This Week in Legislation - Week of January 23, 2017

 

Week of January 23, 2017

·         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. Of interest to NCHER members, the House is slated to consider H.R. 290, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Process Reform Act of 2017, which requires the commission to amend its rules to maximize opportunities for public participation and improve its rulemaking process, including setting minimum public comment periods, establishing deadlines for resolving petitions for declaratory rulings, and establishing procedures to allow a bipartisan majority of commissioners to place actions on the agenda.

 

·         Today at 3:30 p.m., the Heritage Foundation hosts an event titled, “Tax Reform in the New Congress.” During the event, Rep. Peter Roskam (R-IL), Chairman of the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Tax Policy, will discuss the pillars of pro-growth tax reform: growth, simplicity, and service.

·         On Tuesday at 10:00 a.m., the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) releases its annual Budget and Economic Outlook. The report will include updated economic and budget projections spanning the period from 2017 to 2027. CBO’s most recent economic and budget projections can be found in An Update to the Budget and Economic Outlook: 2016 to 2026, which was released in August.

·         On Tuesday at 10:30 a.m., the Senate Budget Committee holds a confirmation hearing on the nomination of Rep. Mick Mulvaney (R-SC) to serve as the Director of the Office of Management and Budget.

 

·         On Tuesday at 11:15 a.m., the House Education and the Workforce Committee holds its organizational meeting for the 115^th Congress, which will consider and approve the committee’s rules, its subcommittee chairs, ranking members, and membership, and the new name for the Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development, which has jurisdiction over the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act. During the meeting, members will also consider and adopt the committee’s oversight plan, which includes the following mention on higher education policy:

 

Student Loans. The U.S. Department of Education manages $1.3 trillion in outstanding federal student loans and disburses billions in grants and work-study funds each year. The Committee will continue to monitor the costs and performance of these programs.

Higher Education Regulations. Institutions of higher education are subject to myriad federal regulations and reporting requirements that are often burdensome and costly. The regulatory burden has only worsened with rules that interfere with academic freedom, infringe on the authorities of the states, limit student choice, and unfairly target particular sectors of higher education. The Committee will continue its oversight of regulatory policies and challenge those that enlarge the federal footprint in higher education.

 

·         On Tuesday at 11:30 a.m., the House Appropriations Committee holds its organizational meeting for the 115^th Congress, which includes approving the committee’s rules, subcommittee chairs, ranking members, and membership and adopting the committee’s oversight plan.

 

·         On Tuesday at 12:00 p.m., the Heritage Foundation launches its new Center for Education Policy. The event will feature keynote remarks by Rep. Mark Walker (R-NC), Chairman of the House Republican Study Committee. Panelists will then discuss the Center’s vision that education should be student-centered from kindergarten through college, giving all Americans the freedom to choose learning options that work for them. Panelists include: Jennifer Marshall, Vice President, Institute for Family, Community, and Opportunity, and the Joseph C. and Elizabeth A. Anderlik Fellow, The Heritage Foundation; Lindsey Burke, Will Skillman Fellow in Education Policy, The Heritage Foundation; Patrick Wolf, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor of Education Policy and 21^st Century Endowed Chair in School Choice, Department of Education Reform, University of Arkansas College of Education and Health Professions; Virginia Walden Ford, Visiting Fellow, The Heritage Foundation; Genevieve Wood, Senior Fellow in Communications and Senior Contributor, The Daily Signal; and J.B. Horton, Senior Counselor and John Von Kannon Fellow in Philanthropy, The Heritage Foundation. For details, visit the Heritage Foundation website.

 

·         On Tuesday at 1:30 p.m., the Senate Career and Technical Education (CTE) Caucus hosts a briefing on the intersection of infrastructure and CTE. Participants include: Kelly Almond, President, Georgia Association for Career and Technical Education,  and Teacher, South Paulding High School; Michelle Gerdes, Designer, Energy Infrastructure Distribution Systems, We Energies; Matt Szollosi, Executive Director, Affiliated Construction Trades; Jorge Valenzuela, Instructional Specialist, Richmond Public Schools Department of Career and Technical Education, and Chair, Virginia Council on Technology and Engineering Education Supervision; and Steve DeWitt, Deputy Executive Director, Association for Career and Technical Education. For details, visit the event website.

 

·         On Tuesday at 2:30 p.m., the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee holds a confirmation hearing on the nomination of Rep. Mick Mulvaney (R-SC) to serve as the Director of the Office of Management and Budget.

·         On Wednesday through Friday, all-day, House and Senate Republicans hold a joint retreat to discuss their priorities for the 115^th Congress in Philadelphia, PA. During the event, members are expected to hear from President Donald Trump and discuss efforts to reform the nation’s tax code. The Democratic retreat will be held on February 8-10, 2017.

 

·         On Wednesday through Saturday, all day, the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AACU) holds its 2017 annual meeting in San Francisco, CA. This year’s meeting uses the theme, “Building Public Trust in the Promise of Liberal Education and Inclusive Excellence,” and will respond to the urgent need expressed by educators from campuses across the country for more effective approaches to restoring public trust in higher education and improving public understanding of how liberal education and inclusive excellence are valuable “public” and “private” goods. For details, visit the AACU website.

·         On Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., the FCC’s Consumer Advisory Committee holds its first meeting under its renewed charter. The committee makes recommendations to the commission on consumer issues within the jurisdiction of the FCC; facilitates the participation of consumers in proceedings before the commission; and provides guidance to the FCC, gathers data and information, and performs those analyses that are necessary to respond to the questions or matters before it. At the January 27, 2017, meeting, the committee will consider administrative and procedural matters relating to its functions, and receive briefings from commission staff on issues of interest to the committee.

 

 

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