Education

BRAVE Act

United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2017

Bolstering Returning American Veterans Education Act or the BRAVE Act This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to provide a standard training curriculum for school certifying officials regarding administrative responsibilities relating to VA educational assistance programs. Such curriculum shall be provided through an Internet website or taught at a VA-sponsored conference. The VA shall require as a condition of course approval that the school certifying official of the educational institution offering the course must: (1) complete the training curriculum within 30 days of after first being designated as a school certifying official, and (2) receive a minimum 75% score on a test of the official's knowledge of the covered subjects. A school certifying official is an educational institution official designated to: (1) sign or report enrollment certifications, or (2) sign the school portion of the application and enrollment certification for individualized tutorial assistance.

Strengthening Loan Forgiveness for Public Servants Act

United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2017

Strengthening Loan Forgiveness for Public Servants Act This bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to direct the Department of Education (ED) to cancel 15%, 15%, 20%, 20%, and 30% of the amount a borrower owes after 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 years of public service employment, respectively, on a William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan made after this bill's enactment. (Currently, the balance of a borrower's Direct Loan is canceled if the borrower is not in default and has made 120 monthly payments on such loan while employed as a public service employee.) The bill: (1) requires borrowers availing themselves of such loan cancellation to submit an employment certification form that includes self-certification of employment and employer certification of employment dates, and (2) places the borrower's loan in deferment during the period in which the borrower is employed in an eligible public service job if the borrower submits such form to ED. If a portion of a loan is canceled for any year, the interest on such loan for such year must be canceled.

Border Enforcement Accountability, Oversight, and Community Engagement Act of 2017

United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2017

Border Enforcement Accountability, Oversight, and Community Engagement Act of 2017 This bill establishes: (1) the Department of Homeland Security Border Oversight Commission, and (2) a northern border subcommittee and a southern border subcommittee within the commission. The commission and the subcommittees shall: (1) recommend border enforcement policy improvements; (2) evaluate policies of federal agencies operating along the borders to protect due process and human rights of border residents and visitors, protect land owner private property rights, and reduce the number of migrant deaths; (3) recommend safety improvements for U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) personnel; and (4) evaluate training and the extent to which CBP supervisory and management personnel practices encourage workforce development and promote field safety. The Homeland Security Act of 2002 is amended to rename the position of Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as the Ombudsman for Border and Immigration Related Concerns. Related function and administrative provisions are revised, including requiring the ombudsman to establish a Border Community Liaison Office in each Border Patrol sector on the northern and southern borders. The bill sets forth specified training and continuing education requirements for CBP personnel. DHS shall submit to Congress an assessment of current guidelines for managing ports of entry under DHS control. The bill requires: (1) the CBP to report to Congress regarding deaths occurring along the U.S.-Mexico border and the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to review such report; (2) the GAO to examine the extent to which the CBP has clarified use of force policies and DHS to require the CBP to implement any recommendations contained in such examination; and (3) the CBP to report to Congress on body camera use.

School Food Modernization Act

United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2017

School Food Modernization Act This bill amends the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to direct the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to issue loan guarantees to local educational agencies (LEAs), school food authorities, tribal organizations, and other eligible entities to finance infrastructure improvements or equipment purchases to facilitate their provision of healthy meals through the school lunch program. USDA must give preference to applicants that demonstrate a substantial or disproportionate need for food service infrastructure or durable equipment, and shall establish fees for the loan guarantee program that are sufficient to cover the federal government's administrative costs in operating the program. USDA must also award competitive matching grants to assist LEAs, school food authorities, tribal organizations, and other eligible entities in purchasing the durable equipment and infrastructure they need to serve healthier meals and improve food safety. In doing so, USDA must give grant priority to applicants that: (1) have identified and are reasonably expected to meet an unmet local or community need, and (2) are located in states that have enacted funding measures to assist them with such purchases. In addition, USDA must award competitive matching grants to experienced third-party training institutions to provide school food service personnel with the training and technical assistance they need to: (1) meet school lunch program nutrition standards, and (2) improve the efficacy and efficiency of the school lunch and breakfast programs. The bill authorizes these grant and loan programs through FY2022. USDA must complete a study on the use of state administrative expense funds. The bill also  rescinds $35 million of the Department of Education's unobligated balance available for administrative expenses.

Supporting the designation of March 2018 as Endometriosis Awareness Month.

