HOUSE and SENATE

The House and Senate resume session next week. The Senate returns on Monday, April 9, and the House returns on Tuesday, April 10.

Congressman Bobby Scott (D-VA) and Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) released a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report entitled, “Discipline Disparities for Black Students, Boys, and Students with Disabilities.”

Press reports that House Congressional GOP leadership and the Trump Administration have discussed using Budget Act procedures to pass rescissions to the recently passed fiscal year (FY) 2018 Omnibus appropriations bill.

The House Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Subcommittee on Appropriations announced a date for a public witness hearing on FY2019 appropriations. The hearing will be held on Thursday, April 26. The deadline to submit requests to testify is Friday, April 6. The deadline to submit written testimony is Thursday, April 26.

The Senate Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Subcommittee on Appropriations will accept written testimony from outside witnesses on FY2019 appropriations. The deadline to submit written testimony is Friday, June 1.

ADMINISTRATION

Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos said this week that the U.S. Department of Education (ED) will take another look at the recognition status of the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS), which the previous Administration terminated, after a Federal judge ruled last month that the previous Administration failed to consider relevant evidence. ACICS’s status as a federally recognized accrediting agency will be restored until ED completes its own review. Secretary DeVos has given ACICS until May 30 to file a written submission to ED providing further information relevant to the petition ACICS filed for continued recognition in January 2016. ED may respond by July 30.

Secretary DeVos hosted two listening sessions on school safety concerns and the current climate in schools nationwide. The discussion focused on the Dear Colleague Letter (DCL or the guidance) regarding racial discrimination in school discipline practices. This guidance was jointly issued by ED and the U.S. Department of Justice on January 8, 2014, with ED also releasing other related materials.

EVENTS

Penn Hill Group plans to provide clients with a summary of the following events next week:

• April 10: National Assessment Governing Board and the National Center for Education Statistics event: “2017 Nation’s Report Card: National and State Results”
• April 12: Senate Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies: “FY2019 budget request for the U.S. Department of Labor”

GRANT OPPORTUNITIES 

Penn Hill Group provides a list of grant opportunities and summaries for select grants. Please visit our website for more information