CONTENTS
BUDGET, APPROPRIATIONS & TAX ISSUES
- White House Preps for Release of FY17 Budget
EXECUTIVE BRANCH
- Associations Comment on Proposed Affordable Care Act Rule
- Associations Comment on EPA Proposed Hazardous Waste Disposal Rules
- IRS Withdraws Controversial Alternative Rule for Charitable Deductions
BUDGET, APPROPRIATIONS & TAX ISSUES
WHITE HOUSE PREPS FOR RELEASE OF FY17 BUDGET
When President Obama delivers his last State of the Union address next Monday, January 12, he is expected to lay out his priorities for the FY17 budget, which the White House has announced it will release on February 9. Among the topics the President is likely to address in his speech are STEM education and biomedical research, as well as gun violence.
Although the Office of Management and Budget has released no details about the FY 17 budget, the package is expected to stick to the caps on defense and nondefense discretionary spending agreed to last year, which would largely freeze FY17 funding at the FY16 level.
When the budget is released on February 9, AAU staff and campus federal relations officers will develop a summary and general analysis of its research and higher education provisions.
EXECUTIVE BRANCH
ASSOCIATIONS COMMENT ON PROPOSED AFFORDABLE CARE ACT RULE
Under the leadership of the American Council on Education (ACE), a group of higher education associations, including AAU, submitted comments to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on the agency’s annual rule that sets out policy for the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
The focus of the comments is on provisions related to campus student health insurance plans.
ASSOCIATIONS COMMENT ON EPA PROPOSED HAZARDOUS WASTE DISPOSAL RULES
Four higher education associations, including AAU, on December 22 urged the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to allow colleges and universities flexibility in meeting the agency’s proposed changes in hazardous waste disposal rules.
Under the leadership of the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO), the associations’ comments express concern that several provisions in the rules would adversely affect colleges and universities. These institutions tend to “generate a large and ever-changing variety of hazardous wastes mostly in small quantities, from multiple facilities.”
The associations—NACUBO, AAU, ACE, and the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities—urge flexibility for colleges and universities, and describe their concerns about provisions relating to determinations of hazard waste, container labelling, recordkeeping, and shipping. They also endorse the more detailed comments filed by the Campus Safety Health and Environmental Management Association.
IRS WITHDRAWS CONTROVERSIAL ALTERNATIVE RULE FOR CHARITABLE DEDUCTIONS
In the wake of strong opposition from the nonprofit community, the Internal Revenue Service on January 7 withdrew a proposal to create an alternate means for nonprofit organizations to substantiate charitable contributions.
Of concern to the nonprofit community was that the new informational tax return would require a nonprofit organization to collect a donor’s name, address, and Social Security number or other taxpayer identification number. As stated in comments submitted by the National Council of Nonprofits and Independent Sector in December, this parallel reporting regime, even though voluntary, would open the door to fraud and identity theft and reduce charitable giving. AAU signed on to the community letter.