All aboard the omnibus... No images? Click here ![]() December 14, 2022 Leading the news this morning: We've got a deal for Fiscal Year 2023! House and Senate appropriators recently announced they reached a bi-partisan, bicameral framework yesterday for a $1.7 trillion omnibus package. Congress is expected to pass a week-long continuing resolution to extend current funding levels until next week and give themselves enough time to pass the omnibus. This means community funding projects are safe for this go-around and a bill of this magnitude will have members scrambling to tack on their top legislative priorities, we'll be watching to see what sticks. If all goes well the omnibus should be pass by December 23. A quick publishing note: we will be taking a break from LAW Alerts for the remainder of the year. We hope you have a restful holiday season and look forward to continue updating you on the latest news in higher education next year. Happy Holidays from the ACCT staff! Final Advocacy Efforts in the 117th CongressACCT has made final efforts to push forward top legislative priorities during the last month of the 117th Congress. Last week, we joined a coalition of higher education associations in a letter to urge Congressional leaders to expand Pell Grant eligibility to shorter-term education and training programs in the final bill language of the omnibus. We also joined another letter which encouraged Congressional leaders to include language that would create significant investments in workforce and education to meet the needs of both workers and businesses. To read the full Short-term Pell letter, click here. To read the full workforce investments letter, click here. Huge Win for Veteran Students re: GI Bill Management SystemLast month, the Department of Veterans Affairs announced plans to transition to a new enrollment management system for certifying GI bill benefits in January 2023. With only three weeks notice of this major undertaking it was clear to ACCT that this would disrupt and delay critical veteran education benefits. We joined a group of national associations in a letter urging the Department of Veterans Affairs to postpone the transition until the summer of 2023, in order to avoid the peak certification period that occurs in January. We are happy to announce that our advocacy efforts were successful and just yesterday the Department agreed to delay the implementation from mid-January 2023 to the early March 2023. 2023 Community College Legislative Summit Last Day for Early RegistrationOur National Legislative Summit (NLS) is the premier community college advocacy event in Washington, DC, bringing together more than 1,000 community college leaders. The event shines a spotlight on the importance of our nation’s community colleges for Congress and the Administration. Participants will hear from members of U.S. Congress, administration officials, leading political analysts, and other high-profile speakers about the current climate in D.C., recent elections, and legislative issues impacting community colleges. Our early registration deadline ends today, be sure to register soon to save $150. ![]()
Outreach EffortsIs 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. For more community college news from inside the beltway, follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn, or like us Facebook. |