NAICU Washington Update

Sides Agree on CR to Keep the Government Funded

September 25, 2020

Seeking to avoid a pre-election government shutdown, Congress and the Administration put political differences aside and came to an agreement to keep the government funded at current levels until December 11, 2020.  The agreement comes after a long week of negotiations between Congressional Democrats and Republicans and the Administration.
 
At the center of the debate was a Republican priority for additional assistance for farmers and a Democratic priority for additional nutrition assistance for families with children.  In the final agreement, both priorities received billions of dollars more in assistance.  The House approved the measure earlier this week and the Senate is expected to approve it, and send it to the White House for signature, before the September 30 deadline. 
 
Several education-related provisions were included in the agreement, including a vital extension of living allowance payments for GI Bill veterans who are going to college exclusively online because of the pandemic.  That provision was set to expire in December but has now been extended a full year to December 21, 2021.  Extending this benefit was a NAICU priority and will give students who are veterans assurances that their housing allowances are secure even if their classes go online. 
 
Also of note, the bill includes a temporary extension of authority for the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity (NACIQI), which reviews accreditors to serve as gatekeepers for Title IV aid, to continue its operations.
 
The following are the full array of education-related provisions included the agreement:   
 
Division A
  • Section 101 – funding for all education programs are extended at fiscal year (FY) 2020 levels until December 11, 2020.
 
  • Section 154 – the operations of the NACIQI is extended until December 11, 2020.
 
  • Section 155 – mandatory funds for account maintenance fees in the Federal Family Education Loan program are extended until December 11, 2020. These funds are payable to guarantee agencies.
 
  • Section 156 – allows for the continuation of the Corporation for National and Community Service program and authorizes them to spend unexpended funds from last year. 
 
Division C  
Division E

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