September 21, 2022

With only 9 days left until the government funding deadline on September 30th, Congress is under pressure as they work towards a continuing resolution to continue funding the government. The White House recently released data estimating how many borrowers will be impacted by student debt relief across the nation. Find out how many borrowers will be impacted in your state below.

Student Debt Relief State-by-State Breakdown

Yesterday, the White House released a state-by-state breakdown showing the estimated number of borrowers that are eligible for student debt relief within each state. The Administration estimates over 40 million borrowers are eligible for the student debt relief plan, and nearly 20 million of those borrowers could see their entire remaining balance discharged.

As a reminder, the application for student debt relief is set to be released in early October. The Department is advising that borrowers apply before November 15^th in order to receive relief before the payment pause expires on December 31, 2022.

ICYMI: Cultivating Digital Equity Webinar

Earlier this month, ACCT's Strengthening Rural Community Colleges initiative hosted a webinar on cultivating digital equity. This webinar served as an opportunity for rural community colleges leaders to learn and collaborate on programs and initiatives that rural community colleges have implemented, or are looking to implement, which support the digital learning for students.

We have posted the webinar recording and slide decks here for your convenience.

Feature Spotlight:

The Seldin Haring-Smith Foundation's (SHSF) Public Transit Maps project assessed public transit accessibility at community colleges across the country. Through their research they found that 57% of community college main campuses are transit accessible, but an additional 25% could be made accessible through extending existing bus lines. SHSF is producing interactive maps of each state, and we will be featuring these maps as they are made available.

The third interactive map is Pennsylvania. SHSF found that 65% of Pennsylvania's community and technical colleges have a transit stop within walking distance. 22% of campuses are less than five miles from an existing transit line, which shows a window of opportunity to increase accessibility by connecting to existing transit lines. To delve deeper into Pennsylvania's accessibility click here. To view the interactive map click here.

October 3 - deadline to apply for the Basic Needs for Postsecondary Students Program
October 11 - deadline to apply for College Completion Fund for Postsecondary Student Success
October 25 - deadline to apply for third round of funding for SCCTG

Outreach Efforts

Is you 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:

Collaborating on Mental Health Practices at Rural Community Colleges

A Three-Step Guide to Rural Community College-Workforce Partnerships

How Community Colleges Are Supporting Students Through Rising Costs

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.

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