Posts Tagged: the New England Council

Biz Leaders Urge Trump, Congress to Spur Immigration of Skilled Workers

DC Shuttle ... B-School Deans, CEOs Send Trump Letter About Immigration. More than 6o top business school deans and CEOs published an open letter to the White House and Congress asking for changes to immigration policies and visa laws. The letter warns that the U.S. is falling behind in global competition for highly skilled workers. The deans and CEOs ask the prominent government officials to e...

Alexander’s HEA Proposals Panned by Democrats, Praised by Ivanka

DC Shuttle ... Alexander's HEA Proposal Garners Mixed Reviews. U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee Chair Lamar Alexander (R-TN) blocked a bill passed by the House that would extend funding for historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) two years beyond its expiration date on Sept. 30. Instead of allowing a clean passage of the bill through the Sena...

Mark Up of Ed Bills Hits a Wall

DC Shuttle ... Senate Panel Cancels Education Funding Bill Markup. The Senate Appropriations Committee canceled a scheduled markup of legislation to fund the U.S. Education Department for the 2020 fiscal year. A vote on Health and Human Services (HHS)-Labor-Education has been a major priority for Democrats, but is now facing partisan controversy as Congress returns from recess. The top Democrat...

House Defense Bill Offends For-Profit Colleges

DC Shuttle ... House Adds Amendments to Defense Act Targeting For-Profit Universities. The U.S. House of Representatives passed an amendment to its version of the National Defense Authorization Act for the 2020 fiscal year that would increase the Pentagon's scrutiny of for-profit colleges. The amendment would require the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) to audit for-profit colleges that enroll ...

Education Dept Ends Obama-Era Gainful Employment Reg Meant to Hold Low-Quality Career Ed Programs Accountable

DC Shuttle ... Education Department Ends Gainful Employment Regulation. The U.S. Education Department rescinded the gainful employment rule, which had been implemented by the Obama administration aimed at protecting students from schools that leave them with high debt and insufficient job prospects. The rule is no longer in effect as of July 1, the department posted. The rule had mostly affecte...

Among Capitol Hill To-Do Items: Invest in Retraining, Protect Veterans in Higher Ed, Pilot Pells for Dual Enrollment

DC Shuttle ... House Passes Education Funding Bill. The House passed legislation containing an almost $1 trillion minibus spending package (H.R. 2740) that includes funding for the U.S. Education Department. The bill would provide a 6% funding boost in education spending for the coming fiscal year beginning Oct. 1. The package now goes to the Senate, where work has not yet begun on next year's ...

Fixing Unfair Tax Bill

DC Shuttle ... Student Tax Fix Passes House. The U.S. House passed a measure by a 417 to 3 vote that would fix a provision in the 2017 GOP tax law that taxes low-income college students like high-income individuals. Senate leaders are checking if a retirement security bill that passed the House on Thursday could pass the chamber by unanimous consent and Senate leaders are looking to fast-track ...

Tackling School Segregation 65 Years After Brown v. Board of Education

DC Shuttle ... House Committee Passes Two Education Equity Bills. The U.S. House Education and Labor Committee held a markup and approved two bills designed to tackle racial segregation in America's schools. Chair Bobby Scott (D-VA) argued that these bills would help integrated schools lead to equitable funding and opportunities. The markup was scheduled one day before the 65th anniversary of t...

A Boost for Public Service Loan Forgiveness

DC Shuttle ... Legislation Introduced to Expand Public Service Loan Forgiveness. A group of Senate Democrats, led by Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Tim Kaine (D-VA), introduced legislation to expand public service loan forgiveness. The program has seen high denial rates over the past years, causing lawmakers to suggest changes. The legislation, the What You Can Do for Your Country Act...

Congressional Panels Grill DeVos on Ed Cuts, Threats to Special Olympics

DC Shuttle ... Senate Holds Hearing on Education Budget. U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos appeared before a hearing of the Senate Appropriations Committee to testify on the president's budget proposal for education. Senate Democrats used the hearing to criticize DeVos over a proposal to eliminate $18 million in funding for the Special Olympics. Just a few hours later, the administration r...