United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2017

Expresses support for the goals and ideas of Endometriosis Awareness Month. (Endometriosis is a painful condition in which the tissue that normally lines the inside of the uterus grows outside the uterus.) Recognizes the need for early detection and treatment of endometriosis, increased education for health care providers, and more culturally competent care.

To prohibit the awarding of discretionary grants to institutions of higher education that will use the grant award for indirect costs.

United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2017

This bill prohibits federal agencies from distributing a grant to an institution of higher education under a competitive discretionary grant program if any part of the grant is used for indirect costs (e.g. overhead, administrative fees, or research).

21st Century Conservation Service Corps Act

United States · United States Congress · 21 June 2017

21st Century Conservation Service Corps Act of 2017 This bill amends the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993 to replace provisions that established the Public Lands Corps with provisions establishing the 21st Century Conservation Service Corps (21CSC) to: engage youth and veterans in civilian national service positions to conserve, rebuild, and enhance the natural resources, infrastructure, and recreation assets of the United States; increase public access to, and use of, public and tribal land and water, infrastructure, and natural, cultural, and historical resources, while spurring economic development and outdoor recreation and addressing backlogged maintenance on public land; conserve, restore, and enhance such resources by carrying out high-quality, cost-effective projects; ensure that the activities and expertise of corpsmembers will be accessible to any public, nonprofit, or tribal entity responsible for the stewardship of land and water in coordination with the land or water owner; place youth and veterans in civilian national service positions to protect, restore, and enhance U.S. natural resources, infrastructure, and recreation assets in a cost-effective manner without undue duplication or overlap of federal agency activities or programs; and channel widespread interest among youth and veterans in serving in such positions to help conserve, restore, and enhance public and tribal land and water, infrastructure, and natural, cultural, and historical resources and to develop the next generation of outdoor stewards, entrepreneurs, recreationists, and sportsmen. The 21CSC shall be implemented jointly by the participating entities, which shall include the Corporation for National and Community Service, the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the Departments of Interior, Agriculture, Transportation, Labor, Energy, Defense, Veterans Affairs, Commerce, Education, and Housing and Urban Development. Such entities shall: (1) establish a process for an organization to become a 21CSC organization, and (2) support 21CSC projects. A 21CSC organization shall provide to each youth or veteran corpsmember a wage, stipend, living allowance, and/or an educational credit, as well as skills development, credentials, and education, for participation in a 21CSC project that involves: specified conservation and restoration projects; the support, development, and enhancement of outdoor recreation or urban green space; service that is primarily indoors with a clear benefit for natural, cultural, or historic resources or treasures; or a project on private land or water having a direct or recognized public or environmental benefit or the funding of which originated from a governmental entity. The bill sets forth provisions governing 21CSC conservation centers and program support, the provision of resource assistants, and Corpsmember eligibility for a noncompetitive hiring status and national service educational awards. A participating entity may offer to enter into a cooperative agreement with a tribal agency or a 21CSC organization to establish and administer the Indian Youth 21st Century Conservation Service Corps, which shall carry out 21CSC projects on tribal land or water.

