February 14, 2024

Leading the news this week: The House voted along party lines last night to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. The Senate, currently on a 2-week recess, will conduct a trial once they are back in session. As a reminder, the next government funding deadline is March 1, signaling the Senate will have only 4 days of legislative work to pass the first round of appropriations bills.

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

2024 NLS Recap

We're back after a brief break to attend the 2024 Community College National Legislative Summit. A warm welcome to all our new LAW Alert readers! We extend our sincere thanks to everyone who contributed to making the summit a success.

As a recap, our 2024 Community College Legislative Priorities can be found here. Additionally, if your college met last week with federal legislators, and/or plan to meet with them back in the district this year, we kindly ask you to take a moment to fill out our Congressional Contact Form. Your input helps ACCT track outreach efforts of community college leaders across our membership. The link to the form can always be found at the bottom of this newsletter under "Outreach Efforts."

NEW Homeless Veterans' Reintegration Program

The Department of Labor, Veterans' Employment and Training Service recently announced an employment focused competitive grant the Homeless Veterans’ Reintegration Program. The grant seeks to reduce homelessness among veterans by assisting them in overcoming obstacles to reenter the workforce successfully. 

The deadline to apply to the grant is March 11, 2024. For more information regarding the grant or additional resources, click here. To apply, click here.  

Joint Bipartisan Workforce Pell Act Letter

Yesterday, ACCT and AACC sent a joint letter to House leadership urge them to bring H.R. 6585, Bipartisan Workforce Pell Act to the floor for action as soon as possible. The legislation would extend Pell Grant eligibility to include short-term workforce programs, which remains a top priority for community colleges. 

To read the full letter, click here. 

REMINDER Career Skills Training Program 

The Department of Energy Office of the State and Community Energy Program (SCEP) is still soliciting applications for the Career Skills Training program (CST) funding opportunity. The application deadline is February 27, 2024 at 5 pm EST.

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.

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

• February 25 - RFI on Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Needs in Higher Education
• February 27 - deadline to apply for Career Skills Training program
• March 11 - deadline to apply for Homeless Veterans’ Reintegration Program
• April 25 - deadline to apply for Distressed Area Recompete Pilot Program

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) 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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