Departments of Education and Labor Set Transition into Motion, The House is Chugging Along with its Appropriations Work, Webinar: Preparing for Workforce Pell: Overview of Draft Regulations
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January 15, 2026
Leading the News this Week
With the looming government funding deadline of January 30th, the House passed two more appropriations bills, thus the House passed eight out of twelve appropriations bills. Read on to the next section for additional information.
News in Higher Education
Departments of Education and Labor Set Transition into Motion
As a result of November 2025's Interagency Agreement between the Departments of Education (ED) and Labor (DOL), today, ED announced that starting the week of January 20, 2026, staff in the Office of Postsecondary Education's Higher Education Programs (HEP) Division will transition to work in DOL. As such, "HEP grantees will transition to DOL's Grant Solutions and Payment Management System," which is the payment management and grant system used by many federal agencies. This action mirrors the ED's transition of Career and Technical Education programs to DOL's Payment Management System.
The House is Chugging Along with its Appropriations Work
Yesterday, in a bipartisan vote, the House passed two more appropriations bills, Financial Services and General Government, and National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs. This means that the House passed a total of 8 appropriations bills, of which 3 are law, and another 3 are set for a vote in the Senate. Currently, it is unknown exactly when these two latest House appropriations bills will arrive in the Senate chamber for a vote, but time is running out. Despite Congress working at a steady pace to pass these bills, next week, the Senate is out of session and will return on January 26th. If all of the remaining appropriations bills are not passed into law by the deadline of January 30th, Congress would have to either pass a Continuing Resolution to keep the government funded, or there will be a partial government will shut down for the agencies not yet funded.
Meanwhile, it must be noted that the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and other related agencies appropriations bill, which funds programs that ACCT prioritizes, is encountering challenges in negotiations as Democrats are supporting language that would prevent the Secretary of Education from transferring functions of the Department to other departments. Regardless, it is anticipated that the bill text for this appropriations bill could be ready by Sunday.
Webinar: Preparing for Workforce Pell: Overview of Draft Regulations
Join the ACCT Public Policy team and Jobs for the Future on January 29 at 1: 00 PM ET for a presentation and discussion on the draft rules from the U.S. Department of Education to regulate the Workforce Pell program. Approved by consensus by the negotiated rule-making committee, these rules will govern the program when it begins on July 1, 2026. Register here.
Today's Students Coalition: Workforce Student Ambassador Fellowship
Today's Students Coalition (TSC) is in the process of recruiting its first-ever Student Ambassador cohort of students from more traditional workforce training programs.
TSC looks to find a balance of two students who have finished their program and are working and two who are going through training. In addition to those things listed on the website, they will also be working on a joint policy brief, similar to the layout of the Equity Toolkit, focused on ways in which we can improve access to and success of earning a post-secondary credential leading to "traditional workforce" jobs.
Here is the link to the application and information on the fellowship program. Here are the dates for the different stages of the fellowship program:
- Recruitment Launch: November 19
- Student Ambassador Application Deadline: January 23rd
- Interview Phase: January 26-30
- Cohort Selected: January 26
Make sure to share with your networks.
Preparing for NLS
With the Community College National Legislative Summit (NLS) happening from February 8 to 11, now is the time to start thinking about how to best prepare. To assist you in this process, visit ACCT's website, where you can find resources that include a timeline of steps to take each month leading up to NLS, a short video guide on how to set up a meeting with members of Congress on Capitol Hill, and a federal funds worksheet that assists with narrowing down the key data points to collect for your Hill meetings.
Finally, join the Government Relations teams from both ACCT and the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) on January 22, 2026, at 2 PM ET as we unveil the 2026 legislative priorities, known as the Green Sheet. Register here for the webinar.
Join Us in Advocacy
As a reminder, in this appropriations cycle, ACCT is advocating for members of Congress to fund programs such as Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS) and the Strengthening Institutions Program (SIP). These programs provide much-needed support for students and institutions.
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.
- January 22, 2:00 PM ET: NLS Webinar - Green Sheet Launch
- January 26: Deadline to submit comments for the request for information to update the Accreditation Handbook
- January 29: Preparing for Workforce Pell: Overview of Draft Regulations
- February 8-11, 2026: National Legislative Summit
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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