Work on Education Begins in the U.S. House

Posted on by

This week education committees in the U.S. House began their work on both budgetary and policy issues that will likely be the focus of much of their work during this Congress.

The House Education and the Workforce Committee, formerly the Education and Labor Committee, convened on Tuesday for its first meeting of the 112th Congress.
 
Committee Chairman John Kline (R-MN) opened the organizational meeting by welcoming committee members and highlighting the unique challenges the committee faces. 

At the meeting, members voted upon a set of rules that will govern the committee in the 112th Congress. Veteran member Rep. Tim Bishop (D-NY) introduced an amendment to the rules that would have protected many education programs from spending cuts. The amendment reads:
 
“The Committee shall not report any bill or other matter that, with respect to matters within the Committee’s jurisdiction, (1) abolishes the Department of Education, (2) reduces the maximum Pell grant award, (3) eliminates student aid programs, or (4) otherwise has the effect of threatening student achievement and the nation’s global competiveness, including by reducing funding for programs that aid disabled or disadvantaged students.”
 
The amendment failed 22 to 17.

Obama Administration Plans to Increase Education Support to Military Families

Posted on by

The Obama administration announced today the beginning of a series of efforts to help increase support for military families, including higher grants from the Department of Education.

Specific details are not yet clear, but a White House news release says the department will examine ways to customize financial-aid programs to fit the needs of military families, and to be “more sensitive to the financial fluctuations of Guard and Reserve personnel.”

Governor’s Task Force Recommendations Focus of Hearing

Posted on by

This afternoon the House Higher Education Committee held the first work session on the recommendations put forth by the Governor’s Task Force on Higher Education.

In December, the Governor’s Task Force on Higher Education announced recommendations to improve accountability and performance of the state’s colleges and universities, and consider whether changes should be made in the way the state governs its higher education system

The Committee heard from several panels that included a mix of task force members, staff to the Governor, and representatives from industry. Members of the Committee engaged the panels in a dialogue regarding process, outcomes, and the committment of business to ensure the recommendations are successful.

House Passes Supplemental Budget for Current Fiscal Year

Posted on by

The proposed supplemental budget for the current fiscal year moved from the Washington House to the Washington Senate today.

This morning the Washington House voted 55-43 to pass House Bill 1086.

Legislators are trying to close a $588 million shortfall in the fiscal year that ends this June. The House’s proposed supplemental reduces the budget shortfall by $340 million, leaving approximately $260 million in the red for the year.

House Bill 1086 now goes to the Senate for further consideration. It is expected that the Senate Ways & Means Committee will take up the bill tomorrow afternoon

2011 Legislative Session: Week 3

Posted on by

During the third week of the 2011 legislative session committees will begin to transition from work sessions to public hearings on proposed legislation.

A handful of work sessions and more public hearings are scheduled on critical issues that impact higher education. To learn more follow the links below.

This week the focus of the appropriations committees (i.e. Senate Ways & Means ,  House Ways & Means, House Education Appropriations, and House Capital Budget) will be a review of the Governor’s proposed operating and capital budgets for 2011-13, the impacts of the proposed budget on higher education, and a public hearing on the Governor’s proposed 2011-13 capital budget.

In addition, the higher education related committees (i.e. House Higher Education and  Senate Higher Education & Workforce Development) are scheduled to hear presentations regarding the recommendations of the Governor’s Task Force on Higher Education and the Governor’s proposal for reorganizing education in Washington. In addition, the committees will focus on tuition, financial aid, and governance, hearing a variety of bills that would impact these areas of higher education.

Education Stakeholders Forum – U.S. Department of Education

Posted on by

On Monday, January 24, from 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Eastern Time, the Department’s Office of Communications and Outreach (OCO) will host its first Education Stakeholders Forum of the new year.

The Secretary will outline the Department’s legislative and programmatic priorities for 2011, and senior officials will provide the latest information on the School Improvement Grant (SIG) program and a new initiative for sharing state data profiles.

As with previous forums, the meeting will take place at the agency’s headquarters in Washington, D.C. However, in an effort to make the information shared readily available, the Department will also be live streaming this forum.

Beginning at 9:00 a.m. that morning, anyone wishing to listen in to the forum proceedings can visit http://www.ustream.tv/channel/education-department.

Research the Focus of House Higher Education Committee

Posted on by

This morning the House Higher Education Committee continued its efforts to better understand higher education in Washington with a focus on research.

Unique to this hearing was the opportunity for members of the committee to hear about the research efforts at Washington’s comprehensive institutions, including Evergreen.

In her presentation, Nancy Murray- faculty- focused on undergraduate research opportunities and preparing students for graduate work  at Evergreen. Murray was joined by Kate Reimer – a senior at Evergreen – who shared her perspective as an undergraduate researcher. 

Murray and Reimer were followed by researchers and presentations by Central Washington, Eastern Washington, and Western Washington universities.  These presentations were preceded by representatives from the University of Washington and Washington State University.

House’s Proposed Supplemental Budget Moves to the Floor

Posted on by

Last night Chair Ross Hunter moved the House’s proposed supplemental budget (HB 1086)  from the committee to the House floor.

Members of the House Ways & Means Committee spent several hours discussing various amendments to the bill that impact key parts of the state budget, including K-12, health and human services, and higher education.

The Committee adopted a single amendment that altered the reductions to higher education proposed in the supplemental budget. The proposed supplemental budget reduces funding by $4 million to research for the University of Washington and Washington State University.  The amendment to the bill passed last night requires UW and WSU to limit the impact of this reduction to research functions only.

Reductions to the Higher Education Coordinating Board (HECB)  and the Spokane Intercollegiate Research & Technology Institute (SIRTI) were retained.

The House’s proposed supplemental budget now goes to the House floor for further consideration.

Dialogue with Chair of House Higher Education Committee

Posted on by

Today The Seattle Times is hosting an online chat to answer questions about the cuts and what impacts they’ll have with Chair Larry Seaquist, House Higher Education Committee.

The chat will begin at 1:00.  You can join in here: Education – Live chat about higher education in Wash. state

The House Higher Education Committee is under new leadership this session. Rep. Larry Seaquist was named chair in December and has since then been working with members to take a fresh look at university funding and issues.

To start the 2011 session, the committee has done a series of informative overviews of various issues affecting our state’s higher education system — which began back in the 1860’s.

Faculty Highlighted in the House and Budgets the Focus of the Senate

Posted on by

Led by Chair Seaquist the House Higher Education Committee continued its efforts to inform and educate itself about higher education in Washington.

This morning the Committee focused on faculty at both two- and four-year institutions in Washington. Faculty from Washington’s comprehensive institutions, including Evergreen, provided members with insights into who faculty are and what challenges they face in the classroom. Faculty from the research institutions and the community and technical colleges also shared their perspective.

In the afternoon, Higher education advocates, inlcuding the Higher Education Coordinating Board (HECB) and the Council of Presidents (COP), spoke specifically to the impacts of declining state resources for higher education during the  January 19 Senate Higher Education & Workforce Development Committee’s work session.

Chair Rodney Tom focused the two-hour work session on the impact of reductions in state funding in recent years, highlighting the potential impact of the Governor’s proposed budget.

The work session provided the opportunity for higher education institutions to speak to specific impacts to their institutions through testimony and answer questions from policymakers.