September 18, 2025

Leading the News this Week

September is Student Parent Month, where we recognize that more than 3 million undergraduate students are parenting students. At ACCT, we advocate for programs such as Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS) that aim to provide much-needed supports for parenting students along their higher education journeys. In this appropriations cycle, we are asking members of Congress to fund CCAMPIS and the Strengthening Institutions Program (SIP).

To move forward with our advocacy and communicate with lawmakers the importance of CCAMPIS and SIP, we need your help! We urge you to please share with us how your campuses have benefited from CCAMPIS and SIP at publicpolicy@acct.org. 

Also, we call upon you to participate in our Action Campaign and let your member of Congress know the devastating effects should CCAMPIS and SIP no longer exist.  

News in Higher Education

Updates in the Fiscal Year 2026 Appropriations Cycle

With the fiscal year ending September 30th, the federal government is headed towards a government shutdown if Congress is unable to pass a Continuing Resolution (CR), which would fund the government by using the previous year's funding levels to keep the government open in the new fiscal year. Currently, there are two proposals on how long to extend the CR for. On one hand, the Democrats are pushing a CR that would go into October 31st, and includes an extension of the Affordable Care Act tax credits that are expiring this year; while the Republicans are moving forward with a plan that would extend the CR until November 21st, but does not include any tax credit extensions. Currently, the Republican plan is approaching the House floor for a vote. The question is, how will their bill fare in the Senate, where the bill will need 60 votes for passage. 

ACCT Endorses Student Parent Bills during Student Parent Month

During Student Parent Month, ACCT has recently endorsed a bundle of bills. H.R. 3985, the “Helping Student Parents Succeed Act,” was introduced by Representative Lucy McBath (GA-06) and is co-led by Representatives Don Bacon (NE-02), Deborah Ross (NC-02), Stephanie Bice (OK-05), Julie Johnson (TX-32), Juan Ciscomani (AZ-06), Jahana Hayes (CT-05), and Zach Nunn (IA-03)  Under H.R. 3985, institutions of higher education are to develop policies around expecting and paretning students which includes communication around leave of absence and making up missed work related to pregnancy, birth, or adoption; as well as available resources for expectant and parenting students. 

In this bundle, ACCT also endorsed H.R. 3994, the “Understanding Student Parent Outcomes Act” introduced by Representatives Deborah Ross (NC-02), Don Bacon (NE-02), and Lucy McBath (GA-06). This bill features a data collection component that requires colleges and universities to collect and report comprehensive data on parenting students, including their enrollment, retention, and completion rates.

Update to the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act Reinterpretation

In July, the Department of Education issued a reinterpretation of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA), which would bar undocumented immigrants from accessing Career and Technical Education and Adult Basic Education services and programming. Subsequently, 21 states and the District of Columbia filed a lawsuit, which halted enforcement of this new interpretation until September 10th. A U.S. District Court Judge issued a preliminary injunction starting September 11th, thus pausing enforcement of this new interpretation, only in the plaintiff states, until the case works its way through the courts. Here are the states covered in this preliminary injunction: New York, Washington, Rhode Island, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Vermont, and Wisconsin.  

A Workforce Powered By Student Parents

In celebration of Student Parent Month, ACCT published a piece on its and the National Head Start Association's work on the  Kids on Campus project. This piece demonstrates that Kids on Campus is proof of concept that parenting students are the backbone of America’s workforce. The credentials they earn at community colleges represent so much more than a degree. Learning leads to higher lifetime earnings, a stronger local economy, and greater stability for families. The result is a better system that works for everyone. For a deep dive on the findings from the Kids on Campus project, take a look at ACCT Now’s article. (This is also featured in the ACCT Now Section.)

Also, in case you missed it, our Kids on Campus Director, Miya Simpson, sat down with Nicole Lynn Lewis, founder and CEO of Generation Hope, where they discussed barriers to student-parent success on college campuses. Check out this latest episode of ACCT's podcast, In the Know.

As a reminder, we know that parents in school need the support of their institutions and the federal government to enroll, persist, and succeed in postsecondary education, which is why ACCT urges all community college supporters to contact your Members of Congress, asking them to reject the elimination of programs that support our students. Programs like CCAMPIS, Strengthening Institutions Program (SIP), Adult Basic Education (ABE), and others are critical to fulfill the mission of community colleges.

Grant Opportunities

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

• October 3, 01:00 PM ET: LAW Live Webinar
• October 22 - 25: ACCT Leadership Congress
• November 7, 01:00 PM ET: LAW Live Webinar
• December 5, 01:00 PM ET: LAW Live Webinar

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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