This week in legislation...

To keep you informed of what happened this week in legislation and other activities in D.C., please see below.

Week of July 18

·       This week, both the U.S. House and U.S. Senate are in recess. Lawmakers will return to legislative business on Tuesday, September 6, after the completion of the extended Congressional recess and the Republican and Democratic National Conventions.

·       On Tuesday at 8:30 a.m., Education Secretary John King, Jr. speaks at the inaugural convening of the Second Chance Pell Pilot Initiative to discuss the importance of second chances and the Administration’s work so far on the program. He will also moderate a panel on effective college-prison partnerships, which will include students discussing their college experience in prison.

·       On Tuesday at 11:00 a.m., First Lady Michelle Obama hosts the third annual “Beating the Odds” Summit as part of the “Reach Higher” Initiative and “Better Make Room” Campaign. The event, which will include Education Secretary John King, Jr. and more than 130 college-bound students, will focus on the importance of young people taking charge of their futures with perseverance, resilience, and college completion.

·       On Tuesday at 12:00 p.m., The Heritage Foundation hosts a discussion titled, “California’s Rush to Restrict Religious Freedom in Higher Education.” The event will examine California Senate Bill 1146, which the organization believes could jeopardize the freedom of religious institutions of higher education and restrict them from participating in state student aid programs if they make distinctions on the basis of religion, sexual orientation, or gender identity in admissions, student conduct codes, housing, and employment. Speakers include: John Jackson, President, William Jessup University; and Greg Baylor, Senior Counsel, Alliance Defending Freedom.

·       On Wednesday at 11:30 a.m., the College Promise Campaign hosts a screening of No Greater Odds, which tells the story of students at the College of Southern Nevada whose lives have been changed by access to a quality community college education, at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, OH. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion on access to free community college.

·         On Thursday and Friday, the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) holds its 2016 Summer Workshop titled, “Examining the Accreditation Space: Accreditation and its Constituents.” Speakers include: Diane Auer Jones, President, AJsquared Consulting; Anthony Bieda, Executive in Charge, Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools; Barbara Gellman-Danley, President, Higher Learning Commission; James Kvaal, former Deputy Director, White House Domestic Policy Council; Lynn Mahaffie, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Policy, Planning, and Innovation, U.S. Department of Education; Leah Matthews, Executive Director, Distance Education Accrediting Commission; Cheryl Oldham, Vice President, Education Policy, U.S. Chamber of Commerce; Richard Pattenaude, President Emeritus and Professor of Political Science, Ashford University; Susan Phillips, Chair, National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity; and Bill Press, Senior Political Contributor, CNN.

·       On Thursday at 10:00 a.m., New America hosts a panel discussion titled, “Colleges in the Age of Enrollment Management: Engines of Opportunity or Perpetuators of Inequality?” The event will take a closer look at the field of enrollment management and examine how it has affected the distribution of educational opportunity in the country. Panelists include: Donald Hossler, Emeritus Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, Indiana University, and Senior Scholar, Center for Enrollment Research, Policy, and Practice, University of Southern California; Ozan Jaquette, Assistant Professor of Higher Education and Organizational Change, Department of Educational Policy and Practice, University of Arizona; Lesley Turner, Assistant Professor of Economics, University of Maryland at College Park; and Ken Redd, Director of Research and Policy Analysis, National Association of College and University Business Officers. Stephen Burd, Senior Policy Analyst, Education Policy Program, New America, will serve as moderator.

·       On Thursday at 12:00 p.m., the Council for Economic Education holds a discussion titled, “Financial Literacy: Is Your State Part of the Problem or the Solution?” in Cleveland, OH.

This information is shared by SASFAA's Legislative Affairs' Committee and NCHER.