CONTENTS
BUDGET, APPROPRIATIONS, TAX ISSUES
- Bipartisan Group of House Members Urges Boost in NIH Funding
- Associations Request Priority Funding for Higher Education Programs
- Higher Education Community and Members of Congress Urge Restoration of Perkins Loan Program
- Universities Report Continuing Decline in Federal R&D Funding
EXECUTIVE BRANCH
- Associations Comment on Proposed Rule on STEM OPT Extension
BUDGET, APPROPRIATIONS, TAX ISSUES
BIPARTISAN GROUP OF HOUSE MEMBERS URGES BOOST IN NIH FUNDING
A bipartisan group of 145 House Members on November 18 sent a letter to leaders of the House Appropriations Committee urging them to fund the National Institutes of Health (NIH) at a level of at least $32 billion in FY16. That amount represents the $2-billion increase over FY15 approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee and is $800 million above the level approved by the House in the FY16 Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill.
The letter was spearheaded by Reps. Suzan DelBene (D-WA), David McKinley (R-WV), and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD).
ASSOCIATIONS REQUEST PRIORITY FUNDING FOR HIGHER EDUCATION PROGRAMS
A group of 22 higher education groups, including AAU, on November 13 wrote to House and Senate Appropriations Committee leaders asking them to give funding priority to higher education programs in the FY16 Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill.
In addition to requesting strong support for student aid accounts, the letter asks that the Perkins Loan program be reinstated and that funding levels be restored for the Institute of Education Sciences and Title VI International Education accounts.
HIGHER EDUCATION COMMUNITY AND MEMBERS OF CONGRESS URGE RESTORATION OF PERKINS LOAN PROGRAM
Efforts continue within both the higher education community and Congress to restore the Perkins Loan program, which Congress allowed to expire on September 30.
Earlier today, a group of 53 organizations and 535 colleges and universities, including AAU, sent a letter to House and Senate leaders urging them to restore the program for one year beyond its expiration in September.
Earlier this month, a group of 58 House Democrats wrote to Secretary of Education Arne Duncan expressing strong support for reinstating the Perkins Loan program and asking the Department not to issue any guidance at this time on campus reimbursement of federal capital contributions.
On October 29, a bipartisan group of Senators urged Senate leaders to take up the House-passed Higher Education Extension Act of 2015 (H.R. 3594), which would extend authorization of the program for one year to allow its consideration within the framework of the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act.
UNIVERSITIES REPORT CONTINUING DECLINE IN FEDERAL R&D FUNDING
Universities reported the third straight year of decline in federal research and development (R&D) funding in FY14, according to new data and a summary report issued November 17 by the National Science Foundation.
The report indicates that R&D funding from all federal agencies for higher education declined by 1.6 percent in current dollars, dropping from $40 billion in FY13 to $37.4 billion in FY14. When adjusted for inflation, this was a one-year drop of more than five percent and a drop of more than 11 percent since the funding peak in FY11. (The totals exclude funding spent in FY13 and FY14 from the one-time American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.)
EXECUTIVE BRANCH
ASSOCIATIONS COMMENT ON PROPOSED RULE ON STEM OPT EXTENSION
A group of higher education associations, including AAU, on November 18 submitted comments to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) regarding the agency’s proposed rule on extending the Optional Practical Training (OPT) program for international students in the U.S. who have earned degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields.
The associations’ letter is generally positive about the proposed rule, including the plan to increase the extension period from 17 to 24 months. The letter asks DHS officials to consider extending the OPT period for students in all fields of study, not just STEM. It also details concerns about the complexities of compliance for students, employers, and universities, particularly the additional burden on campus Designated Service Officers to manage and track the employment placements for OPT students.
The OPT program enables international students who have earned degrees in the U.S. to spend a year after graduation in paid employment that complements their field of study. Universities are responsible for maintaining students’ visa records during this period, while employers are required to develop and implement a mentoring and training plan for each student.
Students studying in STEM fields are permitted an extension beyond the one-year period. The proposed rule would raise the extension period from the current 17 months to 24 months, allowing STEM students a total of 36 months of OPT.