News
House lawmakers ‘extremely concerned’ about impacts of EEOC’s proposed official time policy
by Nicole Ogrysko
01.23.20 Two House committee leaders said they're skeptical of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's plans to reverse a 40-year-old federal rule allowing union representatives official time to prepare discrimination complaints on behalf of their coworkers. EEOC detailed those plans in a proposed rule back in December, which earned harsh criticism from federal employee unions. "We are extremely concerned about the potential effects of this proposed rule on the enforcement of employment anti-disc… Continue Reading
Religious School Choice Case May Yield Landmark Supreme Court Decision
by Erica L. Green
01.21.20 A potentially landmark education case before the Supreme Court on Wednesday has pulled in heavy hitters on both sides of the school choice debate who are trying to shape a ruling that could end decades of wrangling over school vouchers and religious education. Oral arguments in the case, Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue, have attracted briefs from President Trump's Justice Department, which hopes the high court will bolster the administration's marquee education issue: public funding f… Continue Reading
Democrats vote to overturn Betsy DeVos rules on student debt
by Aarthi Swaminathan
01.16.20 The House Labor and Education Committee voted on legislation Thursday that would overturn Education Secretary Betsy DeVos' new policy on student debt discharge that goes into effect on July 1st, 2020. Obama-era rules, which provided relief for students who were defrauded by for-profit colleges and ended up bearing student loans to that school. Since assuming her position, Secretary DeVos has "openly refused to implement the Borrower Defense rule, which has left hundreds of thousands of defraude… Continue Reading
Pregnancy Bias Bill Gets Tentative House Committee Markup
by Jaclyn Diaz
01.07.20 The House Education and Labor Committee will mark up Democratic-led legislation that would make it easier for pregnant workers to get reasonable accommodations from their employers, and is meant to solve ambiguities left by the U.S. Supreme Court. The panel tentatively plans to take up the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (H.R. 2694) on Jan. 14, a Democratic committee staffer told Bloomberg Law. The bill, which has backing from several notable companies, is expected to be approved largely along pa… Continue Reading
Democrats to Health and Human Services Secretary Azar: Abandon Plan to Undermine Civil Rights Protections
12.23.19 On Friday, Education and Labor Committee Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03), Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06), Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard E. Neal (MA-01), and Oversight and Reform Committee Chairwoman Carolyn B. Maloney (NY-12) sent a letter to Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar regarding the weakening of civil rights provisions by HHS. In the letter, the lawmakers asked the Department to abandon its proposal t… Continue Reading
AFT President Weingarten and Virginia Rep. Scott Denounce Fifth Circuit Court Obamacare Ruling
12.19.19 Yesterday, the American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten issued the following statement on the ruling in the Texas v. United States Affordable Care Act case: "While today's ruling will not pose an immediate change for the Affordable Care Act, it does present a major threat to the tens of millions of Americans who currently rely on the law for healthcare. "If the court ultimately rules that the individual mandate cannot be 'severed' from the other provisions of the Affordable C… Continue Reading
Congressional leader claims Department of Education misses the point when it comes to defrauded students
by Gary Guthrie
12.18.19 In the wake of Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos' appearance in front of a congressional subcommittee, Chairman Bobby Scott (D-VA) has gone on record saying that the Department of Education's revised plan for helping defrauded students is inadequate. The biggest burr in Scott's saddle continues to be that DeVos' proposal only provides partial relief to students who borrowed money to attend for-profit colleges and wound up defrauded by those very schools. Scott said DeVos' plan "makes clear th… Continue Reading
Democrats, DeVos Clash in Fiery Hearing That Turned Personal
by Collin Blinkley
12.12.19 "When you approach a public school, you are protested. When you enter, you are booed," Wilson said. "You are the most unpopular person in our government. Millions will register to vote in 2020. Many will vote to remove you more than to remove the president." DeVos did not immediately respond, but the remark drew quick condemnation from Republicans. Rep. Virginia Foxx, the ranking Republican, interrupted to call the comment "absolutely over the line," saying it would not have been allowed on the… Continue Reading
Democrats in Congress Question DeVos on Relief For Defrauded Students
by Sara Weissman
12.12.19 Tensions ran high at a House Education and Labor Committee hearing on Thursday, where Democrats questioned U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos about her implementation of the borrower's defense rule, the provision that allows loan forgiveness for defrauded students. The hearing is a part of an ongoing saga over what will happen to student borrowers who attended for-profit colleges that misled them about school services or the value of their degrees. Democrats have criticized DeVos for fail… Continue Reading
House Education & Labor Committee Chairman Scott Praises "Future Act" Legislation to Fund Minority Colleges
12.10.19 Today, the House voted to pass the FUTURE Act, a bipartisan proposal to authorize permanent funding for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges or Universities (TCUs), and other Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs). The legislation, which comes after months of negotiation between House and Senate leaders, provides more than $250 million in mandatory funding per year for these institutions. It also facilitates stronger cooperation between the IRS and D… Continue Reading
