The House and the Senate were not in session this week, instead focusing on committee activity, but are expected to return to session on July 20. This week, the conversation around the delivery of instruction in schools and colleges in the fall took center stage at the federal level, with Administration officials pushing for full-time in-person learning and debates among policymakers about the safety and efficacy of such a decision as the number of COVID-19 cases continues to increase in many places. The conversation is likely to continue as the situation around the country evolves steadily. Here are a few other happenings:
- House FY2021 Appropriations Bill: The House Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Subcommittee approved its Fiscal Year 2021 appropriations bill. The bill proposes $196.5 billion in overall funding, an increase of $2.4 billion above the FY 2020 level, and includes a small increase in the Perkins Basic State Grant. Read more in our full blog post.
- House Subcommittee Hearing on COVID-19 and Higher Education: On July 7, the House Education and Labor Subcommittee held a hearing where committee members were able to ask questions about COVID-19 and the impact on higher education. Four witnesses presented during the hearing: Sharon Pierce, Scott Pulsipher, Shaun Harper and Timothy Whitek. Watch the full hearing here.
- More Support for Increased Education Funding: Following the remarks made by Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN) in favor of increasing funding to schools in the next coronavirus response package, Steven Mnuchin, the U.S. Secretary to the Treasury, has also signalled he is in favor of giving more money to schools. For schools to open safely, he stated that more funds are needed to properly equip their areas. However, it is unclear at this point whether Congress will be able to reach an agreement around the amount and criteria for any additional federal funding for education.
- Funding for Strengthening Community Colleges Training Grants: In order for community colleges to meet labor demands for a skilled workforce, the Department of Labor announced $40 million in funding for the Strengthening Community College Training Grants. These grants will help retrain individuals and build a pipeline of workers in healthcare, logistics, cybersecurity and other industries. The deadline to apply is October 8, 2020.
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