- Trump Signs Executive Order on Immigration
- AAU and Higher Ed Community Ask Congress to Include Colleges, Universities in Future COVID-19 Relief Loan Programs
- AAU, Associations Urge Congress to Expand Small Business Administration Loan Program
- Education Department Releases CARES Act Emergency Relief Guidance
- AAU, Associations Urge Extension of Student Borrower Benefits
- AAU Joins Higher Ed Community Letter to Prevent Taxation of Emergency Student Financial Aid Grants
- AAU, APLU Urge Congressional Leaders to Provide Relief and Recovery for Agricultural Research
- Reps. Urge Congressional Leadership to Extend COVID-19 Payroll Tax Credits
- PCAST, NSB Fill Key Science Positions
- NOMINATIONS REQUESTED: 2020 Golden Goose Award to Recognize COVID-19 Research
TRUMP SIGNS EXECUTIVE ORDER ON IMMIGRATION
On Wednesday night the president signed an executive order titled “Proclamation Suspending Entry of Immigrants Who Present Risk to the U.S. Labor Market During the Economic Recovery Following the COVID-19 Outbreak.” The order is ostensibly to protect the employment market for newly jobless Americans. The restrictions are focused on those seeking permanent entry into the United States and does not affect temporary visas such as F-1, J-1, and H-1B visas. Importantly, the order’s exceptions include COVID-19 medical and research workers, spouses of citizens, and other visas deemed in the national interest. Section 6 of the order instructs the State Department and Department of Homeland Security to review non-immigrant programs and make recommendations on possible restrictions of those visas in the next 30 days.
AAU shared a statement (below) on our social media before the order was issued Tuesday and will continue to monitor the impact of the announcement closely and weigh in as appropriate.
AAU AND HIGHER ED COMMUNITY ASK CONGRESS TO INCLUDE COLLEGES, UNIVERSITIES IN FUTURE COVID-19 RELIEF LOAN PROGRAMS
Today, AAU, ACE, and 34 other higher education organizations sent a letter to House Financial Services Committee and Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Development Committee leaders asking them to recommend changes to the mid-sized loan programs included in the CARES Act – specifically, the Main Street Lending programs. Due to immense financial impacts of the pandemic, many colleges and universities are interested in accessing the loans created by the CARES Act and any future COVID-19 relief loan programs. The letter suggests that Congress address nonprofit eligibility for loan programs and potential exemption of student workers under employee threshold eligibility standards, which would help lift barriers keeping colleges and universities from accessing these needed funds.
AAU, ASSOCIATIONS URGE CONGRESS TO EXPAND SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION LOAN PROGRAM
AAU today joined ACE and a group of 33 higher education associations on a letter to House and Senate Small Business Committee leaders asking them to expand the Small Business Administration programs created by the CARES Act – namely, the Paycheck Protection Program and the Covid-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan Emergency Advance and Loan Program. The letter recommends that Congress remove student employees from calculations for eligibility for loan COVID-19 relief loan programs, allow public institutions with fewer than 500 employees to access future expansions of the SBA and PPP, and allow exemptions for colleges with more than 500 employees, as granted in other industries.
EDUCATION DEPARTMENT RELEASES CARES ACT EMERGENCY RELIEF GUIDANCE
The Education Department Tuesday announced that it had made more than $6 billion available for direct emergency relief to students affected by COVID-19. In addition, the department announced that institutions will be able to apply for $6 billion of the institutional portion of the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund will now be available for expenses related to changes in instruction due to the pandemic. The announcement also included guidance that students receiving grants from either portion of the stabilization fund must be Title IV eligible. NASFAA has provided analysis about these funds here.
