- Senate Plans Stopgap Spending Bill Vote One Day Before Shutdown
- House Democrats Attempt to Restart Pandemic Relief Negotiations; AAU, Associations Highlight Research Relief Needs
- DHS Proposes Rule to Replace Duration of Status for Certain Visa Holders
- House Passes, Senate Considers Parallel Energy Packages
- AAU, Associations Thank Veterans Affairs Committee Leaders for Extending GI Bill Flexibility
- Representatives Introduce Bill to Protect American Research from “Foreign Threats”
- White House Issues Executive Order Preventing Diversity and Inclusion Training for Federal Employees, Contractors
- House Introduces TREAT Act to Extend Medical Provider License Reciprocity
- ARL Releases Report Recommending Effective Data Practices
- AAU Job Announcement: Executive Assistant to the President
- Upcoming Events
- ICYMI
SENATE PLANS STOPGAP SPENDING BILL VOTE ONE DAY BEFORE SHUTDOWN
The Senate will on Tuesday consider the House-passed H.R. 8337, a continuing resolution to fund the government at current levels through December 11. The bill includes $30 billion in farm aid and $8 billion in nutrition assistance for children who normally receive school lunches. The bill also extends the availability of funding for NIH multiyear research grants, prevents the Defense Department from beginning new multiyear activities for the duration of the continuing resolution, and includes additional funding for the 2020 Census.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has indicated he expects it to pass. The president has agreed to sign the measure, Roll Call reports. Lawmakers would then have just over two months to finalize FY21 funding decisions.
HOUSE DEMOCRATS ATTEMPT TO RESTART PANDEMIC RELIEF NEGOTIATIONS; AAU, ASSOCIATIONS HIGHLIGHT RESEARCH RELIEF NEEDS
Hoping to renew negotiations about a potential pandemic relief package, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has directed House committee leaders to draft a $2.4 trillion version of H.R. 6800, the $3.4 trillion measure the chamber passed in May. According to CQ Budget, Senate Appropriations Chair Richard Shelby (R-AL) said there was only a “slim chance” that a compromise could be reached before October recess.
AAU today joined APLU, AAMC, and ACE on a letter to Speaker Pelosi to underscore the importance of including $26 billion in relief funding for federal research in the potential package – funding consistent with H.R. 7308 / S. 4286, the “Research Investment to Spark the Economy Act (RISE) Act.” The letter notes that while the House-passed H.R. 6800, the “HEROES Act,” included relief for NIH-funded research, “additional relief is needed to maintain and advance U.S. competitiveness through innovations supported by not only NIH, but also other federal research agencies.”
DHS PROPOSES RULE TO REPLACE DURATION OF STATUS FOR CERTAIN VISA HOLDERS
Today, the Department of Homeland Security issued a 265 page notice of proposed rulemaking titled “Establishing a Fixed Time Period of Admission and an Extension of Stay Procedure for Nonimmigrant Academic Students, Exchange Visitors, and Representatives of Foreign Information Media.” The rule would modify the department’s longstanding duration of status policy to a fixed duration policy which would allow F, J, and I visa holders two or four years to complete their degree, depending on several factors. Under the proposal, a student that needs additional time to complete their degree would need to petition DHS for an extension of stay. The rule summary states that the these changes to duration of status would make these visas more consistent with other visa types, and would allow “additional protections and oversight of these nonimmigrant categories, and would allow DHS to better evaluate whether these nonimmigrants are maintaining status while temporarily in the United States.”
HOUSE PASSES, SENATE TO CONSIDER PARALLEL ENERGY PACKAGES
The House yesterday advanced H.R. 4447, the “Clean Economy Jobs and Innovation Act,” a package of 38 energy bills. Among its provisions, the bill would reauthorize the Energy Department’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E). Lawmakers considered 99 amendments, including an amendment from Rep. Kathy Castor (D-FL) to add emissions reduction and climate change mitigation to the Energy Department’s research-and-development mission, and one offered by Rep. Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM) that would create a foundation within the department to support its energy missions and increase collaboration to accelerate the commercialization of energy technology. Both amendments were included in the final bill.
As early as next week, the Senate could resume consideration of S. 2657, the “American Energy Innovation Act,” package of 53 energy bills similar to the “Clean Economy Jobs and Innovation Act.” First considered in March, the measure was recently “reenergized after legislators came to an agreement on an amendment seeking to phase down the use of a type of greenhouse gas,” according to The Hill. If the bill is passed, both chambers will go to conference on a final energy measure.
