April 26, 2023

Leading the news this week: All eyes are on debt-limit negotiations. Last Thursday, Speaker McCarthy released his debt-limit bill the Limit, Save, Grow Act, which would raise the debt-limit by $1.5 trillion dollars and slash federal spending by billions of dollars. The bill is expected to go to the floor for a vote sometime this week and cannot afford to lose more than 5 GOP votes if it hopes to pass. With the "X" date for a debt default deadline expected to be sometime in June or July, pressure is mounting for Speaker McCarthy to pass this bill in order to gain leverage in debt-limit negotiations with Majority Leader Schumer and President Biden. 

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

Rural Postsecondary and Economic Development Grant Program

The Department of Education issued a notice inviting applications for fiscal year (FY) 2023 for the Rural Postsecondary and Economic Development (RPED) Grant Program. 

The purpose of the RPED Grant Program is to improve rates of postsecondary enrollment, persistence, and completion among rural students through development of career pathways aligned to high-skill, high-wage, and in-demand industry sectors and occupations in the region.

The deadline to apply for the grant is June 20, 2023. For more information on the grant, click here. To apply, click here. 

Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-Serving Institutions Program, Part A

The Department of Education issued  a notice inviting applications for new awards for fiscal year (FY) 2023 for the Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-Serving Institutions (ANNH) Program, Part A.

The ANNH Program provides grants to eligible institutions of higher education to enable them to improve and expand their capacity to serve Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian students. Institutions may use these grants to plan, develop, or implement activities that strengthen the institution. The deadline to apply for the grant is June 20, 2023. 

Join the Department's Pre-Application Technical Assistance Webinar on Thursday, May 4 from 3:30 pm - 5:00 pm ET for additional information on the grant. To join the meeting click here. To learn more about the grant program, click here. To apply, click here. 

DOE Industrial Assessment Centers Grant Program

The Department of Energy (DOE) announced new workforce development funding to establish new Industrial Assessment Centers (IACs) at community colleges, trade schools, and union training programs, as well as to create new Building Training and Assessment Centers (BTACs) at institutions of higher education, including tribal colleges and universities. 

Interested parties will need to register and create an account in Infrastructure eXCHANGE to view the details and are encouraged to register with the System for Award Management and to sign up for the Teaming Partner List that DOE is compiling to help organizations express their interest to other applicants in collaboration and to explore potential partnerships.

Concept papers are required and are due on May 25, 2023 at 5 pm ET, with full applications due on July 31, 2023 at 5 pm ET.   For a summary of the funding opportunity announcement, click here. All questions regarding this funding opportunity must be emailed to IACProgram@doe.gov.

ESRA Comments 

Last week, ACCT submitted a letter to the Senate HELP Committee with feedback on the Education Sciences Reform Act (ESRA) reauthorization effort. The letter outlined key changes to the ESRA legislation that could help bolster IES partnership with community colleges, provide more transparency around students outcomes, and expand research around student completion. 

To read the full letter, click here. 

• May 1 - pre-applications open on a rolling basis for CHIPS Incentives Program – Commercial Fabrication Facilities

• May 16 - deadline to apply for Open Textbooks Pilot Program 

• May 15 - deadline to submit public comment for Title IX NPRM

• May 22 - deadline to apply for Strengthening Institutions Program

• May 25 - deadline for DOE Industrial Assessment Centers concept papers

• May 30 - deadline to apply for MSEI

• May 30 - deadline to apply for AANAPISI Institutions Program

• June 20 - deadline to apply for Rural Postsecondary and Economic Development Grant Program

• June 20 - deadline to apply for Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-Serving Institutions (ANNH) Program

• July 7 - deadline to apply for Building Pathways to Infrastructure Jobs Grant

• July 31 - deadline to apply for DOE Industrial Assessment Centers program

• October 2023 - deadline to apple for Advanced Technological Education

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. 

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.

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