May 22, 2024

Leading the news this week: This week the House of Representatives officially kicked off markups for the 12 appropriations bills.

Spoiler alert: LHHS is last (yet again).

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

Appropriations Update

Last week, House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole (OK-4) released interim allocation levels for FY 2025 and announced the markup schedule for all 12 appropriations bills. To adhere to the spending caps established by the Fiscal Responsibility Act and to accommodate increases in defense spending, non-defense spending will be reduced by 6%. Yet, the committee noted that these cuts will not be uniformly applied across all sectors. Specifically, the Labor-HHS-Education bill is projected to face a reduction of 10-11%.

The Labor-HHS-Education bill will be crafted within the currently allocated budget of $184.5 billion. The specific programs facing cuts will not be revealed until the Subcommittee releases the bill text. The Labor-HHS-Education Subcommittee markup is scheduled for Thursday, July 27. ACCT is currently making the rounds on Capitol Hill to advocate for our federal funding priorities. We will keep our membership informed of any new developments.

Farm Bill Markup 

Over the past year, ACCT has identified specific opportunities to enhance access to SNAP for students, improve completion efforts within the SNAP Employment & Training (E&T) program, and provide much-needed capacity-building support for rural community colleges. We have advocated for these priorities to be included in the final Farm Bill to better support students and key programs.

Earlier this month, the House Committee on Agriculture released the draft text of the 2024 Farm Bill and announced there will be a markup tomorrow, Thursday, may 23 at 11:00 am ET. To watch the markup, click here. ACCT andAACC recently released a joint position statement on the legislation that will be marked up, which you can read here. 

Higher Ed Legal Issues Update Webinar  

Join ACCT’s panel of Higher Ed legal practitioners as they provide a comprehensive and interactive update on four of the leading legal issues currently facing Higher Ed Institutions in the areas of (1) Artificial Intelligence; (2) The new and long-awaited Title IX Education Department Regulations; (3) The new Federal Minimum Wage/Overtime Regulations; and (4) First Amendment Litigation issues facing Higher Ed Institutions.

The webinar will take place Wednesday, June 5 from 2:00 - 3:30 pm ET.  To register, click here. 

• Accepting applications on a rolling basis - SNAP Employment and Training (E&T) Cohort 2 Applications
• June 5 - Higher Ed Legal Issues Update Webinar  

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:

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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