- From Mary Sue’s Desk: Impacting Communities, Changing Lives
- Partial Government Shutdown Update
- Associations Comment on Commerce Department’s Emerging Technologies Proposed Rule
- AAU Endorses Reintroduced Innovation to Entrepreneurs Act
- White House Nominates 16 to National Humanities Council
FROM MARY SUE’S DESK: IMPACTING COMMUNITIES, CHANGING LIVES
President Coleman today released a new blog post featuring several AAU universities’ efforts to transform lives through public service and community outreach. She writes: “As our nation’s leading research universities, we have a unique responsibility to serve the American people and the communities we call home.”
PARTIAL GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN UPDATE
The House yesterday passed by voice vote a continuing resolution (H.J. Res. 28) to reopen the government through February 28. The House, however, will vote again on the measure next week as House Republicans have asked for a roll call vote. Yesterday marked the third day in a row the House had voted on a short-term CR. Senate Majority Leader McConnell has repeatedly said the Senate will not take up any funding legislation the president does not explicitly support. President Trump says he will not sign any spending bills into law until a border wall deal is reached.
Now the longest in U.S. history, the partial government shutdown continues with no indication from President Trump or congressional Democrats that either is willing to compromise. Congress has adjourned until after Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday.
Politico has more.
ASSOCIATIONS COMMENT ON COMMERCE
DEPARTMENT’S EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES PROPOSED RULE
AAU, the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, the Association of American Medical Colleges, and the Council on Governmental Relation submitted a joint comment letter to the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security to weigh in on an emerging technologies advanced notice of proposed rulemaking. The letter notes the associations are pleased the proposed rule explicitly preserves “fundamental research” as defined in the Export Administration Regulations and outlines several recommendations.
AAU ENDORSES REINTRODUCED INNOVATION TO ENTREPRENEURS ACT
A group of bipartisan Representatives, led by Rep. Dan Lipinski (D-IL), earlier this week reintroduced the Innovators to Entrepreneurs Act, which expands the National Science Foundation Innovation Corps (I-Corps) program and provides additional training for innovators to learn how to turn their research into new products and businesses. The bill passed the House last year but was not taken up by the Senate.
AAU supports and will continue to monitor the bill as it moves through the legislative process.
WHITE HOUSE NOMINATES 16 TO NATIONAL HUMANITIES COUNCIL
The White House has nominated 16 individuals to the National Council on the Humanities, the advisory board to the chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Ten names were included in a White House announcement on January 3, and six were included in the January 16 list of nominations. If the Senate approves the current nominations, this will leave one resigned term unfilled, eight expired terms unfilled, and one individual serving a term that has not yet expired.