Last week, we hosted ACTE's CareerTech Virtual VISION and we hope you enjoyed it as much as we did! While Virtual VISION was happening, there was a lot of movement in DC. The start of the 117th Congress is right around the corner, bringing with it a number of changes in congressional leadership posts. Also on the Hill, both the House and Senate were in session last week and are still trying to pass a COVID-19 relief package before the holiday break, and a funding bill to keep the government funded after the continuing resolution runs (CR) out on December 11. Here are some notes from the federal education realm from last week:
- New Bipartisan COVID-19 Relief Package Proposal: Last week, a bipartisan, bicameral group of 12 members from the House and the Senate unveiled a new $908 billion coronavirus relief proposal. Within the bill is $160 billion for states and cities, $180 billion for unemployment insurance, $288 billion for more small business assistance through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and $82 billion for education funding. House Speaker Pelosi, Senate Leader McConnell and the White House continue negotiating to try and pass a bill as soon as possible, and this new proposal could be considered as part of those negotiations.
- Applications Available for Grant Funding for Native American CTE Programs: The Department of Education’s Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education (OCTAE) has started accepting applications for the Native American Career and Technical Education Program. Application details are located in the Federal Register. The purpose of this grant program is to improve CTE programs in Native American and Alaska Native communities. The deadline for applications is January 29, 2021, and an information webinar for prospective applicants is tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, December 9, 2020, at 2PM ET.
- New Elements Added to the College Scorecard: As part of the process of updating the College Scorecard, the Department of Education has added second-year post- graduation earnings and cumulative loan data to ensure students are informed when choosing a postsecondary institution. These new additions will allow students to make side-by-side comparisons of different fields of study within or across institutions. The new loan data on the Scorecard will also show Parent PLUS loans, how much parents borrowed to help their children pay for their education, to give a more holistic view of the financial cost of the postsecondary institution.
- House’s 2021 Legislative Calendar: House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (D-MD) released the House’s 2021 legislative calendar for the 117th Congress. The House will officially conviene for the 2021 session on Sunday, January 3, 2021, and there will be 101 voting days and 59 committee work days, for a total of 160 days. Find the full calendar here.
- House Committee Leaders Selected: Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) won the House Appropriations chairwoman seat, and will take over for Nita Lowey (D-NY) starting in January. DeLauro is currently the chair of the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Subcommittee, and may also retain that role. On the Republican side, Representative Virginia Foxx (R-NC) was selected once again to serve as the Ranking Member on the Committee on Education and Labor, and CTE Caucus Co-Chair Glenn Thompson (R-PA) was named Ranking Member of the Agriculture Committee.
- Last Minute Efforts on HEA Reforms: Two key reforms to the Higher Education Act are receiving last minute attention as the 116th Congress wraps up. First, a bipartisan group of Senators called on Senate leadership to include the College Transparency Act in the omnibus funding bill. The Senators state that students need access to high-quality postsecondary data in order to ensure they are informed about their postsecondary options. In addition, congressional leadership is hopeful that both parties are close to finding a deal to simplify the FAFSA form. The simplification of the form would include reducing the number of questions and automatically filling in many of the questions from tax documents.
- Student Loan Forbearance Extended: The Department of Education has extended the deadline for student loan forbearance for another month. The forbearance period was set to expire on December 31, however, due to the complications from the pandemic, the deadline is now January 31, 2021. Until then loans will have 0% interest and payment collection is suspended.
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