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Year-Round Pell Included in Spending Bill. Lawmakers reported that they had struck a deal to fund the government through the rest of fiscal year 2017 and it is expected that Congress will vote on that bill this week to avoid a government shutdown on Friday. The deal reached Sunday includes year-round Pell Grants, lawmakers have confirmed. Through year-round Pell Grants, students ca...
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DeVos Tours Florida Schools. U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos visited Florida schools, including Florida International University. She addressed the concerns of many educators by saying she understands the concerns of undocumented students and the Trump administration is "not seeking to go and find them in schools." DeVos also told reporters there's a "possibility" that Florida...
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Lawmakers Push Back on Ed Dept, NIH Cuts in Budget Proposal. Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO), chair of the Appropriations subcommittee that handles funding for the departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, pushed back against the Trump administration's call to cut nearly $18 billion in domestic programs in fiscal 2017, including $3 billion at the Education Department. B...
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Administration Rolls Back Regulations on Student Loan Defaults. The Trump administration reversed guidance from the Obama administration that forbade student loan debt collectors from charging high fees to defaulted borrowers. Loan guarantee agencies that collect on defaulted debt will now be permitted to charge borrowers who have defaulted on their federal student loans fees up to...
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Trump's Budget Proposal. President Donald Trump released his FY 2018 federal budget blueprint or "skinny budget." Trump's budget proposal would cut $9.2 billion, or almost 14%, from the Education Department's budget. The proposal would downsize or eliminate a number of grants, including for teacher training, afterschool programs, and aid to low-income and minority college students...
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Senate Overturns Teacher-Preparation Regulation Under CRA. In a 59-40 vote, the Senate passed a resolution (HJ Res 58) to repeal a rule requiring states to report and evaluate teacher-training programs. The Senate vote will halt the new requirements for teacher-training programs, finalized by the Obama administration in October, before they would go into effect in the summer. The r...
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Hearing on Education Budget. The House Appropriations Committee's Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies held a hearing to discuss potential budget action. Subcommittee Chair Tom Cole (R-OK) said that $20 billion in cuts is expected to spending on labor, education and health programs. "There's no part of this budget that can escape unscath...
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DeVos Outlines Policy Intentions. U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos gave remarks to the Association of Community College Trustees' National Legislative Summit. During her remarks, DeVos praised the work of community colleges, calling them "essential engines of workforce and economic development." Diverse: Issues In Higher Education reports that she promised that community c...
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House Approves Bills to Limit Role of Ed Dept. and ESSA. Under the Congressional Review Act, the House voted to overturn to Obama administration regulations. The House passed two resolutions to end department regulations dealing with state assessments (H.J. Res. 57) and teacher-preparation programs (H.J. Res. 58). H.J. Res. 57, which passed 234-190, would nullify an Education Depar...
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New House Education Committee Holds First Meeting. The House Committee on Education and the Workforce met for the first time in the 115th Congress under the new leadership of Chair Virginia Foxx (R-NC). Lawmakers voted on rules for the committee, and considered and adopted an "oversight and investigation" plan for the next two years. Republicans targeted the Every Student Succeeds ...