March 1, 2023

Leading the news this week: The Supreme Court heard oral arguments in two distinct cases that are challenging the Biden Administration's plan for large-scale student loan debt relief. While the Court usually decides cases starting in June, we expect they may release the opinion beforehand seeing as the case has been expedited. Now let's dive into the latest news in higher education.

Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 Appropriations Update

Appropriations work is in full swing! Last week, the Senate released guidance regarding FY24 appropriations requests. All congressionally directed spending (CDS) requests, previously known as earmarks, for the Labor-HHS-Education bill are due April 13, 2023. We will note that the deadline is when Senators must submit their requests to the committee. Each Senate office is operating under their own internal deadlines, and we encourage our membership to  reach out to their respective Senators for additional timeline information. 

While the Senate seems to be working under the impression that the Labor-HHS-Education appropriation bill will include CDS requests, the House of Representatives is not so sure. Yesterday, the House of Representatives Appropriations Committee released their guidance for community project funding(CPF), what the House calls CDS requests, and the Labor-HHS-Education bill was left out of the list of accounts eligible to submit these requests. With the Senate and House split on which bills will be allowed to request CDS/CPF, we anticipate more arduous appropriations negations this year.

CDS/CPF requests are crucial for our institutions, in FY23 community colleges pulled in over $184.5 million in approved requests from the Labor-HHS-Education bill. We will continue to monitor the situation and keep you abreast of the situation. 

New CCAMPIS Brief

The Congressional Research Service recently released Child Care Access Means Parents in School(CCAMPIS): In Brief. The report outlines student parent rates across the country and then provides an overview of the CCAMPIS program along with program outcomes. It also highlights congressional proposals that were introduced in the 117th Congress to modify the program and the impacts of the legislation. 

• March 8 & 9 - virtual listening session regarding third-party servicers and bundled services, register here. 

• March 14 - deadline to submit public comments regarding third-party servicers and bundled services

• March 24 - deadline to submit public comments on the Direct Grant Programs, State-Administered Formula Grant Programs

• March 24 - deadline for Request for Information Regarding First Amendment and Free Inquiry Related Grant Conditions

• October 2023 - deadline to apple for Advanced Technological Education

Outreach Efforts

Is your institution meeting or hosting an event with federal elected officials?

We created a Congressional Contact Form that will help us track outreach efforts of community college leaders across our membership. By filling out the form, you are better informing ACCT's advocacy efforts and our advocacy team is able to continue those conversations with congressional staff in DC. 

We also put together an outreach toolkit and an advocacy guide to share best practices for meeting with elected officials and set your team up for success.

ACCT NOW is the go-to resource for issues affecting community colleges. Our new website features original reporting and research, as well as of-the-moment legislative updates. ACCT NOW also includes articles, reports, and research from outside sources that benefit the ACCT community. Read the Latest Articles on ACCT NOW:

Have a Question?

Contact us with any questions or concerns about public policy and ACCT's advocacy on behalf of two-year colleges and two-year college trustees. ACCT's Latest Action in Washington alerts are sent to interested ACCT members to keep you up to date on important legislative activities that impact community colleges. If you no longer wish to receive ACCT's Latest Action in Washington alerts, reply to this email with UNSUBSCRIBE in the subject line. For more information about ACCT's advocacy services, visit acct.org/advocacy

Spread the Word.

Please encourage your fellow trustees, presidents and colleagues to stay up to date about legislation that affects their community colleges by joining the Latest Action in Washington (LAW) E-Alert network. To join, simply e-mail publicpolicy@acct.org with 'LAW Alert' in the subject of the e-mail.

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