LAW Alert: FY25 LHHS Funding Levels; NEW Semiconductors Workforce Partner Alliance Grant; August Recess Outreach Prep

July 10, 2024

Leading the news this week: ICYMI our Pathways to Support: Preparing for the Basic Needs Grant Webinar recording can be found here.

Now let's dive into the latest news in higher education!

FY2025 LHHS Funding Levels

Yesterday, the committee report for the FY 2025 Labor-HHS-Education funding bill was released and outlines the program-by-program funding levels. While the bill includes some positives for our institutions, ACCT expresses deep concern regarding proposed cuts to many crucial programs for community colleges, prompting our joint opposition with AACC in a letter to the committee outlining these concerns.

Below is an overview of the proposed funding levels that are most of interest to community colleges:

Department of Education (ED) – The bill includes a total of $68.1 billion in discretionary appropriations for ED, a cut of $11 billion – 14 percent – below the FY 2024 enacted level.

Eliminates funding for Child Care Access Means Parents in School, a cut of $75 million from FY 2024 levels.
Eliminates funding for Basic Needs Grants program, a cut of $10 million from FY 2024 levels.
Includes $117 million for Strengthening Institutions Program, an increase of $5 million from FY 2024 levels.
Includes $615 million for Federal Work Study, a 50% cut of $615 million from FY 2024 levels.
Includes $455 million for Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants, a 50% cut of $455 million from FY 2024 levels.
Level funds the maximum Pell Grant award for the second year in a row.

Department of Labor (DOL) – The bill includes a total of $10.7 billion in discretionary appropriations for DOL, a cut of $3 billion – 22 percent – below the FY 2024 enacted level.

Eliminates funding for WIOA Youth Job Training state grants, a cut of $948 million that would eliminate job training and employment services for youth who face barriers to employment.
Eliminates funding for the Women’s Bureau, a cut of $23 million below the enacted level (including elimination of the Women in Apprenticeship & Nontraditional Occupations program).
Includes $174 million in funding for WIOA Adult Job Training state grants, a cut of $712 million from FY 2024 levels for adults who face barriers to employment
Includes $150 million for Registered Apprenticeships, a cut of $135 million from FY 2024 levels.
Level funds the Strengthening Community College Training grants.

Next Steps – The House Appropriations committee is currently marking up the bill and it is expected to pass favorably along party lines. ACCT will continue to monitor the legislation and urge House members to to adopt funding levels that adequately support our students and campuses. For further information, you may refer to the bill text, Republican press release and summary, Democratic press release, summary, and fact sheet.

NEW NSTC Workforce Partner Alliance (WFPA) Program

The National Semiconductor Technology Center (NSTC) Consortium, recently launched the NSTC Workforce Partner Alliance (WFPA) program. The program creates a nationwide fund to support projects that will address a critical workforce need in the U.S. semiconductor industry to help to close key skills and labor market gaps and fuel industry and national economic growth. This initial funding program will focus on closing workforce and skills gaps in the U.S. for researchers, engineers, and technicians across semiconductor design, manufacturing, and production.

Entities providing semiconductor-related education or training programs, products, or activities developed to prepare, encourage, motivate, or enable individuals to obtain the skills or credentials required for jobs across the semiconductor ecosystem in the U.S. are encouraged to apply.

The deadline for applications is July 26. For more information, click here.

August Recess Outreach Prep

August recess allows federal lawmakers to spend a substantial amount of time in their home states and districts connecting with their constitutes. This presents a window of opportunity for community college leaders to strengthen relationships with their lawmakers.

ACCT encourages our membership to start planning for recess as soon as possible as lawmakers will soon be flooded with invitations. Use this time to think of a speaking engagement, welcome back to school event, or tour you can invite your member or offer your campus to them as a location for an upcoming event they may be hosting. You should also consider how your team can best use the opportunity to advocate for your institution's federal priorities. For more guidance on hosting federal officials in your campus, check out our advocacy toolkits on ACCT Connect. If you have not yet created an account, click here.

Serving as a Bridge: Community College Skills-Based Hiring Playbook Webinar

Community colleges and government agencies are natural partners in advancing economic mobility through alternative routes for skilled individuals (STARs). ACCT and Opportunity@Work will discuss insights from their Skills-Based Hiring Initiative during an upcoming webinar, introducing two new resources: the Community College Skills-Based Hiring Playbook and a case study on Charting New Career Pathways in Maryland.

The Playbook is designed to help community college leaders create clear, lucrative pathways for STARs, while the case study highlights lessons from Maryland’s Skills-Based Hiring Initiative. A community college leader will also share strategies for implementing the Playbook effectively.

Join us August 15 at 2:00 PM ET. To register, click here.

Accepting applications on a rolling basis - SNAP Employment and Training (E&T) Cohort 2 Applications
July 26 - NSTC Workforce Partner Alliance (WFPA) program
July 29 - Centers of Excellence for Veteran Student Success
August 5 - Basic Needs for Postsecondary Students Program
August 15 - Serving as a Bridge: Community College Skills-Based Hiring Playbook Webinar
September 12 - CTE Research Grants

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:

Navigating Recovery: Community College Enrollment Trends and Challenges

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.