November 21, 2024

Leading the news this week: 

As the dust settles from the elections earlier this month, join ACCT’s government relations team in the latest In the Know podcast episode, where we breakdown what the results of the election mean for policy-making and community colleges.

In more recent developments, President elect Donald Trump has announced his selection for Secretary of Education, Linda McMahon. McMahon was well known as the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) cofounder before entering politics by financially backing Republican candidates and running for the U.S. Senate herself. As a member of Trump's political circle, McMahon led the Small Business Administration during his first term. Her experience in education and education leadership consists of her service on the Connecticut Board of Education in 2009 as well as her years-long tenure on the board of trustees for Sacred Heart University in Connecticut. When it comes to primary and secondary education, she has stated to be in favor of charter schools and school choice. In terms of the higher education space, McMahon authored an opinion piece expressing support for the Bipartisan Workforce Pell Act.

We anticipate learning more about Linda McMahon and her positions on American education as the confirmation process unfolds.     

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

Senator Bill Cassidy Will Chair the HELP Committee for the 119th Congress

Current ranking member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), Senator Bill Cassidy, will be at the helm of the HELP committee as the Republicans will have the majority in the Senate for the 119th Congress. Senator Cassidy has stated that as chair, he wants to put an emphasis on education.     

Congress Passes the FAFSA Deadline Act Along Bipartisan Lines

Late last week, with 381 yeas and 1 nay, House legislators passed the FAFSA Deadline Act as a response to the troublesome and error ridden FAFSA Simplification Form roll out. Earlier this morning, the Senate also passed the bill unanimously. The bill now heads to the President’s desk, where President Biden is expected to sign it. This Act requires the Department of Education to make the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) available by October 1 starting in 2025 and obligates the Secretary of Education to testify before Congress if there is anticipation by September 1 that the form would not be ready by the October 1 deadline; the current deadline is January 1. 

ED Officially Launches the Updated FAFSA Form

Today the Department of Education (ED) announced that the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) 2025-2026 form has been released ten days before the December 1st deadline. Students and families can now access the online form with the paper form being an available option. Even with this official launch, the Department will be monitoring and making adjustments to improve the user experience with submitting the form. Finally, ED has committed to increasing support staff who can assist applicants on evenings and weekends. 

Department of Education Issues Interim Final Rule on Income Contingent Repayment Plans

The interim final rule updates the deadline for borrowers to enroll in income contingent repayment plans (ICR) or Pay as You Earn (PAYE) plans from July 1, 2024 to July 1, 2027. This change will allow the Department to offer borrowers access to ICR plans while also making the necessary changes to make repayment plans compliant with an injunction from U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. When the Biden Administration unveiled its SAVE Plan, it phased out other ICR plans to simplify options for borrowers. However, with SAVE currently tied up in litigation, it had left borrowers without a viable, affordable, income-based repayment plan. This interim rule is meant to provide that option for borrowers. 

Grant Opportunities

Please review the Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education's Community College webpage for new grants community colleges are eligible for.

• November 30 -  Celebrating the Contribution of African Food to American Cuisine Application Deadline
• December 2 - 2025 Young Trilateral Leaders Network (YTL) eSports Competition
• December 5 3:00-4:15PM EST - Helping Community College Students Build a More Secure Financial Future Webinar
• December 12, 11:59 PM EST - Save America's Treasures Preservation Grant
• December 13, 5:00 PM EST - Offshore Wind Workforce Readiness Programs Application Deadline
• December 15 11:59PM EST - Southwest Border Resource Protection Program
• December 16 - Ports for the Future Partnerships
• December 19 - Ethiopia Rapid Response Mechanism Grant closing date
• December 20 - National Advanced Packaging Manufacturing Program Advanced Packaging Research and Development
• January 6, 2025 11:59PM EST - Head Start/ Early Head Start Recipient, Early Head Start Expansion and Early Head Start-Child Care Partnership Grants
• January 15, 2025 - Accurate Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment Completers List due to ED
• January 16, 2025 - Ports for the Future Partnerships Grant Closing Date
• January 21, 2025 - Fulbright-Hays Group Projects Abroad (GPA) Program—Short-Term Projects
• January 22, 2025 - Addressing Systems Challenges through Engineering Teams Grant Closing Date
• February 9-12, 2025 - 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:

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