News and updates

Below is a selection of articles the Federal Relations team has read this week:

Bipartisan Deal on FUTURE Act: The Senate has passed bipartisan legislation which will permanently fund HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) as well as simplify the FAFSA and income verification for loan repayment. The deal was reached between Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA). More at Inside Higher Ed.

Department of Education Revamping Tech: The Department of Education announced that it will attempt to simplify processes for students to obtain information, such as consolidating websites and phone numbers, and launching a virtual chatbot to answer FAQs. Read on at Edsurge.

Impeachment Proceedings: This week Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi instructed the House committees investigating President Trump to draw up articles of impeachment. This signals the beginning of votes on impeachment. Meanwhile, the White House continues to refuse to participate in hearings. More at Roll Call.

Trump Administration Accused of Removing Protections for Transgender Persons: From the Army to the Department of Health and Human Services, many transgender public servants are complaining that protections are being rolled back in the Trump Administration. The White House contends that this is not due to intolerance, but correcting Presidential overreach during the Obama Administration. More at New York Times.

A new report from the US Commission on Civil Rights found that under the Trump Administration, the Department of Education is accelerating the rate at which it closes civil rights cases. Although the time to resolve cases decreased, the Department also reduced the scope of investigations, and less investigations result in findings of civil rights violation or corrective action. The full report, which encompasses several federal agencies, can be found here.