21st Century Conservation Service Corps Act

United States · United States Congress · 21 June 2017

21st Century Conservation Service Corps Act of 2017 This bill amends the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993 to replace provisions that established the Public Lands Corps with provisions establishing the 21st Century Conservation Service Corps (21CSC) to: engage youth and veterans in civilian national service positions to conserve, rebuild, and enhance the natural resources, infrastructure, and recreation assets of the United States; increase public access to, and use of, public and tribal land and water, infrastructure, and natural, cultural, and historical resources, while spurring economic development and outdoor recreation and addressing backlogged maintenance on public land; conserve, restore, and enhance such resources by carrying out high-quality, cost-effective projects; ensure that the activities and expertise of corpsmembers will be accessible to any public, nonprofit, or tribal entity responsible for the stewardship of land and water in coordination with the land or water owner; place youth and veterans in civilian national service positions to protect, restore, and enhance U.S. natural resources, infrastructure, and recreation assets in a cost-effective manner without undue duplication or overlap of federal agency activities or programs; and channel widespread interest among youth and veterans in serving in such positions to help conserve, restore, and enhance public and tribal land and water, infrastructure, and natural, cultural, and historical resources and to develop the next generation of outdoor stewards, entrepreneurs, recreationists, and sportsmen. The 21CSC shall be implemented jointly by the participating entities, which shall include the Corporation for National and Community Service, the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the Departments of Interior, Agriculture, Transportation, Labor, Energy, Defense, Veterans Affairs, Commerce, Education, and Housing and Urban Development. Such entities shall: (1) establish a process for an organization to become a 21CSC organization, and (2) support 21CSC projects. A 21CSC organization shall provide to each youth or veteran corpsmember a wage, stipend, living allowance, and/or an educational credit, as well as skills development, credentials, and education, for participation in a 21CSC project that involves: specified conservation and restoration projects; the support, development, and enhancement of outdoor recreation or urban green space; service that is primarily indoors with a clear benefit for natural, cultural, or historic resources or treasures; or a project on private land or water having a direct or recognized public or environmental benefit or the funding of which originated from a governmental entity. The bill sets forth provisions governing 21CSC conservation centers and program support, the provision of resource assistants, and Corpsmember eligibility for a noncompetitive hiring status and national service educational awards. A participating entity may offer to enter into a cooperative agreement with a tribal agency or a 21CSC organization to establish and administer the Indian Youth 21st Century Conservation Service Corps, which shall carry out 21CSC projects on tribal land or water.

Get the Lead Out of Schools Act

United States · United States Congress · 21 June 2017

Get the Lead Out of Schools Act This bill amends the Safe Drinking Water Act to require the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to promulgate a national primary drinking water regulation for schools and day care facilities that: (1) establishes a lead action level (a level of lead in drinking water that triggers additional actions to control lead contamination) of at least 15 parts per billion; (2) directs each public water system to sample for lead in the drinking water at schools and day care facilities if the EPA determines there is a risk that the lead in the drinking water will meet or exceed the action level; and (3) directs public water systems that serve schools or day cares that meet or exceed the action level to notify the local educational agency, the relevant local health agencies, the municipality, and the state as soon as practicable, but no later than five business days after the system receives the sampling results. The EPA must also establish a grant program for: (1) testing drinking water in schools and day care facilities for lead contamination, and (2) remediating lead contamination in such drinking water by replacing lead pipes and certain plumbing materials with lead-free material.

Fairness in Forgiveness Act of 2017

United States · United States Congress · 21 June 2017

Fairness in Forgiveness Act of 2017 This bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to include as a public service job for purposes of the public service loan forgiveness program a full-time job as an employee of a management and operating contractor of a national laboratory owned by the Department of Energy. This bill and its amendments take effect as if enacted on October 1, 2007.

Deferment for Active Cancer Treatment Act of 2017

United States · United States Congress · 21 June 2017

Deferment for Active Cancer Treatment Act of 2017 This bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to allow borrowers to defer student loans while they are receiving cancer treatment and during the six months after treatment.

Joint Consolidation Loan Separation Act

United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2017

Joint Consolidation Loan Separation Act This bill amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to allow two borrowers, who had previously received a joint consolidation loan for their student debt under the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program, to submit a joint application to sever their consolidated loan. One borrower may submit a separate application in the event that the individual is experiencing domestic or economic abuse from the other individual borrower, or is unable to reasonably reach or access the loan information of the other borrower.

Promotion Board Opt-Out Opportunity Act of 2017

United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2017

Promotion Board Opt-Out Opportunity Act of 2017 This bill authorizes the Department of Defense (DOD) to permit an active duty officer or a reserve active-status list officer to request exclusion from consideration by a selection board for promotion to the next higher grade. A military department may approve such a request only if: (1) the basis for the request is to allow an officer to complete a broadening assignment, advanced education, another assignment of significant value to DOD, or a career progression requirement delayed by the assignment or education; (2) the military department concerned determines that such exclusion is in its best interest; and (3) the officer has not previously failed to be selected for promotion to the grade for which such exclusion is requested.

American Arts Revival Act of 2017

United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2017

American Arts Revival Act of 2017 This bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to make certain cultural workers, museum professionals, artistic professionals, arts and humanities professors, and music and arts educators eligible for student loan forgiveness.

Know Your Repayment Options Act

United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2017

Know Your Repayment Options Act This bill amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require the Department of Education (ED) to annually give federal student loan borrowers who have graduated or departed from school detailed information, including monthly amount and lifetime payment amount, for each repayment option available to the borrower. To provide this individualized information to borrowers, ED must establish a process for annual verification of the borrower's annual income and the outstanding balance of principal and interest due on federal loans. Borrowers may opt out of being provided this information.

