AAU Submits Comment Letter on “Cures 2.0” Legislative ProposalAAU President Barbara R. Snyder sent a comment letter last week to Reps. Diana DeGette (D-CO) and Fred Upton (R-MI) on the draft authorization language for ARPA-H included in the “Cures 2.0” legislative proposal. The letter praised the inclusion of the Research Investment to Spark the Economy, or RISE, Act within Cures 2.0. Funding included in the RISE Act, the letter noted, would mitigate the harmful effects of the pandemic on the nation’s research workforce and enterprise and preserve research investments already made by taxpayers. Regarding ARPA-H, the letter urged that investments in the project supplement, not supplant, annual appropriated funds for the NIH and that the project not duplicate NIH efforts such as those being undertaken by the Common Fund, the BRAIN Initiative, or the HEAL project. Echoing comments submitted by the Ad Hoc Group on Medical Research, the letter urged lawmakers to “ensure that investments in ARPA-H are balanced with robust investment in NIH-supported, foundational, investigator-initiated research that forms the bedrock of our nation’s medical research ecosystem at labs across this country.” The letter also raised several additional questions for lawmakers to consider as they further develop legislative language authorizing ARPA-H, including whether the project will have an advisory board; how its funding mechanism would be separated from NIH’s base funding; and more. ( Association of American Universities - July 21, 2021)
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OSTP Announces Virtual Listening Sessions on Scientific Integrity and Evidence-Based PolicymakingOSTP’s Task Force on Scientific Integrity is hosting a series of three virtual listening sessions from July 28-30 to inform its assessment of federal agencies’ scientific-integrity policies. The sessions will be organized around the themes of communications, science and education, and use of scientific and technical information. Speakers will be allotted two minutes and may also comment on perceived challenges to scientific integrity in federal agencies and practices to minimize political or other inappropriate interference in the “conduct, communication, or use of federal science.” Information about registration and the timing of the sessions is available here; the deadline to register is 5:00 p.m. ET on July 23. Those unable to attend or who would like to provide additional information may also submit a response to OSTP’s request for information on improving federal scientific integrity policies. Responses to the RFI are due July 28 by 5:00 p.m. ET. ( Association of American Universities - July 21, 2021)
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Warren Using Her Power over EDSenator Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat from Massachusetts, is continuing to hold up a vote on the confirmation of a key higher education official at the Department of Education, as Congress’s August recess approaches and big decisions for the department are on the horizon. In April, James Kvaal testified at his noncontroversial confirmation hearing to be the under secretary of education at the department . . . . But the full Senate still has yet to vote on his nomination. A person familiar with the situation said Warren is waiting for further clarity from the department about how the student loan program will continue to be administered. She has raised concerns about the department's oversight of for-profit colleges and how it plans to assist student borrowers in the COVID-19 economic recovery. She has also questioned management of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program—in which only 2 percent of applicants have been approved —and the role that loan servicers play in the student loan system. ( Inside Higher Ed - July 22, 2021)
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AAU, Associations Request Guidance from Education Secretary on Resumption of Student Loan RepaymentsAAU has joined six other higher education associations in sending a letter to Education Secretary Miguel Cardona urging the Department of Education and the Biden administration to “develop and publicly share a clear plan to transition federal student loan borrowers back into repayment as soon as possible.” Pandemic measures providing a moratorium on student loan repayments expire at the end of September 2021, and ED has yet to indicate whether it plans to extend the measures or resume repayments. The letter urged the department to develop a plan that provides borrowers with the option to either voluntarily resume making repayments or to request additional time to transition back into repayment. The letter also stressed that the department proactively communicate its plan to borrowers, servicers, and institutions as soon as it has one. ( Association of American Universities - July 21, 2021)
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AAU, Associations Seek Clarification on COVID-19 Travel Restrictions and National Interest ExceptionsAAU, ACE, and 23 other higher education organizations and associations sent a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas with questions about COVID-19 travel restrictions and National Interest Exceptions for students and academics traveling to the United States this fall. Under existing guidance, students on F-1 and M-1 visas from countries currently under COVID-19 travel restrictions can enter the United States under an NIE if their programs begin on or after August 1, 2021. The letter asks for clarifications on whether continuing F-1 and M-1 students, including students on OPT, are covered by the NIE; what students need to show at entry to demonstrate the start date of their programs; whether the NIE policy applies to J-1 students; and whether faculty and scholars traveling under visa categories other than F or M will be allowed to enter the country under the NIE. ( Association of American Universities - July 21, 2021)
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