Federal Relations
April 22, 2010
HHS to Establish Consumer Information Office
The April 19th Federal Register announced that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will establish an Office of Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight to implement provisions of the health care reform law that deal with private health insurance. According to the notice, the new office will be under the HHS secretary and include
April 19, 2010
NIST Seeking Technology Innovation Proposals
The Technology Innovation Program (TIP) of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) announced last week that it is seeking proposals for high-risk, high-reward research projects in an area of critical national need: manufacturing. TIP expects to award a total of approximately $25 million in first-year funding for R&D projects that address “Manufacturing and Biomanufacturing:
This Week on Capitol Hall, April 19-23
ON THE FLOOR The House is not in session on Monday. On Tuesday the House votes on a number of minor bills and resolutions. Later in the week the House is expected to appoint conferees for an Iran sanctions bill and vote on a bill to provide full House voting right for the District of
April 15, 2010
Senator Harkin Introduces Education Jobs Fund Bill, Senator Murray a Co-Sponsor
**Updated 4/16/10** Yesteday Senator Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee and of the Senate appropriations panel that oversees education funding, introduced a bill that would provide $23 billion for an Education Jobs Fund. The Education Jobs Fund is modeled after the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund (SFSF) portion of
April 14, 2010
Governors Push for Increased NIH Funding
Yesterday, the governors of 25 states — including Washington’s Christine Gregoire — wrote to the Chairmen and Ranking Members of the House and Senate Budget Committees to ask that the budget resolution in each chamber contain enough funding to allow the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to be funded at the Administration-requested level of $32.2
April 13, 2010
This Week on Capitol Hill, April 12-16
MONDAY The House was not in session. The Senate met to consider HR 4851 — Short-term extensions of various programs TUESDAY The House convenes at 2:00 pm to consider some minor bills under suspension of the rules. Senate Foreign Relations marks up legislation on Peace Corps expansion (S 1382), Torture Victims Relief (S 2839), Water
April 1, 2010
Rep. McDermott Joins Colleagues in Push for NEH Increase
Washington Congressman Jim McDermott (7th District) joined 87 of his Colleagues in the House of Representatives to sign a Dear Colleague letter addressed to Interior Appropriations Chairman Jim Moran (D-VA) and Ranking Member Mike Simpson (R-ID). The letter, requested $232.5 million in FY 2011 funding for the National Endowment for the Humanities -an increase of
NASFAA Releases FAQs on New Student Aid Law
The National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA) has released a Frequently Asked Questions (and answers) web page on the student aid provisions of the recently signed Budget Reconciliation Act of 2010. The NASFAA site can be accessed here.
March 31, 2010
House Members Seek 7% Increase for NIH
A group of 99 members of the House of Representatives, including Washington’s Adam Smith (9th District), signed-on to a letter to House appropriators asking them to provide the National Institutes of Health (NIH) with a 7% budget increase in FY11. The President’s FY11 budget request seeks a 3% increase for NIH. The debate over funding for
Patent Reform Legislation Re-Crafted in the Senate
The Senate has released an amended version of S. 515, the Patent Reform Act of 2009 that appears to address many of the hopes for a simplified, and increasingly objective and transparent patent system in the United States. Two reforms included in the legislation that are key to the higher education community include: harmonizing U.S. law with that