Nutrition Coordinators for Local Healthy Youth Act

United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2017

Nutrition Coordinators for Local Healthy Youth Act This bill amends the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 to establish a Department of Agriculture program to award grants to local educational agencies to appoint nutrition coordinators with a background in nutrition education, dietetics, or nutrition program management. The responsibilities of the coordinators include: ensuring compliance with local school wellness policies under the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act, coordinating nutrition education programs with school food service directors, conducting training and facilitating information sharing of best practices, working with programs that promote and motivate students to participate in school wellness activities, coordinating and collaborating with other nutrition education programs, providing community outreach to promote nutrient-rich foods and farm-to-school activities, promoting regular physical activity in students, ensuring students receive effective and consistent messages regarding healthy eating and active living, and promoting nutrition education and team network nutrition programs in the state by coordinating and collaborating with the team nutrition network coordinator and community partners.

Remedial Education Improvement Act

United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2017

Remedial Education Improvement Act This bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require the Department of Education to award grants for improving remedial education in higher education.

Community College Student Success Act

United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2017

Community College Student Success Act This bill requires the Department of Education (ED) to carry out a community college student success grant program that awards grants to public, two-year institutions of higher educations (IHEs) for planning and implementing programs designed to increase the rate at which their students graduate or transfer to a four-year IHE.

Joint Consolidation Loan Separation Act

United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2017

Joint Consolidation Loan Separation Act This bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to allow two borrowers, who had previously received a joint consolidation loan for their student debt under the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program, to submit a joint application to sever their consolidated loan. One borrower may submit a separate application in the event that the individual is experiencing domestic or economic abuse from the other individual borrower, or is unable to reasonably reach or access the loan information of the other borrower.

To Offer Refugees College Help (TORCH) Act

United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2017

To Offer Refugees College Help (TORCH) Act This bill amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require states to charge in-state tuition rates to refugees, asylees, and special immigrant visa holders if they are lawfully in the United States. This requirement only applies to the first state where the individual lives after being admitted into the United States.

Supporting international academic freedom and American universities abroad.

United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2017

Declares that it should be U.S. policy to support American-accredited academic institutions that are subjected to discrimination or harassment by foreign governments and to respond quickly in cases of coercion, unjustified closure, or seizure of any such institution. Urges the Department of State to take strong and effective measures to respond to any such treatment of such institutions.

LEARNS Act

United States · United States Congress · 16 June 2017

Leveraging Effective Apprenticeships to Rebuild National Skills Act or the LEARNS Act This bill establishes, in the Employment and Training Administration of the Department of Labor, an Office of Apprenticeship to: determine whether an apprenticeship program meets requirements for registration and maintains the standards necessary to remain registered, manage the national apprenticeship system (the collective group of registered apprenticeship programs and pre-apprenticeship programs in the nation), and make grants on a competitive basis to eligible entities to carry out projects that support development of pre-apprenticeship programs. The bill also establishes in Labor a National Advisory Committee on Apprenticeships. Labor and the Department of Education shall establish a voluntary Registered Apprenticeship-College Collaborative consisting of the sponsors carrying out registered apprenticeship programs, two- or four-year postsecondary educational institutions, and organizations that represent such programs or institutions, that agree to meet certain criteria in order to promote stronger connections between the registered apprenticeship programs involved and participating two- and four-year postsecondary educational institutions. Labor shall make assistance payments to eligible sponsors of new registered apprenticeship programs or of existing programs that add employers as new partners, that may include joint labor-management registered apprenticeship programs.

Expressing strong disapproval of the President's announcement to withdraw the United States from the Paris Agreement.

United States · United States Congress · 16 June 2017

Expresses strong disapproval of the President's announcement to withdraw the United States from the Paris Agreement on climate change. Commends the group of states, cities, colleges and universities, businesses, investors, and individuals who have publicly expressed their support for such agreement. Urges the President to reverse his decision and maintain U.S. participation in such agreement.

