CONGRESS

The House passed a package of six appropriations bills on a 339-85 vote. The bills in the package include the fiscal year (FY) 2024 appropriations bills for: Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration; Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies; Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies; Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies; Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies; and Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies.

U.S. President Joe Biden delivered the annual presidential State of the Union (SOTU) address before both Houses of Congress and the justices of the Supreme Court of the United States.

House Committee on Education and the Workforce held a bipartisan roundtable on antisemitism at postsecondary institutions.

ADMINISTRATION

The U.S. Department of Education (ED) provided additional details on the process of sending Institutional Student Information Records (ISIRs) to institutions of higher education in the coming weeks.

ED held its final negotiated rulemaking session on program integrity and institutional quality, covering regulations on cash management, State authorization, distance education, return of Title IV funds, accreditation and regulations providing for the expansion of Federal TRIO program access to undocumented students. Consensus was reached on TRIO program access, but not the other issues.

The White House released a fact sheet on the Biden Administration’s efforts to lower costs for working families, reduce the cost of college and eliminate student debt.

President Biden issued an Executive Order on “Scaling and Expanding the Use of Registered Apprenticeships in Industries and the Federal Government and Promoting Labor-Management Forums.”

POLITICO has reported that Julia Barnard was named as the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s next ombudsman for private education loans.

EVENTS

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

March 12: House Committee on Education and the Workforce Subcommittee Hearing on “Safeguarding Student-Athletes from NLRB Misclassification.”

March 12: Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Subcommittee Hearing on “Youth Apprenticeships: Building Partnerships, Strengthening Career Pathways.”

March 14: Senate Committee on Finance Full Committee Hearing on “The President’s Fiscal Year 2025 Health and Human Services Budget.”

GRANT OPPORTUNITIES

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