CGA NEWS
(7-25-13)
To: CGA
From: A۰P۰L۰U Congressional and Governmental Affairs Staff
As a reminder, APLU and the Association of American Universities (AAU) are seeking signatures from university presidents for an open letter to President Obama and Members of Congress regarding the federal budget by COB tomorrow, Friday, July 26th. The open letter will be run as an advertisement in a prominent Capitol Hill newspaper next Wednesday. A list of the over 130 presidents and chancellors who already signed the letter as of this morning can be found here. If your president or chancellor has yet to add their name to the letter, we’d greatly appreciate your assistance in helping to ensure they join their colleagues in signing it by filling out this form.
The letter (text) describes the “innovation deficit” our nation is creating due to the combination of federal spending decisions in recent years that are eroding federal investments in research and higher education, additional cuts due to sequestration, and the resources other nations are pouring into these areas.
Last night, the Senate approved by a vote of 81-18, with partial Democratic and full Republican support, H.R. 1911, the Smarter Solutions for Students Act, which after adopting a modifying amendment reflected the compromise agreement negotiated by Sens. Joe Manchin (D-WV), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Richard Burr (R-NC), Angus King (I-ME), Tom Coburn (R-OK), Tom Carper (D-DE), Tom Harkin (D-IA), and Lamar Alexander (R-TN). The bill will tie federal student-loan interest rates to the rate on the 10-year Treasury note, reset annually but locked over the life of a loan. The rates will be 10-year rate plus an additional percentage on top: 2.05 percent will be added to the rates of undergraduate Stafford student loans, with a 8.25 percent cap; 3.6 percent will be added to graduate loans, with a 9.5 percent cap; and 4.6 percent would be added to parent PLUS loans, with a 10.5 percent cap. The House is expected to pass the bill next week before leaving for August recess.
The Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee approved yesterday by voice vote S. 944, Veterans' Educational Transition Act of 2013, sponsored by the Committee Chair and Ranking Member, Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Richard Burr (R-NC). This bill will expand access to education benefits for veterans and their survivors, including making recently-separated veterans eligible for tuition at the in-state rate and improving the level of benefits offered to survivors of service members killed on active duty.
The House Interior and Environment Appropriations Subcommittee approved by a vote of 7-4 its FY14 Interior and Environment Appropriations bill yesterday. The bill includes $24.3 billion in base funding, which is a cut of $5.5 billion below the FY2013 enacted level. Notable for higher education, the draft included a 49 percent, or $71 million, cut for both the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to provide each agency only $75 million in FY14. This level would have drastic consequences for humanities research programs.
This week, the House and Senate Appropriations Committees each passed their FY14 State and Foreign Operations Appropriations bills. The House Committee Report supports the President’s request ($33 million) for the Feed the Future Collaborative Research Innovation Labs (formerly the CRSPs) and directs USAID to fully fund the Africa-U.S. Higher Education Initiative Partnerships. The Senate bill contains $32 million for the Collaborative Innovation Labs but only general language for partnerships between African and U.S. institutions of higher education, not directive to the Africa-U.S. Higher Education Initiative Partnerships.
The Golden Goose Award Steering Committee is seeking organizational, including campus, financial support to help tell the success stories of the 2013 Golden Goose Award winners. Specifically, they are producing a short video that will debut at the award ceremony this fall on Capitol Hill. The video will highlight the federally supported research of the Award winners and the significant societal benefits of their discoveries and work. Following the ceremony, the video will be available on the Golden Goose Award website. Last year’s video is available here.
This is the second year of the Golden Goose Award, which was first suggested by Rep. Jim Cooper (D-TN) and founded by a group of higher education and research organizations as a means to recognize the human and economic benefits of federally funded research. The award highlights seemingly unusual or obscure studies that have led to major breakthroughs and had a significant impact on society.
There are two video sponsorship levels. Organizations that contribute $2,000 will be recognized from the podium when the video is shown at the awards event, in the video credits, and on the Golden Goose Award website. Organizations that contribute $1,000 will be recognized in the video credits.
Universities and others interested in sponsoring the video should contact Matt Owens of the AAU staff at matt_owens@aau.edu or 202-408-7500. Organizations are asked to make their commitment by Friday, August 30. The date of the Award ceremony will be announced in the coming weeks.
2013 Golden Goose Award Video Sponsorships 7-23-13
Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU)
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