- Senate Fails to Advance “Skinny” Pandemic Relief Bill
- House Appropriations Begin Discussions on “Clean” Continuing Resolution
- Education Department Issues Final “Religious Liberty and Free Inquiry” Rule
- AAU, Associations Urge Defense Department to Consider Consequences of CMMC Implementation
- House Committee Holds Hearing to Review Pandemic’s Impact on University Research
- Upcoming Events
SENATE FAILS TO ADVANCE “SKINNY” PANDEMIC RELIEF BILL
The Senate yesterday failed to gather enough bipartisan support to advance a $650 billion pandemic relief measure, which would have included: $105 billion for education including $29 billion for higher education; liability protections for businesses, schools, and charities; another round of aid for small- and medium-sized businesses; and $300 per person in weekly federal unemployment aid in addition to regular state benefits. The procedural vote, which required 60 “yeas” to advance, failed 52-47. Democratic congressional leaders continue to call for at least $2.2 trillion, although House Democrats initially approved $3.5 trillion in relief as part of H.R. 6800 , the “HEROES Act.” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has indicated that the administration may support a $1.5 trillion stimulus plan, The New York Times reports. According to CQ Budget, Sen. Pat Roberts (R-KS) said negotiations on a future stimulus were a “dead end street,” a sentiment echoed by Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL).
No meetings have been set to resume negotiations, CQ Budget reports.
HOUSE APPROPRIATORS BEGIN DISCUSSIONS ON “CLEAN” CONTINUING RESOLUTION
House Appropriations Committee leaders have started to discuss the details of a continuing resolution to fund the government at current levels past the end of the current fiscal year, September 30, Politico Pro reports. In an interview on Bloomberg TV, Pelosi expressed confidence that lawmakers would reach an agreement on stopgap funding, saying “we'll come to agreement on that, I feel quite certain.” Mnuchin and Pelosi last week informally agreed that Congress will pass a “clean” continuing resolution – free of “controversial policy riders,” such as pandemic relief, according to The Hill .
Potential sticking points for the negotiations include a list of “anomalies” the White House sent lawmakers last week, which detail legislative changes beyond continued level funding for federal programs. Language to authorize Space Force programs, make rent payments on federal buildings, and prepare for a possible presidential transition are among the requests. The proposal also includes several deviations from defense spending that Democrats may reject, including exceptions for nuclear programs, Politico Pro reports.
According to Roll Call, the administration and Republican lawmakers are pushing for a continuing resolution that runs to December. Democratic leaders have yet to publicly state their proposed timeline for a stopgap spending measure.
EDUCATION DEPARTMENT ISSUES FINAL “RELIGIOUS LIBERTY AND FREE INQUIRY” RULE
On Wednesday, the Education Department issued a final rule to implement two executive orders: the first addressing “equal treatment and constitutional rights of religious organizations and faith-based institutions,” and the second concerning campus free speech. To implement the first executive order, the rule prohibits public institutions from denying faith-based student organizations “any of the rights, benefits, or privileges otherwise afforded to non-faith-based student organizations.” The rule will also “clarify how an educational institution may demonstrate that it is controlled by a religious organization for purposes of Title IX.” The rule implements the second executive order by requiring public institutions to comply with the First Amendment and private institutions to comply with their own speech policies as a condition of Education Department grant funding. Importantly, an institution would be deemed out of compliance with the rule’s speech-related provisions only if there is a final, nondefault state or federal court judgment to that effect.
Earlier today, AAU tweeted to share our serious concerns about the rule because it is not the right way to support free speech on campus. Please consider liking and sharing the tweet with your colleagues.
RESOURCES AVAILABLE: AAU Submits Further “Free Inquiry” NPRM Comments on Consequences of False Claims Act | AAU, Associations Submit Comments on “Free Inquiry” NPRM | AAU President Comments on Free Speech Executive Order
AAU, ASSOCIATIONS URGE DEFENSE DEPARTMENT TO CONSIDER CONSEQUENCES OF CMMC IMPLEMENTATION
On September 1, AAU joined EDUCAUSE, COGR, and APLU on a letter to Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment Ellen M. Lord urging the Defense Department to exclude fundamental research from the potentially burdensome and harmful changes to the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program. The substantial new requirements that would be imposed on research universities would have a chilling effect on defense research done on university campuses. The organizations call on the CMMC Advisory Board, the Office of Acquisition and Sustainment, and the Office of Research and Engineering to consult with research universities about the nature and consequences of the broad implementation of the CMMC program.
HOUSE COMMITTEE HOLDS HEARING TO REVIEW PANDEMIC’S IMPACT ON UNIVERSITY RESEARCH
The House Committee on Space, Science and Technology Research and Technology Subcommittee on Wednesday held a hearing titled “The Impact of the COVID-19 Crisis on University Research.” During the hearing, policymakers heard testimony from: University of Illinois System Interim Vice President for Economic Development and Innovation and AAU Senior Fellow Joseph Walsh; Oakland University Vice President for Research David Stone; Purdue University Executive Vice President for Research and Partnerships Theresa Mayer; and Carnegie Mellon University physics PhD Student Ryan Muzzio. The hearing focused on the pandemic’s impact on university research and how research is being conducted during the pandemic. Committee members and witnesses highlighted the need for H.R. 7308 / S. 4286, the “Research Investment to Spark the Economy (RISE) Act;” and H.R. 8044, the “Supporting Early Career Researchers Act.” Both proposals would support the research enterprise by authorizing supplemental funding to research agencies to help relieve disruptions to research and by creating a new postdoctoral fellowship program at NSF to keep early career researchers in the STEM pipeline. AAU has endorsed both bills.
UPCOMING EVENTS
OCTOBER 1 ERNEST ORLANDO LAWRENCE AWARDS NOMINATIONS DUE; Nominations can besubmitted here by 5:00 p.m. ET Thursday, October 1. More information about the award can be found here. Please contact Dr. Kaitlyn Schroeder-Spain with questions.
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.