Senate Appropriations Committee Releases Guidance for Earmarks
President Biden is scheduled to release the Administration’s Fiscal Year 2024 Budget on March 9. The release of the annual budget is the official start to budget and appropriations process. As part of this process, the Senate Appropriations Committee has already released its general guidance for Fiscal Year 2024 Congressionally Directed Spending — commonly known as earmarks — last week. Read more.
Senators Call for Greater Transparency for Student Loans
Last week, Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) introduced the Student Transparency for Understanding Decisions in Education Net Terms (STUDENT) Act. This bipartisan legislation would allow student loan applicants to access an estimate of the total amount of interest they would pay, based on a standard 10-year repayment plan, during or prior to accepting a loan. Read more.
Department of Education to Hold Listening Sessions on Incentive Compensation for College Recruiters
Last week, the Department of Education announced plans to hold virtual listening sessions on how institutions of higher education may compensate recruiters. The Department is looking to hear from the public about how previous guidance in 2011, which banned incentive compensation but created an exception for third parties that bundled services, has affected the growth of online enrollment and associated federal student loan debt. Read more.
Additional Federal Funding to Support Mental Health and Student Wellness
On February 16, the Department of Education announced $188 million in awards to increase access to school-based mental health services and to strengthen the pipeline of mental health professionals in high-need school districts. The funding will enable communities to hire school-based mental health professionals and train more to build a diverse pipeline of mental health providers in schools. Read more.
Request for Information Regarding First Amendment and Free Inquiry Related Grant Conditions
On February 22, the Department of Education released a federal register notice requesting information on how regulations relating to First Amendment freedoms and free inquiry to Department grants have affected decisions surrounding First Amendment and free speech-related litigation and institutional policies on freedom of speech. Read more.
NEH Announces Humanities Panel Meetings
The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) recently announced meetings in March for their Humanities Panel. The first level of NEH’s application review process for grants, the purpose of the meetings is for panel review, discussion, evaluation, and recommendation of applications for financial assistance. Read more.