House and Senate Democrats have reintroduced the Pell Grant Preservation and Expansion Act, which would double the maximum Pell award gradually over several years, expand the program to DACA recipients, and make other changes. The bill is sponsored by House Education and Labor Committee Chair Bobby Scott (D-VA) and Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Chair Patty Murray (D-WA).
Read more here.
The Senate will begin debate on the bipartisan Endless Frontier Act, which advanced out of committee last week. The legislation would create a new Directorate for Technology and Innovation within the NSF, establish supply chain resiliency programs, and create new reporting on jobs, the economy, and security. The bill advanced out of committee despite the addition of a contentious amendment to shift $71 billion from the NSF to the Department of Energy for R&D purposes. Several amendments include China-related and other research security provisions.
The US Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions will convene a hearing titled Protecting U.S. Biomedical Research: Efforts to Prevent Undue Foreign Influence.
Date: Thursday, April 22nd, 2021
Time: 10:00am ET (7:00am PT)
Witnesses:
Watch live here.
The House Science, Space, and Technology has introduced legislation to reauthorize the NSF. The legislation is sponsored by committee Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) and Ranking Member Frank Lucas (R-OK) along with Subcommittee on Research and Technology Chairwoman Haley Stevens (D-MI) and Ranking Member Michael Waltz (R-FL). It was introduced as the National Science Foundation for the Future Act. The bipartisan legislation increases overall agency funding by $2 billion, addresses key challenges for data access and accountability, security concerns, and creates a new Directorate for Science and Engineering Solutions.
A summary is available here.
From UW News: According to numbers released by the US Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, the University of Washington is one of the top research institutions for producing successful Fulbright grants. 24 UW students received prestigious Fulbright grants in 2020-21 to conduct research or teach overseas.
Congrats, and Go Dawgs!