HOUSE and SENATE

The House and Senate were in recess this week, and will be back in session next week.

The Senate Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Subcommittee on Appropriations will accept written testimony from outside witnesses on fiscal year (FY) 2019 appropriations. The deadline to submit written testimony is Friday, June 1.

ADMINISTRATION

The U.S. Department of Education (ED) announced a total of approximately $693 million in new Federal assistance under the Immediate Aid to Restart School Operations (K-12 Restart) program. Under the K-12 Restart program, ED is authorized to award funds to State educational agencies (SEAs) with students and schools impacted by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria and the 2017 California wildfires.

Texas, along with six other States (Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Nebraska, South Carolina, and West Virginia), filed a lawsuit in Federal court seeking an end to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.

ED’s proposed Borrower Defense to Repayment (BDR) regulations have moved to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review. This signals that in the coming weeks ED will have a formal set of proposed BDR regulations out for public comment.

ED announced the approval of South Carolina and Virginia’s consolidated State plans under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).

ED stated, in a filing made in connection with ongoing litigation protesting ED contracting decisions, that it would be cancelling two recent contracts awarded for debt collection of delinquent student loans. In the filing, ED stated that it planned to take steps to reduce the number of borrowers who default on their student loans, reducing the need for the current number of contractors collecting on such loans.

News reports indicate that the Administration intends to submit its rescissions proposal to Congress on Monday, and that the request will be for $11 billion in cuts from funds appropriated prior to FY2018. Reports also indicate that the Administration may consider submitting additional rescissions proposals in the coming months.

EVENTS

Penn Hill Group plans to provide clients with a summary of the following events next week:

• May 9: House Education and the Workforce Subcommittee Hearing: “Closing the Skills Gap: Private sector solutions for America’s workforce”

GRANT OPPORTUNITIES 

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