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

CONGRESS

The U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate passed a continuing resolution (CR) on a 336-95 vote and an 87-11 vote respectively. The CR stipulates two expiration dates for different parts of the Federal government with Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies (LHHS) funding expiring on February 2.

The House completed consideration of amendments to its fiscal year (FY) 2024 LHHS bill but did not hold a vote on final passage of the measure.

The U.S. Senate Congressional Review Act resolution to repeal the regulation for the Saving on A Valuable Education (SAVE) income-driven repayment (IDR) plan failed on a 49-50 vote.

The Government Accountability Office released a report with recommendations to prevent fraud in future student loan debt relief efforts based on the U.S. Department of Education’s (ED’s) approval of debt relief applications as part of the Administration’s previous attempt to provide between $10,000-$20,000 in loan forgiveness for qualifying borrowers.

ADMINISTRATION

ED announced that it expects the updated Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to be available for students and families by December 31, 2023 with institutional student information records available at the end of January 2023.

ED’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) released a list of schools under investigation for violations of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

ED announced new resources to assist schools and campuses in protecting students from discrimination and harassment based on their race, color or national origin. The White House also released a related fact sheet on other Executive Branch agency actions.

ED announced its new “Being Bilingual is a Superpower” initiative to promote multilingual education.

ED and the U.S. Department of Justice announced first-year results after the implementation of a new process to guide the discharge of Federal student loans during bankruptcy.

GRANT OPPORTUNITIES

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