AAU Weekly Update
AAU WEEKLY WRAP-UP
November 9, 2012
CONTENTS
CONGRESSIONAL SCHEDULE
BUDGET & APPROPRIATIONS
House, Senate Control Remains the Same; Lawmakers Gear Up for Lame Duck
OTHER CONGRESSIONAL ISSUES
Associations Urge Policymakers to Change Export Control Treatment of Satellites NEW
Maryland Approves DREAM Act
EXECUTIVE BRANCH
President Wins Second Term, Mentions Education and Research in Acceptance Speech
OTHER
Boston University Joins AAU
CONGRESSIONAL SCHEDULE
Both chambers are scheduled to reconvene
next Tuesday, November 13. The focus of the week will be on new member
orientation and party leadership elections in both chambers. House
Democrats intend to delay their elections until Thursday, November 29.
BUDGET & APPROPRIATIONS
HOUSE AND SENATE CONTROL REMAINS THE SAME; LAWMAKERS GEAR UP FOR LAME DUCK SESSION
With the election concluded, policymakers
are gearing up for the lame duck session. At the top of a lengthy to-do
list will be finding a way to avoid the end-of-year “fiscal cliff” of
large, automatic across-the-board cuts in defense and nondefense
spending—“the sequester”—and expiring tax benefits.
AAU and the broader higher education community have
called on
the President and congressional leaders to forge a balanced, long-term
deficit-reduction agreement and avoid the sequester. Last month, the
Task Force on American Innovation, in which AAU participates, urged
Washington leaders to reach such an agreement and to continue to
prioritize spending on science and technology. In July, AAU joined the
Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) and more than
150 university leaders from all 50 states in sending a letter
to policymakers calling for a major, balanced budget deal that also
preserves the ability to sustain national investments in such areas as
education and scientific research.
OTHER CONGRESSIONAL ISSUES
ASSOCIATIONS URGE POLICYMAKERS TO CHANGE EXPORT CONTROL TREATMENT OF SATELLITES NEW
Three higher education associations, including AAU, wrote to leaders of
the Senate Armed Services Committee on November 8, to express their
support for changing export control policies for satellites and related
items. They said in their letter
that the blanket statutory requirement that places all satellites on
the U.S. Munitions List (USML)—even those that are dual-use and pose
minimal national security risks—harms the conduct of space science
research at U.S. universities.
AAU, the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, and the
Council on Governmental Relations told the lawmakers that they strongly
support the Safeguarding United States Leadership and Security Act of
2012 (
S. 3211),
introduced by Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO). The measure would return
to the executive branch the authority to determine the export control
jurisdictional status of satellites and related items. The three
organizations asked the Senators to consider including similar language
in the final FY13 defense authorization bill.
The letter added, “The research university community agrees with the
need to protect truly sensitive satellites and space-related
technologies and other items; these items should remain on the USML in
accordance with the Section 1248 report…” It added, “As the educators of
the next generation of scientists, engineers, and innovators, the
research university community strongly supports moving less sensitive
satellite and space-related technologies from the USML to the Commerce
Control List.”
MARYLAND APPROVES DREAM ACT
Voters in Maryland on Tuesday approved a
state ballot provision that will create a path for undocumented students
to obtain in-state tuition rates at the state’s four-year colleges and
universities. This is a state version of the so-called DREAM
(Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors) Act, which was
first introduced on a bipartisan basis at the federal level in 2001, but
has not been approved by Congress.
To be eligible for the tuition discount in Maryland, undocumented
students must have attended a Maryland high school for at least three
years and meet other conditions. Unlike the law in other states,
reports the Washington Post, the students must also have earned an associate degree or 60 hours of credit at a community college.
Maryland is the first state to approve such a law through legislation
and a popular vote, says the Post, and is now among a dozen other states
with similar laws and policies. The publication notes that Texas,
under Governor Rick Perry, was the first state to institute such a
policy.
AAU has expressed support for enactment of the DREAM Act, both at the
federal level and by the individual states.
EXECUTIVE BRANCH
PRESIDENT WINS SECOND TERM, MENTIONS EDUCATION AND RESEARCH IN ACCEPTANCE SPEECH
I
n what has turned out to be a status quo
election, President Barack Obama on Tuesday was re-elected to a second
term in office, while Democrats held onto control of the Senate and
Republicans retained control of the House.
The President indicated in his acceptance
speech that research and education would continue to be among his priorities. He said:
“…But despite all our differences, most of us share certain hopes for
America's future. We want our kids to grow up in a country where they
have access to the best schools and the best teachers, a country that
lives up to its legacy as the global leader in technology and discovery
and innovation, with all the good jobs and new businesses that follow.
He added:
“…We believe in a generous America, in a compassionate America, in a
tolerant America, open to the dreams of an immigrant's daughter who
studies in our schools and pledges to our flag. To the young boy on the
south side of Chicago who sees a life beyond the nearest street corner.
To the furniture worker's child in North Carolina who wants to become a
doctor or a scientist, an engineer or an entrepreneur, a diplomat or
even a president – that's the future we hope for. That's the vision we
share. That's where we need to go – forward…”
OTHER
BOSTON UNIVERSITY JOINS AAU
A
AU announced
on November 5 that Boston University has joined the association. The
addition brings the association's membership to 62 institutions, 60 in
the U.S. and two in Canada. Thirty-six of the members, including the
two Canadian institutions, are public universities, and 26 are private.
Boston University’s
acceptance
of the invitation to join AAU followed the association's semiannual
membership meeting in Washington, D.C. In a vote that took place during
and after the meeting, the AAU presidents and chancellors voted to
extend the membership invitation to the university. Additional
information about the announcement, AAU membership, and related issues
is available here.
End of document
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