Education Politics and Policy
Eyeing populist challenge from the left, Trump seeks plan to tackle student debt – The Washington Post
President Trump is demanding aides present a plan to tackle student debt and the rising cost of a college education, worried that he has no response to expansive plans from Sen. Elizabeth Warren and other Democrats he may face on the ballot next year, several administration officials said.
 
Senate Passes Bipartisan Solution to Permanently Fund Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority Serving Institutions and Simplify the FAFSA for 20 Million Families
The United States Senate today passed a bipartisan amendment to the House-passed FUTURE Act to make permanent $255 million in annual funding for Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority Serving Institutions, simplify the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for 20 million American families, and streamline income-driven repayment for nearly 8 million borrowers.
 
Senate Passes HBCU Funding, FAFSA Changes – Inside Higher Ed
The bipartisan deal announced Tuesday to amend legislation tied to funding historically black colleges and universities and other minority-serving institutions is moving quickly. It’s already been passed in the U.S. Senate.
 
Lawmakers Call For Investigation After NPR Report On Troubled Student Loan Program – NPR
Lawmakers are calling for an investigation into a troubled student loan discharge program one day after an NPR report revealed that the program wasn’t helping the vast majority of those who are eligible.
 
FULL COMMITTEE HEARING: “Examining the Education Department’s Implementation of Borrower Defense.”
Date: Thursday, December 12, 2019; Witnesses: The Honorable Betsy DeVos. 

Member Spotlight
Out of Poverty, Into Health-Care Jobs – Inside Higher Ed
The College of Health Care Professions, a for-profit in Texas, has solid outcomes for low-income students in health-care fields. How does the model work?
 
Herzing University Awards 19 Scholarships on #GivingTuesday
For the second consecutive year, Herzing University is proud to announce the winners of its #GivingTuesday scholarship campaign. 

Education Politics and Policy
Senate Compromise on HBCU Funding, FAFSA – Inside Higher Ed
Those bills would have served as a stripped-down version of a reauthorized Higher Education Act and included proposals for extending Pell Grant eligibility to short-term programs and incarcerated students.
 
Durbin: Will Senators Stand With Betsy DeVos Or Defrauded Student Borrowers?
U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today, in a speech on the Senate floor, slammed Department of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos’ rewritten borrower defense rule that guts essential protections for student borrowers and taxpayers.
 
Education Department collected loans from 45,801 defrauded students, nearly 3 times more than estimated – Fox News
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos collected student loan repayments from 45,801 students who were defrauded by now-defunct Corinthian Colleges in a move that defied court mandates to cease loan collections, according to a compliance report by the Department of Education (DOE) filed Tuesday. 

Financial Aid/Student Loan Issues
Sen. Paul offering bill to combat student loan debt – WKYT
U.S. Sen. Rand Paul wants to combat the rising debt load for college students by allowing them to dip into retirement accounts to help pay for school or pay back loans.
 
Black Borrowers Default at Higher Rates – Inside Higher Ed
Analysis of federal data shows that African Americans continue to struggle more than other borrowers with repaying student loans — despite heavy use of income-driven repayment programs. 

Legal and Regulatory Issues
Harvard University, The Latest Higher Education Institution To Be Mandated To Provide Video Closed Captioning – Forbes
On November 27, the National Association of the Deaf (N.A.D.) won a landmark settlement with Harvard University that institutes a series of new guidelines to make the university’s website and online resources accessible for those who are deaf or hard of hearing.
 
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Borrower Defenses Regulations – Federal Register
The Department of Education (the Department) requests a revision of the current information collection associated with OMB Control Number 1845-0142 due to an increase in the number of borrowers asserting a borrower defense to repayment claim

Education Politics and Policy
Education Department puts hold on 5-day suspension of employee who provided The Post with budget information – The Washington Post
Rebecca Delaney, an analyst in the Education Department’s Office of Finance and Operations since 2016, received a letter dated Nov. 15 from an agency official saying the suspension would be delayed “until further notice.”
 
Lease Points Colleges and Universities Should Not Miss – Duane Morris
If your institution is reviewing a lease form and you are considering signing it for the tenant, make sure that you don’t gloss over it in the belief that its terms cannot be negotiated. 

​Legal and Regulatory Issues
Implementation of School Notice Requirements Under the 2016 Borrower Defense Regulations – IFAP
The purpose of this announcement is to alert schools that we will soon begin to send notices required under the 2016 final regulations.
 
Liabilities Associated with Closed School Discharges – IFAP
As explained in an Electronic Announcement posted on December 13, 2018, we have implemented certain provisions of the 2016 borrower defense regulations related to automatic closed school discharge.
 
Betsy DeVos poised to issue sweeping rules governing campus sexual assault – The Washington Post
Students accused of sexual assault will win new rights under sweeping rules being finalized by the Trump administration, giving universities clear but controversial guidance on handling these emotionally charged conflicts.
 
Betsy DeVos, consumer watchdog agency are failing student loan borrowers, lawsuit says – NBC News
A lawsuit filed Monday in federal court is not only going after the Education Department, but America’s federal consumer watchdog agency as well — accusing it of abandoning its authority to oversee companies that service federal student loans.