AAU, ASSOCIATIONS URGE EXTENSION OF STUDENT BORROWER BENEFITS
AAU Tuesday joined a group of 31 other higher education associations on a letter to Senate leadership urging them to provide essential relief to current federal student loan recipients and borrowers already in repayment. The letter says Congress must move quickly to provide necessary, targeted relief to borrowers to prevent current students from dropping out of school due to financial hardship, provide needed financial flexibility to borrowers in repayment, and ultimately, prevent further strain on the nation’s economy. The associations propose extending relief to borrowers who have recently defaulted on their loans and to students who are graduating during these unprecedented times, and to lower the interest rate for loans disbursed during or immediately before the pandemic.
AAU JOINS HIGHER ED COMMUNITY LETTER TO PREVENT TAXATION OF EMERGENCY STUDENT FINANCIAL AID
On Tuesday, AAU joined ACE and 40 other higher education organizations on a letter to House Ways and Means Committee and Senate Finance Committee leaders concerning the taxability of emergency federal student aid grant relief included in the CARES Act. The letter urges Congress to ensure that the “Phase Four” COVID-19 relief legislation include provisions to exempt federal student aid from taxation. Currently, scholarship or grant aid that is not spent on “qualified tuition and related expenses” could be subject to taxation, the letter says. The organizations say that “taxing this emergency aid would undermine the benefit of the grants to students and negate the intent of Congress in authorizing the aid to help the most vulnerable students.”
AAU, APLU URGE CONGRESSIONAL LEADERS TO PROVIDE RELIEF AND RECOVERY FOR AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH
On Tuesday, AAU and APLU were joined by 167 national, state, and regional stakeholders on a letter to congressional leaders thanking them for their ongoing efforts to combat COVID-19 and requesting that Congress continue to prioritize relief for the United States’ agricultural research, education, and extension programs. Consistent with the AAU-APLU-AAMC-ACE recommendations for Phase Four COVID-19 relief, the letter recommends Congress provide $380 million for the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture, which includes the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative.
The letter will remain open for additional signatures until Wednesday, April 29. CFR may send state and regional stakeholder signatures to Katie Steen.
REPS. URGE CONGRESSIONAL LEADERSHIP TO EXTEND COVID-19 PAYROLL TAX CREDITS
Last week, Reps. TJ Cox (D-CA), Brad Schneider (D-IL), John Katko (R-NY), Peter T. King (R-NY), and Diana DeGette (D-CO) sent a letter to congressional leadership urging them to make state and local governments – and public universities – eligible for payroll tax credits for emergency paid sick and family leave. The CARES Act required public and private employers to offer emergency paid leave but excluded public employers from the payroll tax credit that would offset this leave. The representatives were joined by a bipartisan group of 69 co-signers, and their recommendation was endorsed by 25 organizations, including AAU.
PCAST, NSB FILL KEY SCIENCE POSITIONS
The president on Tuesday announced he will appoint Harvard University Frank B. Baird, Jr., Professor of Science Dr. Abraham Loeb and Massachusetts Institute of Technology Andrew and Erna Viterbi Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Dr. Daniela Rus to the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. Led by OSTP Director Dr. Kelvin Droegemeier, the group advises the president on “science, technology, and innovation on topics critical to the Nation’s security and economy, and the health and welfare of the American people.”
The president also announced four new members of the National Science Board, including Washington University in St. Louis Professor Emeritus in the Department of Biology Dr. Roger Beachy. Part of the National Science Foundation, the NSB is charged to “recommend and encourage the pursuit of national policies for the promotion of research and education in science and engineering.”
NOMINATIONS REQUESTED: 2020 GOLDEN GOOSE AWARD TO RECOGNIZE COVID-19 RESEARCH
The Golden Goose Award Steering Committee is requesting nominations for the 2020 award cycle to recognize individuals and teams whose federally funded research is contributing significantly to the response to COVID-19. The committee is seeking nominations that highlight outstanding scientific and technological research, originally focused elsewhere, that is now being redirected to address the COVID-19 pandemic.
More information, including nomination criteria and the submission form, can be found here. Nominations should be submitted by May 22, 2020.