February 14, 2011
The leadership of the House of Representatives has come forward with a second version of proposed cuts for fiscal year 2011. The new continuing resolution (CR) proposal is in response to criticism from deficit hawks within the Republican caucus who seek to fulfill a 2010 promise to reduce federal spending by $100 billion from what… Read More
January 20, 2011
The U.S. Department of Education has determined that it can establish the Pell Grant maximum for the 2011-12 academic year at $5,550 based on the Dec. 22, 2010, Continuing Resolution (CR) that expires on March 4. The agency plans to issue the 2011-12 Pell Grant Payment and Disbursement Schedules using the $5,550 maximum Pell (same… Read More
January 11, 2011
Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN) (former Secretary of Education under President George H.W. Bush) is quoted in today’s Congressional Quarterly as stating that cuts to the Pell Grant program, along with the rest of the domestic discretionary budget, are on the table as Congress now attempts to reduce spending through the FY11 and FY12 appropriations processes. In… Read More
December 20, 2010
On Friday Congress passed an altered version of the existing Post 9/11 GI Bill, which is designed to address issues that arose with the previous legislation. The updated bill will: - provide full tuition for those attending a public school in their home state and up to $17,500 in tuition payments for those attending private schools… Read More
December 8, 2010
**12/9 Update A year-long CR passed the House on 12/8. The legislation includes $5.7 billion to close a shortfall in the Pell Grant program. The process now continues in the Senate. CR Summary** The House of Representatives is preparing two options for a closeout of the FY11 appropriations process. One option is a year-long continuing… Read More
November 24, 2010
Members of Congress returned to DC last week for a lame-duck session intended to address pressing issues, namely the need to finish the fiscal year 2011 appropriations process as well as to extend various tax cut provisions that expire at the end of the calendar year. Members spent the first week of the session largely… Read More
November 4, 2010
The mid-term congressional elections that took place on Tuesday, resulting in a Republican House majority and diminished Democratic Senate majority, will have a significant impact on issues of concern to the higher education community (FY11 appropriations, DREAM Act, COMPETES Act, tax policy) that were previously slated for consideration during the coming “lame-duck” session. The current… Read More
October 27, 2010
On November 15th, it is expected that Members of Congress will return to DC to address unfinished legislation before adjourning for the year. Several items of note are likely to considered, including additional funding to fill a shortfall in the Pell grant program. The anticipated $5.7 billion shortfall was created by increased student eligibility for… Read More
September 28, 2010
With fiscal year 2011 set to begin on Friday October 1st and none of the 12 spending bills yet signed into law, Congress will need to pass a continuing resolution (CR) in order to keep the government functioning. A CR typically funds government operations on a temporary basis, at the previous year’s spending levels, in… Read More
July 23, 2010
With it being an election year, many lawmakers have been avoiding the politically charged topic of comprehensive immigration reform, making it unlikely that it will advance before the end of the year. However, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) may attempt to push through the DREAM Act as a stand-alone piece of legislation before the… Read More
