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

HOUSE and SENATE

The House Appropriations Committee passed its Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 House Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies (LHHS) appropriations bill on a 30 to 22 party-line vote. The bill funds the U.S. Department of Education (ED) at $73.5 billion, which is an increase of $716 million compared to its FY2020 enacted level of funding.

ADMINISTRATION

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) abandoned implementation of a recently announced temporary final rule that would have prohibited international students taking exclusively online classes from studying in the United States. Subsequently, ICE has issued an updated frequently asked questions document with respect to international students. This document states that ICE is “not encouraging any specific action regarding new students” at institutions offering online only instruction, but also states that if students have not yet arrived in the U.S. to attend such institutions that “they should remain in their home country”.

ED issued guidance on the use of increased professional judgement pertaining to financial aid awards.

ED was sued by 22 States and Washington, DC over its recent Borrower Defense to Repayment (BDR) rule, which went into effect on July 1.

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report examining the characteristics of school shootings.

The National Center for Education and Statistics (NCES) issued its annual report examining crime in schools and colleges.

EVENTS

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

• July 23: Virtual Subcommittee Hearing: “Underfunded & Unprepared: Examining How to Overcome Obstacles to Safely Reopen Public Schools”

GRANT OPPORTUNITIES

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