This Week in Legislation - Week of March 20, 2017

Week of March 20, 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.

 

·       On Tuesday at 10:00 a.m., the House Education and the Workforce Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development holds a hearing entitled, “Improving Federal Student Aid to Better Meet the Needs of Students.” Witnesses will be announced at a later date.

·       On Tuesday at 10:00 a.m., the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations holds a hearing titled, “The Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection’s Unconstitutional Design.” The hearing will examine whether the structure of the Bureau violates the Constitution, as well as structural changes to the Bureau to resolve any constitutional infirmities. Witnesses include: The Honorable Theodore Olson, Partner, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP; Saikrishna Prakash, James Monroe Distinguished Professor, University of Virginia School of Law; Adam White, Research Fellow, Hoover Institution; and Brianne Gorod, Chief Counsel, Constitutional Accountability Center.

 

·       On Tuesday at 12:00 p.m., the Urban Institute holds a webinar titled, “Realizing Community Colleges’ Potential and Ensuring a Path to the Middle Class.” As technology advances, employers demand different skills, and the cost of a four-year degree rises, community colleges are a crucial gateway to postsecondary credentials. But can they meet demand? In this webinar, Cheryl Hyman, Chancellor of City Colleges of Chicago, discusses how community colleges can ensure more students find success, using lessons from City Colleges’ Reinvention initiative.

·       On Wednesday at 8:30 a.m., The Atlantic convenes key policymakers, state leaders, administrators, stakeholders, and experts for a robust discussion about the future of postsecondary education policy titled, “Higher Education at a Crossroads.” Participants include: Sheila Bair, President, Washington College; Ben Cannon, Executive Director, Oregon Higher Education Coordinating Commission; Peter McPherson, President, Association of Public and Land Grant Universities; Eloy Oakley, Chancellor, California Community Colleges; Margaret Spellings, President, University of North Carolina System; and Ron Brownstein, Senior Editor, The Atlantic.

·       On Thursday at 8:45 a.m., Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen delivers opening remarks at the 2017 Federal Reserve System Community Development Research Conference, which convenes researchers, policymakers, and practioners across sectors to consider important issues that low- and moderate-income people and communities face.

·       On Thursday at 9:30 a.m., the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee holds a confirmation hearing on the nomination of Jay Clayton of New York to serve as the chair and member of the Securities and Exchange Commission.

 

·       On Thursday at 10:30 a.m., the FCC holds an open meeting to consider a notice of proposed rulemaking and notice of inquiry that would enable voice service providers to better protect subscribers from illegal and fraudulent robocalls. The proposed rule allows providers to block spoofed robocalls when the subscriber to a particular telephone number requests that calls originating from that number may be blocked, a proposal that came out of the industry’s Robocall Strike Force. It also allows providers to block spoofed calls when the spoofed caller ID cannot possibly be valid, including numbers that have no been assigned to anyone yet, and seeks special comment on how to address spoofing from internationally-originated numbers.

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