John Slattery, Vice Dean for Research and Graduate Education at the University of Washington, speaks about how federal funding cuts (sequestration) will constrain potential advances in patient care and dampen students’ pursuit of research careers. Watch the video here.
News and updates
President’s Budget Now Due April 10th
The White House has just announced that President Obama will release his budget on April 10th, nearly two months later than the traditional February release date. The President had been expected to release his budget on April 8th, the same day that Congress returns from its two-week recess period. The White House has said that its two-month delay was in part due to the administration’s focus on sequestration and completing the FY 2013 continuing resolution.
President’s FY14 Budget Release Pushed Back to April 10th
White House spokesman Josh Earnest announced today that the FY14 President’s Budget Release has been pushed back two more days and will now drop on April 10th.
Newly Introduced Legislation
A roundup of bills introduced in the last week that may be of interest to the higher education community:
S. 514: A bill to amend Title 38, United States Code, to provide additional educational assistance to veterans pursuing a degree in science, technology, engineering, math, or an area that leads to employment in a high-demand occupation.
Sponsor: Sherrod Brown (D-OH) Introduced: 3/11/2013 Last Major Action: Referred to Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Cosponsors: 0
H.R. 1100: A bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to improve mental and behavioral health services on college campuses.
Sponsor: Janice Schakowsky (D-IL) Introduced: 3/12/2013 Last Major Action: Referred to House Committees on Energy & Commerce and Education and the Workforce Cosponsors: 12
H.R. 1178: A bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants for graduate medical education partnerships in states with a low physician-resident-to-general-population ratio.
Sponsor: Kathy Castor (D-FL) Introduced: 3/14/2013 Last Major Action: Referred to House Committee on Energy and Commerce Cosponsors: 0
H.R. 1227: A bill to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to authorize certain aliens who have earned a Ph.D. degree from a United States institution of higher education in a field of science, technology, engineering or mathematics to be admitted for permanent residence and to be exempted from the numerical limitations on H-1B nonimmigrants (STAPLE ACT).
Sponsor: Erik Paulsen (R-MN) Introduced: 3/15/2013 Last Major Action: Referred to House Committee on the Judiciary Cosponsors: 3
Paulsen Press Release
H.R. 1271: A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to allow employers a credit against income tax as an incentive to partner with educational institutions to provide skills training for students (Job Skills for America’s Students Act).
Sponsor: Mark Takano (D-CA) Introduced: 3/19/2013 Last Major Action: Referred to Committee on Ways and Means Cosponsors: 0
Takano Press Release
S. 646: A bill to create the National Endowment for the Oceans to promote the protection and conservation of United States ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes ecosystems.
Sponsor: Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) Introduced: 3/21/2013 Last Major Action: Referred to Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation Cosponsors: 3 (including Senator Maria Cantwell)
The full text of these bills can be found by searching for their respective bill number at thomas.loc.gov
Federal Update, March 2013
The month of March has been a busy one in Washington, D.C. On March 1st sequestration went into effect after Congress failed to come to agreement on long-term deficit reduction, and last week both the House and Senate approved their respective budget resolutions that address overall spending for federal government for FY 2014. And, finally, Congress took action on a continuing resolution to fund the federal government for the remaining six months of FY 2013, just a week before the current CR expires on March 27th. Congress is now enjoying a two-week recess period before returning to work on April 8th, the same day that President Obama is to release his FY 2014 budget request, two months later than usual because of all of the fiscal uncertainty in Congress.
This Federal Update will focus on these fiscal issues, and also take a look ahead at the congressional agenda for spring. Continue reading “Federal Update, March 2013”