DEPARTMENTS OF LABOR, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, AND EDUCATION, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2018

United States · United States Senate · 15 June 2017

REACH Act

United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2017

Report and Educate About Campus Hazing Act or the REACH Act This bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to modify campus security reporting requirements for an institution of higher education (IHE) that participates in federal student aid programs. Specifically, an IHE must disclose hazing incidents that were reported to campus security authorities or local police agencies in its annual security report. In addition, each IHE must provide students with an educational program on hazing, which includes information on hazing awareness, hazing prevention, and the IHE's policies on hazing. Hazing means any intentional, knowing, or reckless act committed by a student, or a former student, of an IHE against another student, that: (1) was committed in connection with an initiation into, an affiliation with, or the maintenance of membership in, any organization that is affiliated with the IHE; and (2) contributes to a substantial risk of physical injury, mental harm, or degradation or causes physical injury, mental harm or personal degradation.

Mental Health in Schools Act of 2017

United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2017

Mental Health in Schools Act of 2017 This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to revise a community children and violence program to assist local communities and schools in applying a public health approach to mental health services, including by: (1) revising eligibility requirements for a grant, contract, or cooperative agreement; and (2) providing for comprehensive school mental health programs that are culturally and linguistically appropriate, trauma-informed, and age appropriate. A comprehensive school mental health program funded under this bill must assist children in dealing with trauma and violence. The bill makes only certain partnerships that include a state educational agency and one or more educational agencies, with a local agency serving as lead partner, eligible for funding. They include public or private entities that use evidence-based intervention. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration shall develop a fiscally appropriate process for evaluating grant program activities, including the development of: (1) guidelines for the submission of program data by recipients; and (2) outcome measures to be applied by recipients in evaluating programs, including student and family measures and local educational measures.

Preserving Teacher Loan Forgiveness for Military Spouses Act of 2017

United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2017

Preserving Teacher Loan Forgiveness for Military Spouses Act of 2017 This bill amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to modify the qualifying service requirement of the teacher loan forgiveness program for certain military spouses who are borrowers under the Federal Family Education Loan program or the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan program. Under current law, an otherwise qualified full-time teacher must complete five consecutive years of service to be eligible for the teacher loan forgiveness program. This bill permits a teacher who completes five full-time years of non-consecutive service to be eligible for loan forgiveness if the teacher was a qualified military spouse during a break in teaching service. A qualified military spouse is an individual who: (1) is a highly-qualified teacher at a high-need school, (2) is the spouse of a servicemember, (3) experienced a break in teaching service to relocate with servicemember spouse pursuant to military orders, and (4) resumed teaching the following year.

IDEA Full Funding Act

United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2017

IDEA Full Funding Act This bill amends the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act to reauthorize and make appropriations for the grant program to assist states and outlying areas in providing special education and related services to children with disabilities. The bill sets the amount to be appropriated for each fiscal year from FY2018-FY2026 as the greater of: (1) a specified amount, or (2) a specified percentage of an amount determined pursuant to a formula that multiplies the number of children receiving special education services by the average per-pupil expenditure in public elementary and secondary schools. The bill appropriates funds for FY2027 and each subsequent fiscal year equal to the greater of a specified amount or 40% of the amount determined using such formula. Amounts appropriated shall be expended consistent with pay-as-you-go requirements.

Mental Health in Schools Act of 2017

United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2017

Mental Health in Schools Act of 2017 This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to revise a community children and violence program to assist local communities and schools in applying a public health approach to mental health services, including by: (1) revising eligibility requirements for a grant, contract, or cooperative agreement; and (2) providing for comprehensive school mental health programs that are culturally and linguistically appropriate, trauma-informed, and age appropriate. A comprehensive school mental health program funded under this bill must assist children in dealing with trauma and violence. The bill makes only certain partnerships that include a state educational agency and one or more educational agencies, with a local agency serving as lead partner, eligible for funding. They include public or private entities that use evidence-based intervention. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration shall develop a fiscally appropriate process for evaluating grant program activities, including the development of: (1) guidelines for the submission of program data by recipients; and (2) outcome measures to be applied by recipients in evaluating programs, including student and family measures and local educational measures.

Guard and Reservists Education Improvement Act

United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2017

Guard and Reservists Education Improvement Act This bill revises eligibility for, and the amounts of, Department of Veterans Affairs post-9/11 educational assistance based on a service member's active duty service, excluding training. Full benefits are available for service members who serve 36 months on active duty, and tiered lesser amounts are available for service members who serve for shorter periods. The bill consolidates certain of these tiers and increases the amount of assistance for individuals who serve on active duty for: (1) at least 6 months but less than 18 months, and (2) at least 90 days but less than 6 months.

