Congressional Branch activities of interest
Floor Activity
The Senate was in Session this week.
FY27 National Defense Authorization Act
On July 23 the House passed the FY27 National Defense Authorization Act by a vote of 216-212. Read the bill text here. Read the bill summary here.
Hearings
On July 29, the Senate Subcommittee on Employment and Workplace Safety held a hearing titled, “The Impact of AI on the Workforce.” During the hearing, Subcommittee Chairperson Jim Banks (R-IN) outlined three emerging trends in AI's impact on the labor market: "(1) Hiring of entry-level workers is somewhat weaker; (2) AI is transforming tasks more than jobs; (3) And the skills that employers need and how workers learn those skills is changing."
Carol Rogers, Director of the Indiana Business Research Center at the IU Kelley School of Business, testified before the Subcommittee. Rogers emphasized the need to strengthen federal AI workforce data collection by expanding labor market analysis beyond occupations to specific skills and tasks, increasing investment in workforce forecasting, and improving researcher access to federal workforce data. Watch the hearing here.
On July 30, the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee held a hearing titled, “Intelligent Networks: Powering Artificial Intelligence and Transforming Communications.” During the hearing, Indiana Senator Todd Young (R) focused his questions on the infrastructure and cybersecurity needs of the emerging quantum technology sector, highlighting Indiana's Quantum Corridor initiative. Witnesses emphasized that robust fiber infrastructure is essential to supporting quantum networks and underscored that continued advancement of AI-enabled cybersecurity tools is critical to protecting quantum network. Watch the hearing here.
Markups
On July 30, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee held a markup and advanced several higher-education related bills. Some key bills include:
- College Transparency Act (S. 2511), which modernizes the postsecondary student data system requiring reporting on student outcomes such as enrollment, completion, and post-college earnings across colleges and majors.
- RISE Act (S. 3589), which expands the documentation that may be used to establish eligibility for disability accommodations and increase the information available to students with disabilities during the college selection process and while enrolled.
- State-Based Education Loan Awareness Act (S. 4097), which exempts state-based education loan programs from certain federal requirements governing preferred lender arrangements.
- A bill to prohibit the transfer of certain offices and functions of the Department of Education to other Federal agencies, and for other purposes (S. 5046), which prohibits the transfer of several Department of Education offices to other federal agencies, including the Offices of Postsecondary Education, Elementary and Secondary Education, Indian Education, and Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.
Watch the markup here.
Bills Introduced
On July 21, Sens. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE) and Tim Sheehy (R-MT) introduced the bipartisan Expanding AI Voices Act (S. 5050) to codify and expand the National Science Foundation's (NSF) ExpandAI program. The bill would authorize competitive grants to help emerging research institutions build AI research capacity, expand access to research infrastructure, strengthen partnerships, and support AI education and workforce development. The House companion is led by Reps. Valerie Foushee (D-NC) and Zach Nunn (R-IA). Read the bill text here. Read the press release here.
On July 23, Sens. Todd Young (R-IN), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Tim Scott (R-SC), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), John Kennedy (R-LA), and Andy Kim (D-NJ) introduced the bipartisan Merit-Based Educational Reforms and Institutional Transparency (MERIT) Act (S. 5116). The bill would require accrediting agencies to assess whether institutions have admissions policies that refrain from giving preferential treatment to applicants based on alumni or donor relationships. It would also direct the Department of Education to study the feasibility of collecting institution-level data on legacy and donor preferences through the National Student Clearinghouse. Read the bill text here. Read the press release here.
On July 27, Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-CA), Rep. Erin Houchin (R-IN), and Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), introduced the bipartisan Higher Education Access and Success for Homeless and Foster Youth Act (H.R. 9960 and S. 5146). The bill would expand support for homeless and foster youth by requiring colleges to designate campus liaisons, prioritize access to on-campus housing and Federal Work-Study opportunities, improve access to financial aid and student support services, provide in-state tuition eligibility, and strengthen participation in TRIO and GEAR UP programs. Read the bill text here. Read the press release here.
On July 27, Reps. Jahana Hayes (CT-05) and Mike Kennedy (UT-03) introduced the bipartisan Time for Completion Act (H.R. 9957). The bill would expand the student completion and graduation information institutions must publicly report by requiring disaggregated completion rates for first-time and non-first-time, full-time and part-time students at multiple completion benchmarks, providing prospective students with more comprehensive information on time-to-degree outcomes. Read the bill text here. Read the press release here.
Executive Branch activities of interest
NSF Announces $47M Investment in UIDP's Industry-Integrated PhD Scholars Program
On July 29, the National Science Foundation (NSF) announced that it is investing $47 million over five years “to launch a pilot of a new four-year Ph.D. model that will provide more than 250 doctoral students nationwide with hands-on experience in industry research and development as part of their graduate education.” The pilot is being led by the University-Industry Demonstration Partnership (UIDP) and is called the UIDP Industry-Integrated PhD Scholars Program (UIDP I-PhD).
Graduate students participating in the program will complete their doctoral degrees in four years. Universities will fund their first year, while the NSF will cover the remaining three. Per NSF, “Industry partners will provide matching commitments to cover at least one year of practical experience conducting dissertation research at a company site.”