A quick look at the news from last week, compiled by Penn Hill Group:

HOUSE

The House is in recess this week.

SENATE

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) announced the full Senate will plan to begin debate on the Every Child Achieves Act, which reauthorizes the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), on July 7. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA) released a joint statement in support of debate of this bill by the full Senate.

The Senate is in recess this week.

BUDGET

The House Appropriations Committee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies approved its Fiscal Year (FY) 2016 Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations Bill by a party-line vote of 30­–21. The bill would: reduce funding for education programs by $2.8 billion compared to FY2015; eliminate funding for a number of education programs; provide increases for Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) State Grants and charter schools; and reduce the amount of funding available for Pell Grants. The bill also includes a number of prohibitions on the U.S. Department of Education (ED)’s implementation of higher education regulations and initiatives, including gainful employment, state authorization and teacher preparation regulations and the Administration’s college ratings system.

The Senate Appropriations Committee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies approved its FY2016 Labor, Health and Human Services and Education appropriations bill by a party-line vote of 16–14. The bill would: reduce funding for education programs by $1.7 billion compared to FY2015; eliminate and reduce funding for a number of education programs; and provide increases for Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) State Grants, Title I, charter schools and Head Start. The bill also includes a number of prohibitions on ED’s implementation of higher education regulations and initiatives, including gainful employment, state authorization and teacher preparation regulations and the Administration’s college ratings system.

ADMINISTRATION

ED announced it will no longer be releasing a college ratings system, and will instead release college “ratings tools” later this summer. These tools would be designed to allow students and others to come to their own conclusions on the benefits of one college or university over another.

ED appointed Joseph Smith, Jr. as Special Master to advise on loan discharges for former Corinthian Colleges students and others who are seeking similar relief.

ED approved state waiver renewals under ESEA for Georgia, Hawaii, Kansas, Missouri, Nevada, New York, West Virginia and Washington, D.C. New York received a four-year renewal while all others received three-year renewals.

A federal court ruled in favor of ED in the case APSCU v. Arne Duncan. This ruling upholds ED’s gainful employment regulations.