Student Loan Crisis: Education Secretary Betsy DeVos Suggests Separate Agency To Manage Student Debt
by Wesley Dockery
12.04.19 Education Secretary Betsy DeVos suggested Tuesday that the United States should set up a separate federal agency dedicated to managing the country's $1.5 trillion in student loan debt. "One has to wonder: Why isn't [Federal Student Aid] a standalone government corporation, run by a professional, expert, and apolitical board of governors?" DeVos said at an annual conference hosted by the Education Department's FSA branch in Reno, Nevada. DeVos has claimed that the Federal Student … Continue Reading
GAO: Low-income and minority students face barriers resolving disputes over special ed services
by Naaz Modan
12.04.19 Dive Brief: Among families of students with disabilities, those with lower incomes and who have children of color are less likely than their affluent and white counterparts to access their legal rights under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, according to a report released Tuesday by the Government Accountability Office. Districts serving a higher percentage of students of color were the least likely to be involved in resolving disputes concerning how to meet a child's educatio… Continue Reading
Investigation Finds Significant Barriers To Pursuing IDEA Disputes
by Michelle Diament
12.04.19 The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act provides parents certain options if they're unsatisfied with the education that their children with disabilities are receiving, but government investigators say only some families are able to take advantage. Race and income level are playing a significant role in whether families pursue due process or take other steps toward dispute resolution allowed under federal special education law, the Government Accountability Office found. The nonpartisan… Continue Reading
Dems battle Education Secretary Betsy DeVos over student loan forgiveness
by Allisoin Winter
11.27.19 A long-simmering feud between U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and congressional Democrats over student loan forgiveness is heating up as several hundred thousand borrowers continue to wait for help on loans they claim were fraudulent. DeVos narrowly avoided a congressional subpoena earlier this month after a lengthy fight against the U.S. House Committee on Education and Labor. Her critics in Congress say they still intend to haul her in for questioning over the Trump administration's cont… Continue Reading
US House considers College Affordability Act that could cut student costs
by Kaylsa To
11.15.19 A new bill may lower the cost of attending college and cut student debt if passed by Congress. The College Affordability Act was introduced in October in the U.S. House of Representatives. The bill proposes lowering the cost of college, improving the quality of education and providing more opportunities and flexibility for college students. Democratic congressman Bobby Scott is the chairman of the Committee on Education and Labor, the committee in which the bill was introduced, and represents … Continue Reading
DeVos Refuses Democrats’ Call to Testify on Student Loan Relief
by Andrew Kreighbaum
11.07.19 Education Secretary Betsy DeVos on Thursday declined a demand from House Democrats to testify on student loan forgiveness, a move likely setting up a congressional subpoena to compel her to appear. Bobby Scott (D-Va.), the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, has made repeated requests for DeVos to testify about the Education Department's inaction on debt relief applications-known as borrower defense claims-filed by former students of the shuttered for-profit Corinthian Colleges… Continue Reading
U.S. House Dems advance sweeping effort to lower higher education costs
by Allison Stevens
11.04.19 A U.S. House committee passed legislation Oct. 31 that supporters hailed as a "down payment" on a long-sought liberal goal: free college education for all. The sweeping measure from Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va., chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, aims to help more Americans of all backgrounds obtain high-quality college degrees by increasing affordability, accountability and accessibility in higher education. It would fund states that waive tuition at community colleges and invest… Continue Reading
House Democrats Unveil the College Affordability Act
by Kaye Dyja
11.01.19 Earlier this month, House Democrats unveiled an extensive overhaul of the higher education system aimed at lowering costs and expanding access to college and secondary education. The proposed legislation, The College Affordability Act (CAA), would update the Higher Education Act (HEA) of 1965 for the first time in a decade and would cost $400 billion over a 10-year period. While the bill is currently waiting for a vote on the House floor, The Argus joined a press call with Committee Chairman B… Continue Reading
House Democrats propose College Affordability Act
10.29.19 House Democrats proposed the College Affordability Act Oct. 15. According to the Education and Labor Committee website, the act is a "comprehensive overhaul of the higher education system" aimed at lowering costs and expanding educational access for college students. The Tech joined a press call with Education and Labor Committee Chairman Bobby Scott (VA-03) and Congresswoman Jahana Hayes (CT-05) Oct. 28 to discuss the act. "The rising cost of college has put an affordable quality degree out o… Continue Reading
Trump administration gave almost $11 million in student aid to unaccredited for-profit colleges
by Vanessa Taylor
10.23.19 College accreditation is pretty important. It not only lets you know that a school has gone through a regulated validation process, but for-profit colleges also need it to participate in federal student aid programs. But late Tuesday, The Washington Post reported that the Trump administration gave almost $11 million in student aid to unaccredited for-profit colleges, while knowing the institutions lacked the required certification. The House Education and Labor Committee released the docu… Continue Reading