November 16, 2023

Publishing note: we will take a break next week in observance of Thanksgiving. We are grateful to have you as an audience and hope our weekly alerts keep you informed about what's happening in DC.  We will return the week of November 27th with all the latest!

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

Appropriations and Government Funding

With government funding running out at the end of tomorrow, both the House and the Senate passed another short-term measure to keep the government open. The proposal, which was proposed by Speaker Johnson, extends current funding levels until 2024 by separating the 12 government funding bills into two groups. The first deadline will be January 19 and will be for four appropriations bills, the second deadline will be February 2, 2024, for the remaining 8 appropriations bills, including the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS) bill.  The continuing resolution also provided the office of Federal Student Aid with flexibility to spend at a faster rate in order to address student loan repayment needs. The bill also extended the Farm bill authorization to the end of the 2024 fiscal year, giving congress more time to negotiate on the reauthorization.  This will guarantee Members of Congress can go home for Thanksgiving and that they will avoid a holiday crunch to pass appropriations in December, but it means 2024 will start with high stakes. 

Where Do Ed Priorities Stand? On the LHHS side, the House voted on hundreds of amendments to the bill but ultimately pulled the bill from consideration lacking votes to pass it. The Senate has not considered their version of the bill on the floor. 

FAFSA Update

This week, the Department of Education's (ED) office of Federal Student Aid (FSA) provided an update on the launch of the new simplified FAFSA. In the update, they announced that students and families will be able to fill out the FAFSA by December 31, 2023. However, they also announced that there will delays in the processing for this upcoming cycle. Notably, institutions of higher education may not receive information from FSA needed to put together financial aid packages for students until the end of January, which would delay when institutions can provide admitted students with their financial aid awards.

FSA also announced they launched a 2024-2025 FAFSA Updates page which will be populated as new developments occur.  Finally, ED announced new state-by-state data which shows the number of new Pell recipients that could benefit with the new FAFSA.

*Final Reminder * Career Skill Training Program

Applications for the Department of Energy's Career Skills Training Program close on Monday, November 27, 2024. The grant funds can be used to provide in classroom and on-the-job trainings that prepare individuals to meet the labor demands in the energy efficiency sector.  Prospective applicants and interested partners should visit the infrastructure-exchange.gov website to register themselves on the Teaming Partner List. To apply for the Career Skills Training grant, visit the infrastructure-exchange.gov website and click on the Career Skills Training DE- FOA 0003132. All grant applications are due November 27, 2023, by 5:00 p.m. ET.

Digital Equity Grant Opportunities Webinar

In 2024, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) will launch new grant programs to help eligible entities pursue activities to advance digital equity in their communities. To prepare the higher education sector this upcoming opportunity under the Digital Equity Act, the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO) and Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT) will host a webinar on December 5, 2023 at 3 PM ET and invites higher education leaders to build their awareness of the relevant policy context and learn why this issue is relevant to their stakeholders.  

To further support higher education leaders in seeing themselves as a critical component of this national focus on digital equity, the webinar will feature a panel of experts to showcase models of strategies around the country that benefit higher education stakeholders.  

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of EdTech is excited to be able to moderate this conversation. Please register here and feel free to share with your colleagues/networks that may be interested!

• Accepting Applications on a Rolling Basis - CHIPS Incentives Program – Facilities for Semiconductor Materials and Manufacturing Equipment

• July 3 - Prison Education Program (PEP) applications open on a rolling basis

• November 27 - Department of Energy's Career Skills Training Program
• November 30 - deadline for letters of intent for Climate Ready Workforce for Coastal and Great Lakes States, Tribes, and Territories Initiative

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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