HOUSE and SENATE

The House will be in recess next week and will return the week of September 24

The Fiscal Year 2019 Defense and Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies appropriations Conference Report was released. A vote is expected in the Senate as early as next week on the package. Of note, the bill provides increases for Title I, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Student Support and Academic Enrichment grants and the Charter Schools Program. The bill also increases the maximum Pell grant by $100.

ADMINISTRATION

The New York Times reported that an analysis conducted by the U.S. Department of Education (ED) found that the Title IX rules that the Administration may propose addressing how schools investigate and adjudicate allegations of campus sexual misconduct would decrease the number of investigations by schools into complaints of sexual harassment, assault and rape.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit ruled that institutions of higher education must allow accused students (or their representatives) in campus investigations of sexual assault cases to directly question their accuser in a live hearing.

A U.S. District Court judge ruled that ED’s delay of the Obama-era borrower defense to repayment (BDR) rules was improper. The judge has not yet determined how ED will have to proceed given this ruling.

The Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to vote on the confirmation of U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh on Thursday, September 20.

GRANT OPPORTUNITIES 

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