HOUSE and SENATE

The House, at the time of writing, is considering the Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (HEROES) Act, the House Democrats’ proposal for the next COVID-19 relief package. The bill as introduced was modified by a Manager’s Amendment that, among other aspects, limited the bill’s $10,000 Federal student loan principle forgiveness to individuals deemed economically distressed and changed the application of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act (P.L.116-136) equitable participation requirements.

ADMINISTRATION

The U.S. Department of Education’s (ED’s) Office for Civil Rights issued guidance for institutions of higher education regarding fulfilling their obligations under Federal civil rights laws during the COVID-19 crisis.

In a court filing, ED admitted that, as of May 7, approximately 54,000 student loan borrowers were having their wages garnished despite the CARES Act requiring the suspension of such activities through September 30. However, yesterday, in an updated court filing, ED said the total number of borrowers having their wages garnished fell to fewer than 12,000 in the past week.

The interest rates for new Federal student loans in the 2020-2021 award year fell by nearly 2 percent.

ED published information on the waivers it has granted under authority provided by the CARES Act.

GRANT OPPORTUNITIES

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