HOUSE and SENATE

The House and Senate are in recess until the week of May 4.

The Senate and House both passed, and the President signed into law, the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act (H.R.266). The bill provides $484 billion in funding for small-businesses, hospitals and for COVID-19 testing, including $310 billion for the Paycheck Protection Program, originally created under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act (P.L.116-136).

ADMINISTRATION

The U.S. Department of Education (ED) announced the application process for State educational agencies (SEAs) to apply for the SEA and local educational agency (LEA) share of Education Stabilization Funds provided by the CARES Act.

ED issued additional information regarding the higher education funding provisions of the CARES Act Emergency Stabilization Fund. Specifically, ED issued: (1) guidance (in the form of frequently asked questions (FAQ)) on the emergency student grant aid portion of funds; and (2) the Certification of Agreement form and guidance (in the form of an FAQ) for the institutional portion of funds.

The President signed an executive order which bans the issuance of new green cards for 60 days. The ban applies to foreign nationals seeking a green card who are outside of the U.S., but does not apply to those who are currently in the U.S. The order also does not affect temporary visas, including international student visas.

U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos issued a press release asking wealthy institutions of higher education to not accept their portion of CARES Act formula funding.

The National Center for Education Statistics released the 2018 National Assessment of Educational Progress test scores for history, geography and civics.

The Government Accountability Office published a new report finding that ED should address “significant quality issues” with its restraint and seclusion data.

ED announced the 67 new schools that will participate in the Second Chance Pell experimental site, which allows Pell Grants for certain incarcerated individuals at participating schools.

JUDICIARY

The 6^th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled, in a 2 to 1 decision, that the U.S. Constitution includes a right to a “basic minimum education” in a case pertaining to Detroit Public School students. No announcement has been made as to whether this case will be heard by the full 6^th Circuit Court of Appeals or a U.S. Supreme Court review will be sought.

GRANT OPPORTUNITIES

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