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

CONGRESS

Senate Committee on Appropriations Chair Patty Murray (D-WA) and Vice Chair Susan Collins (R-ME) issued a joint statement announcing that the full Senate will proceed with its appropriations process by first considering a fiscal year (FY) 2024 appropriations minibus that will include the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies; Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies; and Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies appropriations bills. Consideration of these bills will begin next week.

Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Bill Cassidy (R-LA) released a report on “Exploring Congress’ Framework for the Future of AI.”

Senators Cassidy, John Thune (R-SD) and John Cornyn (R-TX) introduced a Congressional Review Act resolution to prevent the implementation of the Biden Administration’s new Saving on A Valuable Education (SAVE) income-driven repayment (IDR) plan. Representative Lisa McClain (R-MI) introduced the House companion resolution.

ADMINISTRATION

The U.S. Department of Education (ED) announced that more than four million borrowers are now enrolled in the new SAVE IDR plan.

ED announced a new effort to increase teacher diversity through two events: the “Teach to Lead Summit;” and the “Conference on Equity in Opportunity.” Both are set to begin in Denver, Colorado on October 26, 2023.

Vice President Kamala Harris announced her upcoming “Fight for Our Freedoms College Tour.”

EVENTS

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

September 12: Senate Committee on the Judiciary Full Committee Hearing on “Book Bans: Examining How Censorship Limits Liberty and Literature.”

September 12: Senate Committee on the Judiciary Subcommittee Hearing on “Oversight of A.I.: Legislating on Artificial Intelligence.”

September 12: Senate Committee on Commerce, Science & Transportation Subcommittee Hearing on “The Need for Transparency in Artificial Intelligence.”

GRANT OPPORTUNITIES

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