AAU, ASSOCIATION THANK VETERANS AFFAIRS COMMITTEE LEADERS FOR EXTENDING GI BILL FLEXIBILITIES
AAU on Wednesday joined ACE and 8 other associations on a pair of letters to House and Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee leaders to thank them for their efforts to advance S. 3503 and H.R. 6322 . The bills allowed the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide flexibilities for veterans if their program of study changed status from in-person to fully online due to COVID-19. The measures also included provisions to: allow the VA to continue to pay work-study allowances during closures; create an additional monthly housing payment; restore education entitlements to veterans who must withdraw due to the pandemic; and allow veterans to apply to extend their education benefits.
REPRESENTATIVES INTRODUCE BILL TO PROTECT AMERICAN RESEARCH FROM “FOREIGN THREATS”
On Wednesday, Reps. Guy Reschenthaler (R-PA), David Trone (D-MD), and Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA) introduced H.R. 8346, the “Academic Research Protection Act.” The measure includes a provision to designate an official with the Defense Department to work with the academic research community to protect DOD-funded research from foreign influences and threats. The bill would also establish a new independent commission to address concerns related to undue foreign influence at institutions of higher education conducting federally funded research. “This bipartisan legislation will empower research institutions … by providing the tools needed to protect their ingenuity and improving our information sharing with the academic community,” Rep. Reschenthaler said.
WHITE HOUSE ISSUES EXECUTIVE ORDER PREVENTING DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION TRAINING FOR FEDERAL EMPLOYEES, CONTRACTORS
The president yesterday issued an executive order titled “Executive Order on Combating Race and Sex Stereotyping.” According to the White House, the order would “promote unity in the Federal workforce by combating harmful and offensive race and sex stereotyping and scapegoating.” The order states that federal contractors and grantees that “use any workplace training that inculcates in its employees any form of race or sex stereotyping or any form of race or sex scapegoating” will face the cancellation of their contracts, and outlines how the restrictions will apply to federal contractors. The order also instructs federal agencies to complete within 60 days a review of their grant programs to identify where the agency may apply these restrictions to federal grantees. AAU staff are working to analyze the order and determine its effect on research universities.
HOUSE INTRODUCES TREAT ACT TO EXTEND MEDICAL PROVIDER LICENSE RECIPROCITY
On September 18, Reps. Bob Latta (R-OH) and Debbie Dingell (D-MI) introduced H.R. 8283, the “Temporary Reciprocity to Ensure Access to Treatment (TREAT) Act,” a companion to S. 4421, which was introduced in the Senate in August. The measure would temporarily extend license reciprocity for health care and mental health workers across the United States. This important bipartisan bill would help ensure that Americans have continuous access to their health care and mental health providers during the pandemic. AAU joined more than 50 other organizations to endorse the measure.
ARL RELEASES REPORT RECOMMENDING EFFECTIVE DATA PRACTICES
Today, AAU and APLU joined the Association of Research Libraries, and the California Digital Library, to release a report titled “Implementing Effective Data Practices: Stakeholder Recommendations for Collaborative Research Support.” Supported by the National Science foundation, the report includes recommendations and considerations for researchers, institutions, scholarly publishers, tool builders, and funding agencies to support a more open research ecosystem through effective data practices. AAU and APLU’s Institutional Guide on Accelerating Public Access to Research Data, which will be released in Spring 2021, will include the recommendations.
AAU JOB ANNOUNCEMENT: EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT
AAU is seeking applicants for the position of Executive Assistant to the President. The position provides executive, committee, and development support for the Chief of Staff and the AAU President. A description of the position and application requirements is available here. To be considered, please send by October 7 a cover letter, salary requirements, and resume to [email protected].
UPCOMING EVENTS
SEPTEMBER 30 WEBINAR, “INADEQUATE INVESTMENT: AMERICA, CHINA, AND THE FUTURE OF INNOVATION; 4:00 p.m. ET. AAAS and the Baker Institute for Public Policy webinar focused on America’s investment in R&D. More information and registration available here.
NOVEMBER 12 OFFICE OF SCIENCE GRADUATE STUDENT RESEARCH PROGRAM NOMINATIONS DUE; Nominations can be submitted by 5:00 p.m. ET Thursday, November 12. More information and nomination instructions can be found here.