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

CONGRESS

The U.S. Senate recessed (joining the U.S. House of Representatives, which recessed last week) until Monday, January 8.

House Committee on Education and the Workforce Republicans sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona objecting to the timing of the release of regulations pertaining to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and Executive Order 13899 issued by then-President Trump regarding antisemitism.

ADMINISTRATION

The U.S. Department of Education’s (ED) Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA) announced that the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) will have a “soft launch” leading up to and following December 31.

FSA Chief Operating Officer (COO) Richard Cordray published a blog post on ED’s student loan payment count adjustments.

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) released a prepublication version of a proposed regulation on apprenticeship system enhancements. DOL has not stated when this regulation will be formally published in the Federal Register.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) released a prepublication version of proposed regulatory changes to the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule. The FTC has not stated when these regulatory changes will be formally published in the Federal Register.

GRANT OPPORTUNITIES

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