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News and updates

Chairman of the House Science Committee vs. NSF — the fight escalates

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In what appears to be an ever escalating battle, the National Science Foundation (NSF) today officially refused to comply with a request to supply reviewer comments to five grants questioned by House Science, Space and Technology Chairman, Lamar Smith (R-TX).

On April 25th, Chairman Smith sent a letter to the NSF, which asked for an explanation by NSF as to how five grants adhered to NSF’s “intellectual merit” guidelines. The grants in question were:

  • Award Abstract #1247824: “Picturing Animals in National Geographic, 1888-2008,” March 15, 2013, ($227,437);
  • Award Abstract #1230911: “Comparative Histories of Scientific Conservation: Nature, Science, and Society in Patagonian and Amazonian South America,” September 1, 2012 ($195,761);
  • Award Abstract #1230365: “The International Criminal Court and the Pursuit of Justice,” August 15, 2012 ($260,001);
  • Award Abstract #1226483, “Comparative Network Analysis: Mapping Global Social Interactions,” August 15, 2012, ($435,000); and
  • Award Abstract #1157551: “Regulating Accountability and Transparency in China’s Dairy Industry,” June 1, 2012 ($152,464).

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House Committee Moves on Student Loan Fix

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Today, the House Education and the Workforce Committee marked up and two measures on to improve college costs and data transparency. The committee modestly amended and approved HR 1911, the Smarter Solutions for Students Act by a vote of 24-13, which ran largely along party lines. The amended HR 1911 would peg interest rates on all federal student loans, except Perkins loans, to the 10-year Treasury note rate plus 2.5 percentage points for undergraduate loans with a cap of 8.5 percent and plus 4.5 percentage points for graduate loans with a cap of 10.5 percent. Interest rates would be calculated and reset yearly.

The committee also marked up and approved HR 1949, the Improving Postsecondary Education Data Act for Students (IPEDS Act). The legislation would create a committee under the Department of Education to conduct a study on the factors students and families want, need, and already consider when choosing a higher education institution. This committee has a year to issue recommendations to assist congressional efforts to reauthorize the Higher Education Act.

The Office of Federal Relations is closely tracking this legislation and continues to work on this issue.

For more information on HR 1911, the Smarter Solutions for Students Act.

For more information on HR 1949, the IPEDS Act.

Charting the student loan interest rate proposals

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As the Office of Federal Relations continues to track the proposals and progress made on legislation affecting the student loan interest rate, below is a chart highlighting the proposals to date and major proposals.

Options continue to multiply as the July 1 deadline raising the 3.4 percent interest rate to 6.4 percent is quickly approaching. Soon, colleges will begin originating loans for the fall semester not long afterward. Congressional insiders predict that if the rate is allowed to double, Congressional Republicans will likely lose their appetite for addressing the issue because students will not feel the impact immediately.

The many options, and the apparent disagreement among Senate Democrats and the White House, mean that the fate of any successful bill may rest on the House’s ability to pass a measure that will then be amended in the Senate. Further, it puts the Obama administration in the unusual position of being allied most closely with Congressional Republicans, making the some of the most unusual bedfellows.

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This Week in Congress

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TUESDAY, MAY 13th

Senate Appropriations
2014 APPROPRIATIONS: HOMELAND SECURITY
2:30 p.m., 138 Dirksen Bldg.
Subcommittee Hearing

WEDNESDAY, MAY 14th

Senate Appropriations
2014 APPROPRIATIONS: DEFENSE
10 a.m., SVC-117 Capitol Visitor Center
Subcommittee Hearing

2014 APPROPRIATIONS: ENERGY AND WATER
2:30 p.m., 192 Dirksen Bldg.
Subcommittee Hearing

2014 APPROPRIATIONS: LABOR, HHS, EDUCATION
2:30 p.m., 138 Dirksen Bldg.
Subcommittee Hearing

Senate Veterans’ Affairs
VETERAN BENEFITS LEGISLATION
10 a.m., 418 Russell Bldg.
Full Committee Hearing

THURSDAY, MAY 15th

Senate Appropriations
2014 APPROPRIATIONS: AGRICULTURE, RURAL, FDA
10 a.m., 124 Dirksen Bldg.
Subcommittee Hearing

2014 APPROPRIATIONS: COMMERCE, JUSTICE, SCIENCE
10 a.m., 192 Dirksen Bldg.
11:15 a.m., SVC-217 Capitol Visitor Center
Subcommittee Hearing

Farm Bill goes to mark up

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Both the House and Senate Agriculture Committees are working on the Farm Bill this week. The respective farm bills scheduled to be marked up in Senate Agriculture on Tuesday and House Agriculture on Wednesday. The draft House plan released on Friday would save a projected $39.7 billion over a decade through reductions to nutrition programs, farm and crop insurance, and conservation efforts. Like the Senate bill (S.10), it would eliminate yearly direct payments to farmers and shift financial risk management away from traditional subsidies to insurance-based alternatives.

The UW’s School of Environment and Forest Studies is impacted by the legislation’s Research (Title VII) and Forestry (Title VIII) titles. The Office of Federal Relations is monitoring the progress and changes of each bill as it goes through the legislative process.

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