Appropriations Committee Approves Bill with $102.8 Billion for the U.S. Department of Education

The House Appropriations Committee approved a fiscal year 2022 Labor-HHS-Education bill that, if enacted, would provide $102.8 billion in discretionary appropriations for the U.S. Department of Education (Department). In alignment with President Biden’s budget request, the measure includes a 41% increase in the Department’s current spending. Key provisions in the measure include:

• $65.6 billion for K-12 education, which includes $36 billion for Title I grants to local educational agencies and $17.2 billion for special education among other programs.
• $2.2 billion for career, technical, and adult education to support various CTE and adult education state grants.
• $27.2 billion for federal student aid programs including boosted Pell grants, federal work study, and other programs.
• $3.43 billion for higher education, which includes $1.13 billion for minority-serving institutions (MSIs), $168 million for the fund for the improvement of postsecondary education, and investments in various higher education initiatives such as TRIO programs.

CASE joined the American Council on Education (ACE) in a letter to express support for the higher education provisions in the legislation. Visit the committee’s bill summary for more details and subscribe to the CASE Advocacy Network for further developments as lawmakers work to bring the spending package to the House floor in the coming weeks.

Senate Lawmakers Introduce Donor Advised Funds Legislation

On June 9, 2021, Senators Angus King (I-ME) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) introduced the Accelerating Charitable Efforts (ACE) Act (S. 1981) that would make changes to tax laws around charitable donations to donor advised funds and private foundations.

The measure transpired from the Initiative to Accelerate Charitable Giving, which was launched in 2020 by a coalition including private foundations such as the Ford Foundation and Hewlett Foundation, among others. While the ACE Act aims “to make charitable funds available to working charities in a reasonable time,” a number of nonprofit and charitable organizations, like the Council on Foundations and Independent Sector, have expressed concerns around the legislation.

Visit Independent Sector’s policy brief for key context and more details on the bill. CASE is continuing to closely monitor activity around the ACE Act and will share the latest Hill updates on the CASE Advocacy Network.

Higher Education Community Launches National Campaign to #DoublePell

CASE is proud to support a national campaign to double the maximum Pell Grant to $13,000 and help more students earn a degree, get a good-paying job, and achieve a brighter future. The Pell Grant is a federal student aid program that helps nearly 7 million low-and moderate-income students attend and complete college annually.

The campaign features a new website that provides students and families with the tools to communicate with Congress, engage on social media, and share personal stories about how the Pell Grant has helped them—and express their support for doubling Pell.

Along with support from the Biden administration, the proposal has bipartisan support on Capitol Hill. For additional resources, check out doublepell.org and continue to check the CASE Advocacy Network for the latest news and updates.