This week in Legislative Affairs---

Week of January 11

·       This week, both the U.S. House and U.S. Senate are in session for legislative business. However, neither chamber is expected to consider student financial aid-related legislation.

·       Today at 10:00 a.m., the U.S. Supreme Court hears oral arguments on Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association. The case will determine whether it is a violation of the First Amendment to require non-union members to pay a “fair share” or “agency” fee to cover the union’s costs of negotiating a contract that covers all public employees, even those who are not union members. The vast majority of public higher education faculty members are represented by unions, and this case has the potential to have a major impact on the financing of unions and politics in general.

·       Today at 5:00 p.m., Politico hosts a moderated discussion with House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady (R-TX) to talk about the President’s State of the Union address, this year’s goals for the Ways and Means Committee, and the state of the U.S. economy.

·       Today at 5:30 p.m., the Woman’s National Democratic Club holds a book discussion on “Income Inequality and Higher Education: What It Means for Society, Oberlin, and You.” The discussion will address the key socioeconomic consequences that are unfolding around the country and how they will impact institutions of higher education, as well as what income inequality does for the opportunities families and their students will have in selecting schools. Participants include: Robert Kuttner, Co-Editor, The American Prospect and Professor of Social Policy, Brandeis University; Amy Chen, Chief Investment Officer, Smithsonian Institution; and Hayden Arp, Student at Oberlin College.

·        On Tuesday through Thursday, all-day, the U.S. Department of Education holds the first of three negotiated rulemaking committee sessions to prepare proposed regulations regarding: 1) the procedures to be used for a borrower to establish a defense to repayment; 2) the criteria that the Department will use to identify acts or omissions of an institution that constitute defenses to repayment of Federal Direct Loans, including the creation of a federal standard; 3) the standards and procedures that the Department will use to determine the liability of the institution for amounts based on borrower defenses; 4) the effect of borrower defenses on institutional capability assessments; and 5) if and how these issues will affect the Federal Family Education Loan Program.

·       On Tuesday at 9:00 p.m., President Obama gives his final State of the Union address. Unlike previous years, the speech is not expected to include a new and robust legislative agenda, but to discuss his vision for the future. Shortly thereafter, South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley gives the Republican Response.

·       On Wednesday at 12:00 p.m., the Brookings Institution holds a discussion entitled, “A Conversation with House Budget Chair Tom Price on Budget Priorities, Process, and Fiscal Challenges.” The discussion will cover House Republicans’ budget priorities this year, prospects for improving the congressional budget process, the nation’s long-term fiscal challenges, the debate over tax and spending emerging in the presidential campaign – and what, if anything, Congress is likely to accomplish in this election year. Participants include House Budget Chairman Tom Price (R-GA); Stuart Butler, Senior Fellow in Economic Studies, Brookings; William Gale, Co-Director, Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center; Michael O’Hanlon, Co-Director, Brookings Center for 21st Century Security and Intelligence; Molly Reynolds, Fellow in Governance Studies, Brookings; and David Wessel, Director, Brookings Center on Fiscal and Monetary Policy.

·       On Wednesday at 2:00 p.m., the Federal Reserve releases its Beige Book. Eight times a year, the Fed releases its Beige Book, a summary of current economic conditions for the 12 Federal Reserve Districts based on anecdotal information gathered through reports from Bank and Branch Directors and interviews with key business contacts, economists, market experts, and other sources.

·       On Thursday at 9:00 a.m., the National Center on Education and the Economy’s Center on International Education Benchmarking releases two major reports on professional learning environments in top performing systems and the implications for school leaders, policymakers, and the education profession in the United States. The meeting will feature three panel conversations with the leading voices in education from around the world. To register, click here. 

Brought to you by SASFAA's Legislative Affairs' Committee.