A resolution designating June 20, 2017, as "American Eagle Day" and celebrating the recovery and restoration of the bald eagle, the national symbol of the United States.

United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2017

Designates June 20, 2017, as American Eagle Day. Applauds the issuance of bald eagle commemorative coins by the Department of the Treasury to generate funds for the protection of the bald eagle. Encourages entities with an interest in conserving endangered species to collaborate and develop educational tools for use in the public schools.

Synthetic Drug Prevention, Treatment, and Education Act

United States · United States Congress · 14 June 2017

Synthetic Drug Prevention, Treatment, and Education Act This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to study strategies for preventing and treating the use of synthetic recreational drugs, which are substances marketed for recreational use (regardless of claims to the contrary) that are analogous to a controlled substance and are not medications. The Department of Health and Human Services must coordinate with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to establish and maintain a database of synthetic recreational drugs. The database must be publicly available for use in preventing and treating the use of synthetic recreational drugs. The CDC, in collaboration with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the National Institutes of Health, and the DEA, must develop and implement a national outreach campaign to educate law enforcement personnel, health care professionals, community members, and others about preventing and treating the use of substances similar to marijuana (cannabimimetic agents). The CDC may award grants to federally qualified health centers for public awareness programs regarding substances similar to marijuana. To carry out a public awareness program, grant recipients may partner with recipients of Drug-Free Communities Support Program grants.

Congratulating the Webster University chess team for winning a record-breaking fifth consecutive national title at the President's Cup collegiate chess championship in New York City.

United States · United States Congress · 14 June 2017

Congratulates Webster University for winning its fifth consecutive national title at the President's Cup collegiate chess championship in New York City. Encourages the university to continue promoting the educational benefits of chess among its students and the larger community.

Veterans Education Improvement Act of 2017

United States · United States Congress · 14 June 2017

Veterans Education Improvement Act of 2017 This bill permits veterans to use Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Post-9/11 educational assistance for an accredited independent study program offered by an educational institution that is not an institution of higher learning, such as an area career and technical education school or a postsecondary vocational institution providing postsecondary level education.

Apprenticeship and Jobs Training Act of 2017

United States · United States Congress · 14 June 2017

Apprenticeship and Jobs Training Act of 2017 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow employers a business-related tax credit for up to $5,000 for the training of a qualified individual in a qualified apprenticeship program or multi-employer apprenticeship program. A "qualified individual" is an individual who: (1) is an apprentice participating in a qualified apprenticeship program or multi-employer apprenticeship program, (2) has been employed in either program for a period of at least seven months that ends within the taxable year, and (3) is not a highly compensated employee or a seasonal worker. A "qualified apprenticeship program" is a program that: (1) provides qualified individuals with on-the-job training and instruction for a qualified occupation (i.e., a skilled trade occupation in a high-demand mechanical, technical, health care, or technology field); (2) is registered with the Office of Apprenticeship of the Department of Labor or a state apprenticeship agency recognized by the office; and (3) maintains records relating to the qualified individual. A "qualified multi-employer apprenticeship program" is a program in which multiple employers are required to contribute and that is maintained pursuant to one or more collective bargaining agreements. The bill also allows certain distributions, without penalty, from retirement and pension plans to an employee who is serving as a mentor. A "mentor" is a working individual who: (1) has attained age 55; (2) works reduced hours and engages in mentoring activities for at least 20% of such hours; and (3) is responsible for the training and education of employees or students in an area of expertise for which such individual has a professional credential, certificate, or degree.

RAC Reform Act of 2017

United States · United States Congress · 13 June 2017

RAC Reform Act of 2017 This bill amends the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000 to change the official who shall establish, maintain, and appoint the members of resource advisory committees from: (1) the Secretary of Agriculture to the the applicable Regional Forester for land within the National Forest System; and (2) the Secretary of the Interior to the applicable Bureau of Land Management State Director for such portions of the revested Oregon and California Railroad and reconveyed Coos Bay Wagon Road grant land under the jurisdiction of the Department of the Interior classified as timberlands and power-site land valuable for timber that shall be managed for permanent forest production. Any year of a member's service on such a committee, the majority of which was served during a fiscal year in which the committee's budget was less than $1 million, shall not count as a year of such member's term for purposes of the four-year term limit. The bill reduces the number of members of each committee, as well as the number representing each specified community interest category.

