- House Education Committee’s Pandemic Relief Proposal Includes $40B for Higher Education
- AAU, Associations Urge House Education Committee to Approve $40B for Higher Education in Pandemic Relief Bill
- Friends of IES Urges Congressional Leaders to Include $200M for IES in COVID-19 Relief Measure
- AAU, Associations Seek HEERF Disbursement Guidance from Education Department
- AAU, Associations Ask OSTP to Review JCORE Recommendations
- AAU Joins Associations to Request Section 117 Meeting with Education Department
HOUSE EDUCATION COMMITTEE’S PANDEMIC RELIEF PROPOSAL INCLUDES $40B FOR HIGHER EDUCATION
On Wednesday, the House Education Committee voted along party lines to advance its $170 billion proposal for the $1.9 trillion in COVID-19 relief included in the FY21 budget reconciliation process. The proposal includes: $39.6 billion for the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund, or HEERF; $130 billion for K-12 schools; and language to increase the minimum wage to $15 per hour. The committee-approved measure maintains eligibility for both public and nonprofit private institutions for the HEERF and includes $100 million for the Institute of Education Sciences for research related to addressing learning loss caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
During the 13-hour markup, the committee considered more than 30 amendments – adopting only one technical manager’s amendment. The measure now heads to the House Budget Committee, where it will be packaged with other committee proposals into a single bill on which the full House will vote.
The House Ways and Means, Agriculture, Transportation and Infrastructure, Financial Services, and Small Business committees also began to mark up their pandemic relief proposals today.
AAU, ASSOCIATIONS URGE HOUSE EDUCATION COMMITTEE TO APPROVE $40B FOR HIGHER EDUCATION IN PANDEMIC RELIEF BILL
On Wednesday, AAU joined ACE and 20 other higher education organizations on a letter to House Education Committee Chair Bobby Scott (D-VA) and Ranking Member Virginia Foxx (R-NC) expressing support for $40 billion in emergency relief included in the Committee’s FY21 budget reconciliation package. The letter notes that while the funds fall short of the estimated $97 billion students and campuses need, the funds represent “the most significant effort so far to address the crippling financial impact of the pandemic on American higher education.”
FRIENDS OF IES URGES CONGRESSIONAL LEADERS TO INCLUDE $200M FOR IES IN COVID-19 RELIEF MEASURE
The Friends of Institute of Education Sciences, which includes AAU, recently sent a letter to House and Senate leaders urging them to include $200 million for the institute in the next COVID-19 relief package. According to the group, the funds would help address learning loss assessment and intervention, and provide resources for teachers, administrators, and state and local policymakers to aid continued pandemic-related response and recovery.
AAU, ASSOCIATIONS SEEK HEERF DISBURSEMENT GUIDANCE FROM EDUCATION DEPARTMENT
AAU recently joined ACE and 33 other higher education organizations on a letter to Education Secretary-designate Miguel Cardona to request the department provide critical guidance about emergency COVID-19 relief funding provided in the first and second Higher Education Emergency Relief Funds. The letter asks the department to: clarify how institutions can use unspent HEERF I funds and all HEERF II funds to address the impact of the pandemic; confirm that universities have one year from the allocation of their HEERF II funds to disburse them; clarify that all students enrolled during the pandemic are eligible to receive HEERF II funds; and more.
AAU, ASSOCIATIONS ASK OSTP TO REVIEW JCORE RECOMMENDATIONS
On Wednesday, AAU joined ACE, AAMC, APLU, and COGR on a memo to Office of Science and Technology Policy acting Director Kei Koizumi requesting the office review and invite stakeholder comments on the previous administration’s “Presidential Memorandum on United States Government-Supported Research and Development National Security Policy (NSPM-33)” and “Recommended Practices for Strengthening the Security and Integrity of America’s Science and Technology Research Enterprise.” The memo says that while the documents include some “clear, targeted, feasible, and well-grounded” provisions, it also includes items of concern, such as varying definitions of some terms and the scope of some requirements and recommendations. The associations request OSTP issue a formal comment period and delay any agency implementations the documents call for until the office has carefully reviewed them and provided stakeholders with the opportunity to comment.
AAU JOINS ASSOCIATIONS TO REQUEST SECTION 117 MEETING WITH EDUCATION DEPARTMENT
AAU yesterday joined ACE and 18 other organizations to send a letter to acting Education Secretary Philip Rosenfelt to request a meeting to discuss the requirements for foreign gift and contract reporting under Section 117 of the Higher Education Act. The letter outlines past efforts to engage with the department on Section 117 and addresses false claims by the department that colleges and universities are deliberately underreporting foreign gifts and contracts.