AACRAO & Federal Relations Update

AACRAO & Federal Relations Update Presented by: William Gil, Director, Government Relations Michelle Mott, Associate Director, Gov. Relations & Communications

AACRAO & Federal Relations Update AACRAO update Federal Relations update Higher Education Act reauthorization Federal budget update Legislative update Trending Topics

AACRAO Update

AACRAO Advocacy AACRAO staff has actively engaged with Congressional leaders to educate them on AACRAO s legislative agenda and to serve as a resource on policy issues. Staff has complete nearly 90 visits to Congressional offices in the past year.

AACRAO Grassroots Advocacy Online Advocacy Center AACRAO recently created a grassroots advocacy platform to increase member and State & Regional engagement in policy issues affecting your campuses. Quick Demo Site allows members to easily submit form letters to their Senators and Representatives, etc.

AACRAO Calls to Action House PROSPER Act (H.R. 4508) Protect Dreamers Continued Support for Puerto Rico Relief for TPS Holders

AACRAO Public Policy Advisory Group Chairman: Tim Amyx, Volunteer State Community College Beth Acree, University of Arizona Kelly Brooks, Capella University Kelley Brundage, University of West Florida Adrian Cornelius, University of Maryland Melissa Cruz, Mercer University Amanda Euen, Miami University Amy Gleason, Duke University José Sinclair, Dartmouth College David Smedley, George Washington University Michal Stacy, Ivy Tech Community College

Federal Relations Update

Higher Education Act (HEA) Reauthorization

HEA Reauthorization Potential timeline House PROSPER Act (H.R. 4508) Introduced Dec. 1, 2017 Advanced out of committee Dec. 12, 2017 Reverse Transfer Efficiency Act (H.R. 3774) Full House expected to consider as early as Feb. 2018

House PROSPER Act Financial Aid Support FAFSA simplification Prior-prior year data Loan origination fees Loan limits Concerns Overhauls student aid Direct Loan Program End of Perkins Loans Streamlines income-based repayment plans Changes R2T4

House PROSPER Act Student Assistance Support New work study formula Pell Plus Apprenticeships Concerns Work study eligibility Changes to Pell program TRIO funding cuts Elimination of SEOG

House PROSPER Act Program Integrity Support Some accreditation provisions State authorization requirement for physical locations Concerns Elimination of 10 accreditation standards State authorization rules for distance ed programs Gainful employment Repeal of 90/10 rule

House PROSPER Act Other Issues Competency-Based Education Pathways to better align CBE programs with Title IV aid programs Concerns with lack of safeguards for non-title IV providers who partner with eligible institutions Reverse Transfer Creation of new FERPA exemption

House PROSPER Act CBO Scoring on PROSPER Act Bill would reduce federal student aid funding by $14.6 billion and spending on federal student loan programs by $26.3 billion over 10 years. Advocacy Call to Action AACRAO urges members to use Advocacy Center to contact their U.S. Representative and express concerns regarding the proposed legislation.

State & Regional ACRAO Call to Action S & R ACRAO Call to Action on PROSPER Act Resulted in engagements with 236 Members of Congress, who represent Over 25 State and the District of Columbia and 910 institutions within their districts

Senate Action on HEA HELP Committee Hearings Education panel discusses issues related to innovation, accountability, affordability, etc. White Paper on Higher Education Accountability Sen. Lamar Alexander issues white paper that calls for changes to how colleges are held accountable for the federal dollars they receive.

Federal Budget Update

Federal Budget Update Two-Year Budget Agreement $320 billion budget package for FY 2018 and 2019 Includes additional $4 billion in funding for higher education over the next two years $89.3 billion in disaster aid for hurricane and wildfire victims Excludes legislative fix for DACA

Federal Budget Update FY 2018 Omnibus Appropriations Act Boosts Education Dept. funding by $3.9 billion Raises maximum Pell Grant by $175 to $6,095 Provides additional $107 million to FSEOG Increase funding to Federal Work-Study by $140 million, for a total of $1.1 billion Boosts funding for minority-serving institutions Excludes legislative fix for DACA

Federal Budget Update President Trump s FY 2019 Budget Request Cuts Education Dept. s by 5.6 percent, or $3.8 M Eliminates Public Service Loan Forgiveness and FSEOG Programs Overhauls Federal Work-Study Program Consolidates IDR plans and ends subsidized loans Expands Pell eligibility to short-term non-degree programs

Legislative Update

Legislative Update Tax Cuts and Jobs Act Sweeping legislation overhauls U.S. tax code Imposes a 1.4 percent excise tax on investment income at private colleges with an enrollment of at least 500 students and with assets valued at $500,000 per full-time student Doubles the standard deduction to $24,400 for joint filers and $12,200 for individuals

Legislative Update DACA/DREAM Act DREAM Act reintroduced July 2017 Trump administration announced plans in fall 2017 to effectively terminate DACA Congress has failed to reach a deal Courts order administration to resume DACA Bipartisan deal is in no way imminent

Legislative Update Reverse Transfer Efficiency Act H.R. 3774 Bipartisan bill introduced by Reps. Luke Messer (R- IN) and Jared Polis (D-CO) Federal Perkins Loan Extension Act H.R. 2482, S.1808 Bipartisan legislation to extend the program for an additional two years. Despite broad support from both parties in both chambers, measure fails.

Legislative Update Title IX Protection Act H.R. 4030 Bill would codify parts of the recently-rescinded Obama-era guidance on campus sexual assault Post 9/11 GI Bill Update Forever GI Bill President Trump signed an update of the Post-9/11 GI Bill into law. The bipartisan legislation moved swiftly through both chambers of Congress.