Congressional Branch activities of interest
Floor Activity
The Senate is in Session this week.
Hearings
On March 5, the Senate Commerce Committee held a nomination hearing for the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Arvind Raman, Dean of Engineering at Purdue University and nominee for the Director of NIST, emphasized his commitment to President Trump’s AI Action Plan, as well as advancing U.S. innovation in semiconductors, quantum, biotechnology, and advanced manufacturing. Senate Commerce Committee Member and Indiana Senator Todd Young (R) introduced Dr. Raman during the hearing. In his remarks, Senator Young emphasized the critical role that NIST plays in establishing testing protocols and security guidelines as U.S. innovators pioneer and U.S. companies commercialize new technologies. Watch the full hearing here.
Bills Introduced
The Addressing Teacher Shortages Act (H.R. 7883, S. 4025) was introduced by Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI) and Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN). The bill would provide grant funding to school districts to support programs designed to recruit, prepare, and retain educators. School districts could use grants to establish partnerships with institutions of higher education to create mentorship programs, provide tuition assistance for prospective teachers, or implement initiatives that encourage college STEM majors to pursue careers in teaching. Read the press release here. Access the House bill text here and the Senate bill text here.
The Lowering Student Loans Act (H.R. 7810) was introduced by Reps. James Moylan (R-Guam) and Mike Thompson (D-CA). The bill would set federal student loan interest rates at a fixed 2% rate for all Federal Direct Student loans, including Stafford, Unsubsidized Stafford, and PLUS loans. Read the press release here. Read the bill text here.
The Professional Degree Access Restoration Act (S.4039) was introduced by Sen. Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD). The bill would restore full federal student loan limits for graduate and professional students, as well as reinstate the Grad PLUS program. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, (OB3) signed into law in July 2025, created a new federal classification for professional degrees and established borrowing limits for graduate and professional degree programs. OB3 also terminated the Grad PLUS loan program, effective July 1, 2026. Read the press release here. Read the bill text here. OB3 provisions impacting student loan limits may be found here on pg. 156.
Executive Branch activities of interest
President Trump Hosts White House Convening on College Athletics
On March 6, President Trump presided over a roundtable discussion on the future of college athletics. Many attendees emphasized the need for federal oversight as college athletics enters its second year of revenue-sharing and NIL continues to expand. During the meeting, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) stated that he expects to pass the Student Compensation and Opportunity through Rights and Endorsements (SCORE) Act in the near future, but Senate Commerce Committee Chair Ted Cruz (R-TX) noted the bill would likely not pass in the Senate due to a lack of Democratic support. Additionally, President Trump announced that he would soon issue an Executive Order aimed at overhauling the college athletics system. Watch the roundtable discussion here.
ED Issues Proposed Rule for Workforce Pell Grants
On March 6, the Department of Education (ED) issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to establish a Workforce Pell Grant program. A provision of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the program would allow students to use Pell Grants to enroll in workforce programs 8-15 weeks in duration that meet certain quality requirements, including value-added benchmarks and job placement rates. OB3 provisions impacting Workforce Pell may be found here on pg. 205. Read ED’s press release about the proposed rule here. Of note, the proposal does not include the degree program accountability components of the negotiated rulemaking committee, which will come in a separate and future proposal.