic Institutions are statutory employees, who have the right to act collectively to improve their terms and conditions of employment.” Essentially, it declares that athletes at private colleges are covered by the National Labor Relations Act, a foundational statute that guarantees the right of private sector employees to organize into trade unions, engage in collective bargaining and take collective action such as strikes. While it may ultimately benefit athletes, the memo doesn’t fundamentally change the relationship between players and their institutions just yet. Rather, it outlines a plausible legal strategy for the NLRB should any labor conflicts arise. ( Inside Higher Ed - Sept. 30, 2021)
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Opening Courtroom Doors to Survivors of Sexual Assault
Representatives in the House are looking at new ways to hold colleges and universities accountable for Title IX misconduct under legislation introduced Tuesday that would establish stricter conduct standards for sexual harassment and assault. Institutions should be held liable for "cultures" of sexual misconduct on their campuses, according to Representative Debbie Dingell, a Democrat from Michigan, who introduced the Title IX Take Responsibility Act alongside Representative Jahana Hayes, a Democrat from Connecticut. The legislation comes as two universities in Dingell’s district, the University of Michigan and Eastern Michigan University, face ongoing allegations about their handling of sexual assaults and incidents of harassment on their campuses. The bill would change this by codifying into law who at an institution needs to respond if they know sexual harassment is occurring and how they should do so, as well as allow students to enact a private right of action, or sue their college or university. ( Inside Higher Ed - Sept. 30, 2021)
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GAO Report Illustrates Need for Changes In a Little-known Student Debt Relief Program
When colleges close, students who are unable to complete their studies are entitled to have their federal education loans canceled. Yet many eligible borrowers continue to struggle with that debt, unaware of their right to relief or stymied by the application process, a government watchdog has concluded. In a report requested by Congress and released Thursday, the Government Accountability Office found that an Obama-era policy of granting automatic closed school loan discharges helped thousands who had fallen behind on their debt. Nearly a quarter of a million student loan borrowers were enrolled at colleges that closed between 2010 and 2020, according to the GAO. More than 80,000 of those students received federal loan forgiveness, with 42 percent of discharges originating from the automated process, the report said. ( The Washington Post - Sept. 30, 2021)
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AAU, Associations Urge Congressional Leaders to Support Displaced Afghan Students and Scholars
AAU joined ACE and 37 other higher education associations in sending a letter last week to House and Senate leaders asking for support and legislation to assist displaced Afghan students and scholars. The letter outlines the efforts institutions of higher education are making to support talented Afghan students and scholars, including women, and encourages Congress to provide additional help. Specifically, the letter asks Congress to: provide additional USAID funds to support Afghans on P-2 status who are currently in third countries; require the Department of Homeland Security to designate Afghan nationals as eligible for Temporary Protected Status or Deferred Enforced Departure; remove the non-immigrant intent for F-1, M-1, and J-1 student and scholar visa programs for Afghan students; and require U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to waive current rules around off-campus work for Afghan student visa holders. The letter also asks Congress to provide additional funding to process visas and green card applications and to consider all avenues of relief. “We look forward to working as closely as possible with the Administration and Congress to support displaced Afghans who wish to join the millions of international students and scholars who have contributed to the cultural and intellectual vibrancy of our campuses and to our national economic prosperity,” the letter states. ( Association of American Universities - Sept. 29, 2021)
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NIH Institutes Try New Approach to Supporting Black Scientists
For years, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has been trying to boost the success rate of Black scientists who apply for grants by offering training and mentoring programs. Yet their funding rate still lags behind that of white investigators for reasons that many suspect include racial bias. Now, three of NIH’s 24 grantmaking institutes are trying a more direct approach. In a recent notice, they are encouraging Black investigators and others from underrepresented groups to fill out a box that flags their application and brings it to a program officer’s attention. Then, even if the quality score that peer-review panels award the proposal falls outside the cutoff for most grants, institute directors may fund the project if they decide the applicant’s diverse background strengthens the research. The notice could help address “disparities for certain groups when it comes to” awarding NIH’s basic grant, the R01, . . . . ( Science Magazine - Sept. 29, 2021)
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House Passes Legislation to Strengthen Federal Cybersecurity Workforce
The House on Wednesday passed bipartisan legislation aimed at strengthening the federal cybersecurity workforce, an issue that has garnered support following a year of massive information security incidents. The Federal Rotational Cyber Workforce Program Act, sponsored by Reps. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and Nancy Mace (R-S.C.), would establish a program to allow cybersecurity professionals to rotate through multiple federal agencies and enhance their expertise. The bill would also encourage federal agency leaders to identify cybersecurity positions that can be rotated through government, and give the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) jurisdiction over the Federal Rotational Cyber Workforce Program. ( The Hill - Sept. 29, 2021)
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