Category: Uncategorized

A roundup of bills introduced this week that may be of interest to the higher education community:

S. 216: A bill to prevent harassment at institutions of higher education. (Also known as the Clementi Act)
Sponsor: Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) Introduced: 2/4/2013 Last Major Action: Referred to Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee Cosponsors: 5 (including Patty Murray) Lautenberg Press Release
House version: H.R. 482 (Introduced by Rush Holt [D-NJ], 22 Cosponsors including Rick Larsen and Jim McDermott) Holt Press Release

H.R. 459: A bill to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to promote innovation, investment and research in the United States, to eliminate the diversity immigrant program. This would allocate 55,000 visas per year for foreign students receiving advanced degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
Sponsor: Darrell Issa (R-CA) Introduced: 2/4/2013 Last Major Action: Referred to House Judiciary Committee Cosponsors: None Issa Press Release

H.R. 487: A bill to provide for a Medicare primary care Graduate Medical Education pilot project in order to improve access to the primary care workforce.
Sponsor: Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) Introduced: 2/4/2013 Last Major Action: Referred to the Committees on Ways and Means, and Energy and Commerce. Cosponsors: 1 McMorris Rodgers Press Release

H.R. 521: A bill to award grants to encourage state educational agencies, local educational agencies, and schools to utilize technology to improve student achievement and college-and-career readiness, the skills of teachers and school leaders, and the efficiency and productivity of education systems at all levels.
Sponsor: George Miller (D-CA) Introduced: 2/6/2013 Last Major Action: Referred to House Committee on Education and the Workforce Cosponsors: None Press Release

H.R. 532: A bill to amend Title II of the United States Code to modify the dischargeability of debts for certain educational payments and loans. The bill would require privately issued student loans to be treated the same as other types of private debt in bankruptcy. Sponsor: Steve Cohen (D-TN) Introduced: 2/6/2013 Last Major Action: Referred to House Judiciary Committee Cosponsors: 14 Cohen Press Release

H.R. 536: Amend the ESEA of 1965 to authorize the Secretary of Education to make grants for recruiting, training, and retaining individuals, with a preference for individuals from underrepresented groups, as teachers at public elementary and secondary schools.
Sponsor: Susan Davis (D-CA) Introduced: 2/6/2013 Last Major Action: Referred to House Committee on Education and the Workforce Cosponsors: 3 Davis Press Release

H.R. 551: A bill to authorize the Secretary of Education to make grants to support early college high schools and other dual enrollment programs.
Sponsor: Ruben Hinojosa (D-TX) Introduced: 2/6/2013 Last Major Action: Referred to House Committee on Education and the Workforce Cosponsors: 1 Hinojosa Press Release

H.R. 561: A bill to amend the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act to provide further clarity for institutions of higher education.
Sponsor: Patrick Meehan (R-PA) Introduced: 2/6/2013 Last Major Action: Referred to House Committee on Education and the Workforce Cosponsors: 6

S. 257: Amend Title 38, United States Code, to require courses of education provided by public institutions of higher education that are approved for purposes of the educational assistance programs administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to charge veterans tuition and fees at the in-State tuition rate.
Sponsor: John Boozman (R-AR) Introduced: 2/7/2013 Last Major Action: Referred to Committee on Veterans Affairs Cosponsors: 2 Boozman Press Release

S. 262: Amend Title 38, United States Code, to provide equity for tuition and fees for individuals entitled to educational assistance under the Post-9/11 Educational Assistance Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs who are pursuing programs of education at institutions of higher learning.
Sponsor: Dick Durbin Introduced: 2/7/2013 Last Major Action: Referred to the Committee on Veterans Affairs Cosponsors: None

The full text of these bills can be found by searching for their respective bill number at thomas.loc.gov

A roundup of bills introduced this week that may be of interest to the higher education community:

H.R. 359: A bill to establish and operate a National Center for Campus Public Safety. The bill would provide grants to institutions of higher education to assist in carrying out the functions of the Center. 
Sponsor: Robert Scott (D-VA) Introduced: 1/23/2013 Last Major Action: Referred to House Judiciary Committee Cosponsors: 2

S. 39: A bill to improve the health of Americans and reduce health care costs by reorienting the Nation’s health care system toward prevention, wellness and health promotion. The bill would aim to provide equal physical activity opportunities for students with disabilities at elementary and secondary schools and institutions of higher education.
Sponsor: Tom Harkin (D-IA) Introduced: 1/22/2013 Last Major Action: Referred to the Senate Finance Committee Cosponsors: 0

S. 169: A bill to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to authorize additional visas for well-educated aliens to live and work in the United States.
Sponsor: Orrin Hatch (R-UT) Introduced: 1/29/2013 Last Major Action: Referred to Senate Judiciary Committee Cosponsors: 14

S.193: A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide for startup businesses to use a portion of the research and development credit to offset payroll taxes.
Sponsor: Chris Coons (D-DE) Introduced: 1/31/2013 Last Major Action: Referred to Senate Finance Committee Cosponsors: 6

The full text of these bills can be found by searching for their respective bill number at thomas.loc.gov

A roundup of bills introduced this week that may be of interest to the higher education community:

S.1: A bill to reform America’s broken immigration system. The priority number of this bill indicates that it will likely be used for some sort of immigration reform in this congress – it will also change several times before we see the final legislation.
Sponsor: Harry Reid (D-NV) Introduced: 1/22/13 Last Major Action: Referred to Senate Committee on Judiciary. Cosponsors: 15

S. 41: A bill to provide a permanent deduction for state and local general sales taxes.
Sponsor: Maria Cantwell (D-WA) Introduced: 1/22/13 Last Major Action: Referred to Senate Committee on Finance. Cosponsors: 3

H.R. 357: A bill to amend Title 38 of the United States Code, to require courses of education provided by public institutions of higher education that are approved for purposes of the educational assistance programs administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to charge veterans tuition and fees at the in-state rate.
Sponsor: Jeff Miller (R-FL) Introduced: 1/23/13 Last Major Action: Referred to House Committee on Veterans Affairs. Cosponsors: 1

S. 113: A bill to amend the Truth in Lending Act and the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require certain creditors to obtain certifications from Institutions of Higher Education.
Sponsor: Richard Durbin (D-Ill) Introduced: 1/23/13 Last Major Action: Referred to Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs. Cosponsors: 2

The full text of these bills can be found by searching for their respective bill number at thomas.loc.gov

The following are some bills that have been introduced in the first weeks of the 113th Congress that may be of interest to members of the UW community:

HR 118 (Holt, D-NJ) – National STEM Education Tax Incentive for Teachers Act of 2013, which would provide a credit for qualified tuition expenses up to $1000 for K-12 teachers in the STEM fields who have received a STEM-related degree from an institution of higher education. The bill is vague in exactly how “qualified educational expenses” would be measured or verified.

HR 267 (McMorris Rodgers, R-WA) – The Hydropower Regulatory Efficiency Act of 2013 would ease regulations on certain small hydropower projects and aims to make the process of constructing a conduit hydropower facility-one operated for the purpose of distribution of water for agricultural, municipal, or industrial uses, on a nonworking dam more efficient and streamlined.

HR 274 (Barber, D-AZ) – The Mental Health First Act of 2013, would direct the Secretary of DHHS to award grants to various state and local government organizations and non profits (institutions of higher education included), to develop and train individuals on the skills, resources and knowledge to assist individuals in crisis to connect with appropriate local mental health care services. The objectives of the training include safe de-escalation of crisis situations, recognition of the signs and symptoms of mental illness, and timely referral to mental health services in the early stages of developing mental disorders.

The full text of these bills can be found by going to thomas.loc.gov and searching for the respective bill number.