Better Workforce for Veterans Act of 2017

United States · United States Congress · 8 June 2017

Better Workforce for Veterans Act of 2017 This bill authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs to appoint qualified graduates and post-secondary students to competitive service positions without regard to certain federal civil service employment and retention provisions. The VA shall allow for excepted service appointments of qualifying students and recent graduates leading to career or career conditional employment. The VA may appoint: (1) highly qualified candidates without regard to competitive service provisions if the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) determines that the VA has a severe shortage of highly qualified candidates, and (2) former highly qualified federal employees to high-demand VA positions without regard to such provisions. The VA shall: (1) develop a resume-based application method for senior executive appointments comparable to the OPM resume-based application method; (2) establish a single database that lists each vacant position that is critical to the VA's mission, difficult to fill, or both; (3) measure and collect specified information on hiring effectiveness; (4) develop a standardized VA exit survey; (5) publish information on VA nurse staffing levels; (6) develop a tool for Veterans Health Administration (VHA) human resources employees to assess their knowledge relating to how certain VA health care providers are treated differently than other VA employees; (7) include mental health professionals and marriage and family therapists in the VA education and training program; and (8) provide VHA human resources professionals with employee recruitment and retention training. The VA and the Surgeon General shall enter into a memorandum of understanding for the assignment of at least 500 commissioned officers of the Regular Corps of the Public Health Service to the VA. The bill revises provisions regarding: (1) pay for medical center and veterans integrated service network directors, (2) the hiring preference service requirement, and (3) VA reductions in force.

Supporting Families in Substance Abuse Treatment Act

United States · United States Congress · 8 June 2017

Supporting Families in Substance Abuse Treatment Act This bill amends part E (Foster Care and Adoption Assistance) of title IV of the Social Security Act to provide that the removal and foster care placement of a child shall meet the requirements for foster care maintenance payments on the child's behalf if the child has been placed with a parent residing in a licensed residential family-based treatment facility. Placement with such a parent shall meet these requirements, however, only if: the placement recommendation is specified in the child's case plan before the placement; the treatment facility offers, as part of substance abuse treatment, parenting skills training, parent education, and individual and family counseling; and this training and counseling are delivered under an organizational structure and treatment framework that involves understanding, recognizing, and responding to the effects of all types of trauma, and in accordance with recognized principles of a trauma-informed approach and trauma-specific interventions, to address the consequences of trauma and facilitate healing.

JOBS Act

United States · United States Congress · 8 June 2017

Job Opportunities Between our Shores Act or the JOBS Act This bill amends the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act to direct the Department of Labor to make grants to or enter into contracts with eligible entities to carry out demonstration and pilot projects that provide education and training programs for jobs in advanced manufacturing. The bill prescribes requirements for project activities and performance goals and measures.

Better Education and Skills Training for America's Workforce Act

United States · United States Congress · 8 June 2017

Better Education and Skills Training for America's Workforce Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow tax credits for: (1) qualified training expenses paid with respect to U.S.-based positions for job trainees who have been unemployed for at least 90 days before enrolling in a training program and have not been employed by the taxpayer during the two-year period before the trainee was hired, and (2) investment in a qualified job training partnership between a private business and an institution of higher education or a labor organization. The bill defines "qualified training expenses" as an eligible trainee's qualified tuition costs, which may include costs for books and enrollment in a training program at an institution of higher education that may include a single course, multiple courses, or a combination of work training and study and that is reasonably necessary for employment with the taxpayer. It terminates the credit for qualified training expenses of job trainees after December 31, 2028. The bill also: (1) requires the Department of the Treasury to establish a Qualified Job Training Partnership program to consider and award certifications for qualified investments eligible for credits to qualified job training partnerships, and (2) authorizes Treasury to make grants to individuals who make an investment in a qualified job training partnership, in lieu of a tax credit.

Advancing Competency-Based Education Act of 2017

United States · United States Congress · 8 June 2017

Advancing Competency-Based Education Act of 2017 This amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to establish competency-based education demonstration projects, which measure academic progress and attainment by the assessment of student learning in lieu of, or in addition to, credit or clock hours.

