Congressional Branch activities of interest
Floor Activity
The House and Senate are in Session this week.
Hearings
On July 15, the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health held a hearing titled, “Maintaining America’s Leadership in Biomedical Innovation: FDA’s Role in Advancing U.S. Drug Development.” The hearing focused on how the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which regulates American drug development, can foster American global competitiveness. Several witnesses reiterated the importance of investment in university-led clinical trials, including offering fee incentives for sponsors in trials. Watch the full hearing here.
On July 15, House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party held a hearing titled, “Protecting American Innovation: The Federal Research Security Enterprise.” In the hearing, members questioned leadership in the Department of Energy (DOE), National Institutes of Health (NIH), and National Science Foundation (NSF) about best practices to safeguard federal research from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Chairman John Moolenaar (R-MI) highlighted the Securing Innovation and Research from Adversaries Act, recently introduced by Rep. Moolenaar with Indiana Senator Jim Banks (R), which would establish a government-wide prohibition on the use of federal research funds for collaborations with entities on U.S. government blacklists. Watch the hearing here.
On July 14, the House Education and Workforce Committee held a hearing titled, “Training Activists, Not Physicians: The Impact of DEI on Medical Schools.” In the hearing, members asked witnesses about whether DEI programs and admissions practices undermine merit-based education or are necessary to prepare physicians to treat an increasingly diverse patient population. University leaders who testified before the committee reiterated that their institutions follow federal policies regarding DEI. Watch the hearing here.
On July 14, the House Oversight Committee Task Force on Defending Constitutional Rights and Exposing Institutional Abuses held a hearing titled, “Combatting DEI in American Institutions.” In the hearing, members questioned witnesses about DEI policies in institutions, including universities, major companies, and other businesses. Watch the hearing here.
Markups
On July 15, the House Education and Workforce Committee held a markup titled, “Less Bureaucracy, Better Education,” and advanced a legislative package of ten bills that would codify the Administration’s plan to “return education to the states” and eliminate the Department of Education (ED). Key bills impacting higher education include:
- Less Bureaucracy, Better Higher Education Act (H.R. 9611), introduced by Rep. Mark Harris (R-NC), which would codify the interagency agreement (IAA) to move higher education programs from the ED to the Department of Labor (DOL), including the Federal TRIO Programs, GEAR UP, and the Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need (GAANN) program, along with many programs supporting minority-serving institutions, students with disabilities, veterans, and other student populations. Read the original IAA fact sheet here.
- Less Bureaucracy, Better Child Care for Student Parents Act (H.R. 9606), introduced by Rep. Bob Onder (R-MO), which would codify the IAA between ED and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to move management of Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS) to HHS. Read the original fact sheet here.
- Less Bureaucracy, Better International Education Oversight Act (H.R. 9603), introduced by Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC), which would codify the IAA between ED and the Department of State (DOS) to move management of international education and foreign language studies programs under Title VI of the Higher Education Act , as well as all Fulbright-Hays fellowships and scholarships, to the DOS. Read the original IAA fact sheet here.
- Less Bureaucracy, Better Foreign Gift Transparency Act (H.R. 9602), introduced by Rep. Michael Bamgartner (R-WA), which would codify the IAA between ED and DOS to move management of foreign gift disclosure through Section 117 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to DOS, Read the original IAA fact sheet here.
- Less Bureaucracy, Better Student Aid Act (H.R. 9609), introduced by Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI), which would codify the IAA between ED and the Department of Treasury to move management of federal student loans, federal student debt, and federal student aid eligibility to Treasury. Read the original IAA fact here.
The package passed along party lines and now moves to the House floor. Watch the full markup here.
Bills Introduced
On July 2, Congressman Mark Harris (R-NC) introduced the Promoting Access and Revenue Integrity Through Institutional Transparency (PARITY) Act (H.R. 9580). The bill would repeal the 90/10 rule, which requires that private, for-profit institutions of higher education that wish to participate in federal student aid programs, such as Pell Grants, derive at least 10 percent of their revenue from non-federal sources. Senator Jim Banks (R-IN) is leading the Senate companion bill. Read the bill text here. Read the press release here.
On July 9, Reps. Ashley Hinson (R-IA) and Alma Adams (D-NC) introduced the bipartisan TEACH Improvement Act (H.R. 9628). The bill would update the Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant Program by increasing the lifetime TEACH Grant award limit by $2,000, permitting partial loan conversions, establishing an appeals process for grant-to-loan conversions, and expanding eligibility to additional high-need teaching fields. Companion legislation (S. 4415) was previously introduced by Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Jack Reed (D-RI). Read the bill text here. Read the press release here.
Executive Branch activities of interest
NSF Announces 12 New Regional Innovation Engines; IU Among Awardees
On June 14, the National Science Foundation Announced that it has awarded 12 new Regional Innovation Engines awards to teams across the U.S. Each Engine will receive an initial $15 million over two years and may become eligible for up to $160 million in NSF funding over the next decade based on performance.
Indiana University was selected as one of the 12 new Engines. IU will lead the NSF IMPACT Engine in Indiana, which aims to leverage the state's orthopedic industry, research universities, and health data resources to accelerate musculoskeletal (MSK) innovation while developing a workforce in advanced manufacturing, artificial intelligence, and biotechnology. Read the NSF press release here. Learn more about the NSF IMPACT Engine in Indiana here.
NSF Prepares to Implement New Research Security Policy
In a Dear College Letter sent on July 8, the National Science Foundation (NSF) announced that, starting FY27, it is planning to implement a new policy “prohibiting NSF funds from being expended on collaboration with entities on U.S. restricted parties lists,” which are available here . NSF noted that “Senior/key personnel are prohibited from holding an appointment or position with, or receiving research support from, a restricted entity. Further, senior/key personnel are prohibited from collaborating with a restricted entity, or employee thereof, on research funded by their NSF award.”
The final version of the new guidance will be released on October 1. Read the Dear Colleague Letter here.