March 7, 2024

Leading the news this week: Both chambers of Congress are in session this week, and after months of delays, they are anticipated to finally pass the first half of the FY24 appropriations bills. All eyes will be on Capitol Hill today as President Biden will deliver the last State of the Union Address of his term. 

Bipartisan Workforce Pell Act Update

Unfortunately, the Bipartisan Workforce Pell Act did not proceed to the House floor for a vote due to stiff opposition from several education associations, particularly regarding the pay-for in the legislation. Despite our disappointment, ACCT will continue its advocacy and will look for another opportunity to pass the bill this year. We are committed to addressing concerns surrounding the legislation and continuing our advocacy for this critical priority. Leaders in the Education & Workforce Committee also remain committed to the legislation and urge vocal support from those who will benefit.

If your representatives have expressed concerns regarding the legislation or have questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to ACCT's Public Policy team at publicypolicy@acct.org. 

Appropriations Update

Earlier this week, Congressional leadership made significant progress in meeting the first appropriations deadline of March 8. They released the bill text, summaries, explanatory statements, and corresponding congressionally directed spending for all six bills. The bill text of the full package can be found here.

The package passed the House yesterday in a 339-85 vote and could be taken up in the Senate as early as today if Senate leaders come to an agreement on amendments that will be allowed to be offered.

The Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill text is not expected to be released until the week of March 18. As a reminder, in FY24 the House Labor-HHS-Ed bill did not accept congressionally directed spending requests, but the Senate Labor-HHS-Ed bill did. We are waiting to see if the Senate requests will be included in the final Labor-HHS-Ed bill text.

Congressional Community College Caucus  

Representatives Joe Courtney (CT-2) and Gus Bilirakis (FL-12) recently announced the return of the Community College Caucus for the 118th Congress. The caucus provides members of Congress with a platform to discuss issues impacting community colleges nationwide, enabling them to raise awareness about the unique role our institutions play in our educational system.

We encourage members to reach out to their House representatives and ask them to join the caucus by contacting the offices of Reps. Courtney or Representative Bilirakis. Expanding the caucus membership will fortify our advocacy efforts and amplify our collective voice on the federal level.

Connecting with the DOE - Fusion Energy Sciences (FES)  

The Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Science, a key supporter of fundamental research in the physical sciences and overseer of 10 national laboratories, is extending its outreach to institutions of higher education nationwide. They will hold monthly virtual office hours, open to researchers from all institutions, providing insights into the six research programs and two research and development and production offices. 

These sessions provide valuable opportunities for questions and do not necessitate any prior affiliation with DOE or its national laboratories. Each week leading up to the first series of office hours, we will spotlight one of the eight programs.

FES will hold virtual office hours on the first Wednesday of the month, 2-3 pm ET. Upcoming topics include: 

• Wednesday, March 6, 2024, at 2pm ET – Introduction to FES & mission
• Wednesday, April 3, 2024, at 2pm ET – FES topics in the FY 2024 Open Call
• Wednesday, May 1, 2024, at 2pm ET – How to Become an Effective Reviewer 

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

• 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.

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