RISE Act

United States · United States Congress · 8 June 2017

Relief and Investment for Student Entrepreneurs Act or the RISE Act This bill amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to allow a qualified entrepreneur with a loan under the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan program to defer loan payments for up to 3 years. A "qualified entrepreneur" is a borrower who: (1) has received a degree during the 10-year period before the date of the deferment, (2) has at least one registered business entity, (3) has raised capital of not less than $30,000 for such business entity, and (4) has an outstanding loan balance of not less than $5,000. The Department of Education may cancel up to $17,500 of federal direct and unsubsidized Stafford loans for a borrower who: (1) has operated a small business located in a historically underutilized business zone for at least three years, and (2) is not currently in default on the loan.

Jumpstart on College Act

United States · United States Congress · 8 June 2017

Jumpstart on College Act This bill allows the Department of Education (ED) to award grants to improve low-income and underrepresented students' post-secondary graduation rates. ED shall award competitive six-year matching grants to partnerships between an institution of higher learning and a local education agency to assist in establishing or supporting an early college high school or dual or concurrent enrollment program. ED shall also award competitive six-year matching grants to states for supporting or establishing such programs.

Young Fishermen's Development Act of 2017

United States · United States Congress · 8 June 2017

Young Fishermen's Development Act of 2017 This bill directs the National Sea Grant Office in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to establish a Young Fishermen's Development Grant Program to provide training, education, outreach, and technical assistance initiatives for young fishermen. The office shall make competitive matching grants to support local and regional training, education, outreach, and technical assistance initiatives for young fishermen, including programs, workshops, and services related to seamanship, navigation, electronics, and safety, vessel and engine care, and sustainable fishing practices. Grant recipients must be a collaborative state, tribal, local, or regionally based network or partnership of public or private entities. In awarding grants, the office shall give priority to partnerships and collaborations that are led by or include nongovernmental fishing community-based organizations and school-based fisheries educational organizations with expertise in fisheries and sustainable fishing training and outreach. Grants may not be used to purchase a fishing license, permit, quota, or other harvesting right.

Community Care Core Competency Act of 2017

United States · United States Congress · 8 June 2017

Community Care Core Competency Act of 2017 This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to establish a program to furnish continuing medical education material to non-VA medical professionals, with the goal of: (1) increasing knowledge and recognition of medical conditions common to veterans, and (2) improving outreach to veterans and family members. The program must include education on: (1) dealing with patients who are veterans or family members; (2) identifying and treating common mental and physical conditions of veterans and family members; and (3) the VA health care system. The VA shall: (1) carry out such program for five years on a VA website at no cost to participating non-VA medical professionals, and (2) ensure that the program is accredited in as many states as practicable.

Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2017

United States · United States Congress · 7 June 2017

Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2017 This bill increases the number of residency positions eligible for graduate medical education payments under Medicare for qualifying hospitals, with an aggregate increase of 3,000 positions per fiscal year for five years. Of these positions, at least 1,500 per fiscal year must be for residents in a shortage specialty residency program (i.e., a program in a specialty in which baseline physician requirements projections exceed the projected supply of total active physicians, as identified by the Health Resources and Services Administration in a specified report).

Peter Louis Oppenheim, of Maryland, to be Assistant Secretary for Legislation and Congressional Affairs, Department of Education, vice Julius Lloyd Horwich.

United States · United States Senate · 6 June 2017

Carlos G. Muniz, of Florida, to be General Counsel, Department of Education, vice James Cole, Jr.

United States · United States Senate · 6 June 2017

DEPARTMENTS OF LABOR, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, AND EDUCATION, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2018

United States · United States Senate · 6 June 2017

Vet HP Act

United States · United States Congress · 6 June 2017

Veterans-Specific Education for Tomorrow's Medical Doctors Act or the VET MD Act This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to carry out a three-year pilot program at a minimum of five VA medical centers to provide undergraduate students a clinical observation experience. The VA shall ensure that such program: increases the awareness, knowledge, and empathy of future medical professionals toward the medical conditions common to veterans; increases the diversity of the recruitment pool of future VA physicians; provides a diverse clinical observation experience commensurate with the standard expectations for medical school applications; and expands clinical observation opportunities for all students by encouraging students of all backgrounds to consider a career in medicine. The VA shall select undergraduate students who are U.S. citizens enrolled in an accredited science or medical program of study to participate in the program, with priority to students who resided in a health professional shortage area and who are the first in their immediate family to attend an undergraduate institution.