April 10, 2025

Leading the News this Week

Welcome to April, Community College Month! This is a time to reach out and remind your elected officials about the importance community colleges have in your communities. Take action by letting them know to join the Congressional Community College Caucus and to cosponsor the Congressional Resolution recognizing the significance of “Community College Month” which identifies April as Community College Month. Also, please check out ACCT's Community College Month toolkit to help you advocate for community colleges all month long!

News in Higher Education

House Adopts Senate's Budget Resolution

Amid a series of hurdles, the reconciliation process is still ongoing and this morning the House voted along party lines to adopt the Senate's revised budget resolution. This vote did not come without challenges. Yesterday, the House postponed this vote as it did not have the necessary support from Republicans to pass. For the Republican holdouts, the reluctance to support this measure comes from their view that the Senate's budget resolution does not feature enough spending cuts. House leaders gave assurances that the Senate would look for additional savings, thus moving the budget resolution across the finish line and unlocking the reconciliation process.

Lawmakers Back in Their Districts

For the next two weeks, Congress will be out of session which means that lawmakers are working in their districts. This provides an opportunity to invite your Member of Congress to events hosted by your community college or set up meetings at their district office. Members of Congress seek opportunities to learn the latest updates impacting their communities and constituents. If you meet with your lawmaker while they are in town, or host them for an event at your institution, please fill out ACCT's Congressional Contact Form to help us best support your advocacy efforts.

Earmarks for FY 2026

Last Wednesday, House Appropriations Chair, Tom Cole (OK-4), issued guidance to House members on submitting requests for programmatic requests (which are requests for funding support to federal programs) and Community Projects Funding, also known as earmarks, for fiscal year 2026 (FY 26). House members can start submitting their requests on April 14th with most submission deadlines being in May. However, individual House Members will have earlier deadlines for requests from constituents to review and finalize their requests. Request forms should be found on their official website. Please reach out to your member of Congress to submit your community project request(s).   ACCT sent House Appropriations leaders our FY 26 Appropriations programmatic priorities and is urging members to ask for support on those programs as well.  

Advocacy Update

With the 119th Congress underway, ACCT has endorsed numerous bills and sent many letters, which we encourage you to review. These efforts are in alignment with the 2025 Community College Federal Legislative Priorities. To further enhance our advocacy efforts, the Government Relations Team invites you to email publicpolicy@acct.org to share how recent developments at the federal level have impacted your students and your campus.

Grant Opportunities

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

• April 29 - Public comment for the Department of Education's Rulemaking Process (In-Person Hearing)
• April 29, 11:59PM ET - Head Start/Early Head Start Grant Application Due

• May 1 - Public comment for the Department of Education's Rulemaking Process (Virtual Hearing)

• May 2, 1:00PM ET - LAW Live Webinar

• May 23 - Deadline for ACCT's Leadership Congress Presentation Proposals 

• June 6, 1:00PM ET - LAW Live Webinar
• June 20 - Fire Science Innovations through Research and Education (FIRE) Grant Application Due
• Jul 11, 2025, 01:00 PM ET - LAW Live Webinar
• Aug 1, 2025, 01:00 PM ET - LAW Live Webinar
• Sep 5, 202,5 01:00 PM ET - LAW Live Webinar
• October 22 - 25 - ACCT Leadership Congress

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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