Congress finally went home this weekend after passing a continuing resolution (CR) preventing a government shutdown and funding the government through March 14 and wrapping up other legislative work for the year. On the Administration side, things are quieting down for the holidays, although several events have been held to wrap-up or promote key initiatives as the Biden Administration winds down their work. Keep reading and stay tuned for more updates in the new year!
- Congress Averts Government Shutdown: Congress passed an agreement to keep the government funded through March 14 at the last minute, securing three more months to finalize appropriations packages, including the Labor, Health and Human Services and Education bill. Unfortunately, the final CR did not include a reauthorization of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) like an earlier version – ACTE will work to make this a priority of the 119th Congress.
- Congress Passes Social Security Fairness Act: On Dec. 21, Congress passed H.R. 82, the Social Security Fairness Act, marking the culmination of decades of advocacy to repeal the Government Pension Offset (GPO) and Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) within the Social Security program. These provisions unfairly reduced Social Security benefits, including spousal benefits, for those who worked in private sector jobs and paid into Social Security, but also worked in a public sector job and earned a pension.
- Department of Labor to Host Digital Literacy Event: The Department of Labor is hosting an event in the new year to discuss resources available to promote digital literacy and skill-building through the workforce system.
- Department of Education Withdraws Some Pending Rules: The Department of Education has withdrawn two sets of pending regulations that were in progress but not complete: rules related to student loan forgiveness and to transgender student athletes. These proposals would have most likely been overturned by the incoming Trump Administration, and had faced legal challenges, so the withdrawal is primarily a procedural move to clear up pending regulations before the transition.
- National Science Foundation (NSF) Funding Opportunity: The NSF S-STEM program provides scholarships for low-income students pursing postsecondary degrees in STEM fields, and is encouraging higher education institutions, including community colleges to apply for awards of $80-$120 million. Apply by March 4.
- Department of Education Hosts Roundtable on Chronic Absenteeism: The White House and Department of Education hosted a roundtable on chronic absenteeism in schools, discussing new ways to engage students and what is being done to help support higher attendance rates.
- Department of Education Hosts Event on Pathways for Multilingualism: Secretary Cardona hosted the “Creating Pathways for Multilingualism for All” convening to showcase language immersion programs and discuss best practices.
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