March 9, 2026

Leading the News this Week

This year, the U.S. House has a much shorter window to submit funding requests for critical programs supporting community colleges. Some members of Congress have deadlines as early as today COB!

Right now, members of Congress are asking their constituents which programs and projects to fund in the annual spending process for fiscal year 2027 (FY27). This is a critical time for the community college community to make our voices heard and advocate for critical programs supporting student success and workforce development. Read on to the next section for additional information.

News in Higher Education

Have you asked your Member of Congress for their funding request form?

Please work with your president's office to connect on your top appropriations priorities. Once you have clarity on top priorities and each person's roles, contact your local members of Congress to request their appropriations request form and to learn their offices' specific deadlines. Click here to find your members of Congress. A template email is here.

New resource: You can use this to complete individual congressional office programmatic request forms: FY27 CC Federal Funding Priorities - Guide for Congressional Forms 

Please also ask your Representative to sign onto these group requests for Pell Grants, Strengthening Community Colleges Training Grants, Strengthening Institutions Program (SIP), Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS), Career and Technical Education, and other top community college priorities here.

For fiscal year 2027, ACCT and the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) sent a letter to the leadership of the House Committees on Appropriations and Education and Workforce, asking Congress to sustain or increase investment for the Pell Grant Program and other top priorities.

Below are deadlines for members of Congress to receive constituent requests, then to compile and submit their priorities to the Appropriations Committee.

Deadlines March 6 and onward: Your Representative's Individual Office Deadline for Constituent Requests

Deadlines Friday, March 13 and onward: Deadline for Members of Congress to sign Group Programmatic Requests (also known as "Dear Colleague Letters") supporting priority programs.

Deadlines Friday, March 13, 6:00 PM ET for Representatives to Compile and Submit their Priorities to these Appropriations Subcommittees:

• Commerce, Justice, and Science
• Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration
• Financial Services and General Government
• Legislative Branch
• Military Construction and Veterans Affairs 
• National Security and Department of State

Deadlines Friday, March 20, 6:00 PM ET for Representatives to Compile and Submit their Priorities to these Appropriations Subcommittees:

• Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education
• Defense 
• Transportation and Housing and Urban Development
• Energy and Water Development
• Homeland Security
• Interior and Environment

New ACCT FY27 Appropriations Resources:

• ACCT LAW Live March 6, 2026 Webinar Slides
• FY27 CC Federal Funding Priorities - Guide for Congressional Forms
• 2026 Dear Colleague Letters for Student Aid Appropriations
• ACCT and AACC FY27 Priorities House Committee Letter
• ACCT Appropriations Requests FY27 Table
• FY 2026 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Table
• ACCT's past webinar and slides on earmarks on ACCT Connect here.

Public Comment Period for Proposed Workforce Pell Rules Now Open

The first session of the Accountability in Higher Ed and Access through Demand-driven Workforce Pell (AHEAD) Committee focused on the provisions that would govern Workforce Pell upon implementation, starting July 1, 2026. The AHEAD Committee reached consensus in December, and starting today, the Department of Education released the proposed rules that would govern the implementation of Workforce Pell. As such, we are in the public comment period of the negotiated rulemaking process. The draft rules would require Workforce Pell programs to:   

• Have existed for one year prior to approval;
• Be eight to 14 weeks in length and 150 to 599 clock hours;
• Lead to a recognized postsecondary credential, including a certificate or license;
• Be part of an in-demand, high-skill, or high-wage industry by the governor in the state 
• Not outsource more than 25 percent of the program to an unaccredited provider;
• Pass a federal value-added earnings test that says tuition rates cannot be higher than the difference between a graduate’s average earnings and 150 percent of the poverty line;
• Pass a 70 percent completion and 70 percent job placement test using state-collected data.

ACCT looks forward to sharing the comments we submit to the Department. The public comment period closes on April 8, 2026. 

New Community College Grant Program Included in Farm Bill Passed by Committee  

The House Agriculture Committee passed the Food, Farm, and National Security Act. This bill includes "competitive grants to community colleges, consortia of community colleges and career and technical education schools that provide workforce training in agricultural fields." This legislation is similar to the Community College Agriculture Advancement Act, an ACCT-endorsed bill. The committee-passed version includes greater emphasis on the development of workforce and industry partnerships, rather than the initial bill's emphasis on capacity-building and partnerships among institutions.  ACCT is committed to tracking the progress of this bill as it goes through the legislative process. 

Grant Opportunities

Please review the Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education's Community College webpage for new grants community colleges are eligible for.

Strengthening Community College Training Grants

In this 6th round, the objective of  the Strengthening Community College Training Grant (SCCTG) competitionis to fund community colleges aiming to build "program and system capacity for implementing and scaling access to short-term training opportunities through Workforce Pell Grants—i.e., promoting industry-driven strategies, worker mobility, and integration with the larger state workforce system (e.g., Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) partners) for statewide impact."  

The closing date for this grant opportunity is May 20, 2026, at 11:59 PM ET.

• March 20, 6:00 PM LHHS Programmatic and Language and Community Project Funding Request Deadline
• March 30, 11:59 PM ET Public comment period closes for the proposed revision on certifications that recipients of federal funding must submit.
• April 3, 1-2 PM ET LAW Live
• April 8 Public Comment Period Closes for AHEAD (Workforce Pell)
• April 14 FAFSA Form 2027-28 comment period closes
• May 1, 1-2 PM ET LAW Live
• May 20, 11:59 PM ET. Strengthening Community College Training Grant Closes
• June 5, 1-2 PM ET LAW Live
• July 10, 1-2 PM ET LAW Live
• August 7, 1-2 PM ET LAW Live
• September 4, 1-2 PM ET LAW Live
• October 2, 1-2 PM ET LAW Live 
• October 21-24 ACCT Leadership Congress
• November 6, 1-2 PM ET LAW Live 
• December 4, 1-2 PM ET LAW Live

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. 

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:

Would you Like a Federal Update Session for Your Team?

Both this new presidential administration and new Congress have brought with them a flurry of developments in the federal landscape that can make keeping up a monumental task. ACCT's Government Relations team is here to help by offering a 45-minute to an-hour federal update session to community college leadership teams who are ACCT members. To request a session, fill out this form and please email publicpolicy@acct.org with any questions.

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) Alert network. To join, simply register here. 

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