HOUSE and SENATE

The Senate voted to confirm Scott Stump to be the Assistant Secretary for Career, Technical, and Adult Education at the U.S. Department of Education (ED) by a vote of 85 to 0.

The Senate voted to confirm Jim Blew to be the Assistant Secretary of Education for Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development at ED by a vote of 50 to 49.

Senators Patty Murray (D-WA) and Ron Wyden (D-OR) sent a letter to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the U.S. Treasury Department asking them to clarify that relief issued for private student loans to former Corinthian Colleges students should not be taxed.

Senators Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Mike Enzi (R-WY) sent a letter asking the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to produce two studies. The first request is to provide a historical overview of how changes to Federal student loan programs have affected borrowing levels and repayment. The second request is to examine outstanding Federal student loans in income-driven repayment plans and whether the plans are fiscally sustainable for the Federal government.

The House Education and the Workforce Committee will host an Innovation Forum and Showcase on July 25 in Rayburn House Office Building room 2175 at 10am. The public is invited to tour the Innovation Showcase in the Rayburn Foyer from 10am to 1pm.

ADMINISTRATION

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) proposed an increase to the fees foreign students must pay for visas to study in the U.S. and new fees for schools that accept international students.

President Trump signed an executive order aimed at bolstering job training, creating a National Council for American Workers and a Workforce Policy Advisory Board.

EVENTS

Penn Hill plans to provide clients with summaries of the following events next week:

• July 24: House Education and the Workforce Subcommittee hearing on H.R. 4219, “Workflex in the 21st Century Act”
• July 26: Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee hearing on “Modernizing Apprenticeships to Expand Opportunities”

GRANT OPPORTUNITIES 

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