A quick look back at the news from last week. Compiled by Penn Hill Group.

HOUSE and SENATE

The U.S. Senate passed the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act, without an amendment that would have permitted Pell grants to be used for short-term courses at institutions of higher education, by a vote of 68-32.

ADMINISTRATION

The U.S. Department of Education (ED) announced the launch of an Equity Summit Series beginning on June 22.

ED’s Office for Civil Rights released a report entitled “Education in a Pandemic: The Disparate Impact of COVID-19 on America’s Students.”

ED issued the third volume of its COVID-19 Handbook, “Strategies for Safe Operation and Addressing the Impact of COVID-19 on Higher Education Students, Faculty and Staff.” 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released guidance that provides information, resources and considerations for institutions of higher education (IHEs) to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, increase vaccine uptake and implement protocols based on an individual IHE’s vaccination rates.

ED conducted five days of virtual public hearings to receive input on how the Biden Administration should modify regulations issued by the past Administration related to Title IX and other protections designed to prevent discrimination on the basis of sex, including sexual orientation and gender identity.

ED released final regulations that will be published in the Federal Register on June 14 to remove the subsidized usage loan limit restriction from regulation as required by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021.

The U.S. Department of Labor issued an Emergency Temporary Standard pertaining to healthcare workers and COVID-19.

The National Center for Education Statistics released a report on “Parental Involvement in U.S. Public Schools in 2017-2018.”

EVENTS

Penn Hill Group plans on providing clients a summary of the following event next week:

June 15: House Education and Labor Subcommittee Hearing on “Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act Reauthorization: Examining Successful Models of Employment for Justice-Involved Individuals”

June 16: House Education and Labor Committee Hearing on “Examining the Policies and Priorities of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services”

June 16: Senate Appropriations Subcommittee Hearing on “President’s Fiscal Year 2022 Budget Request for the United States Department of Education”

June 17: Senate Health, Education and Labor Committee Hearing on “COVID-19 Response and Recovery: “Supporting the Needs of Students in Higher Education & Lessons on Safely Returning to Campus”

GRANT OPPORTUNITIES

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