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News and updates

DREAM Act May be Pushed Before November

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With it being an election year, many lawmakers have been avoiding the politically charged topic of comprehensive immigration reform, making it unlikely that it will advance before the end of the year. However, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) may attempt to push through the DREAM Act as a stand-alone piece of legislation before the November elections if advocates of a comprehensive bill strongly believe that there is no chance for full reform.

The DREAM Act, which is sponsored by Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Senator Dick Lugar (R-IN) (co-sponsored by Washington Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell) would provide a path to citizenship for young undocumented immigrants who choose to go to college or serve with the US armed forces. Approximately 65,000 undocumented immigrants graduate from American high schools every year. Many of these students are unable to attend college, largely because they can’t afford it and lack accessibility to student aid. This Act would allow them to be eligible for student loan and work-study programs.

The University of Washington and much of the higher education community has voiced support for the DREAM Act as it would result in several economic and societal benefits. Research shows that there is a million dollar difference, over a lifetime, between the earning capacity of a high school graduate and a college graduate. People who attend college are also more likely to be healthier than those that do not, volunteer and contribute to their community, and are less likely to be incarcerated or rely on public assistance. The DREAM Act would allow these capable students to contribute to the economic growth of the United States and to their own self-sufficiency while becoming active members of American society.

Full text of Senate bill                                                            Full text of House bill

Domestic Spending to be Removed From Emergency Supplemental

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House leaders appear poised to acquiesce to the reality that the Senate lacks the votes to include funding for domestic priorities, such as saving K-12 teacher jobs and filling the Pell Grant shortfall, in the fiscal year 2010 emergency supplemental spending bill that is being considered on Capitol Hill. The supplemental spending bill is primarily intended to provide necessary funds for military efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as for disasters in the Gulf of Mexico and Haiti. Fiscal conservatives object to adding funds to the supplemental for domesitic priorities that are not paid-for by cuts elsewhere.

House leaders are now looking for other legislation to attach the education spending to… However, with their month-long recess now less than two weeks away, it’s unlikely that the situation will be quickly resolved.

Congress Returns to a Packed Three Week Agenda

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This week, Congress returns from its week-long July 4th state/district work period (recess) with a long list of things to do before it breaks again for 5 weeks at the end of the month. Foremost on the to-do list is passage of the FY10 supplemental spending bill that contains funding for military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, and emergency relief operations in Haiti and the Gulf of Mexico, as well as a total of $14.95 billion to save K-12 teacher jobs and sure-up the Pell Grant program in the House version. The addition of $23 billion for education and other domestic discretionary spending in the House bill is certain to complicate the pathforward for the legislation. Fiscally conservative members of both chambers oppose the expansion of the supplemental beyond the wars and disasters, despite the fact that some of the additional domestic spending is paid for by rescissions to unobligated funding made available in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The House and Senate face a very real deadline, as Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has stated that if a bill is not approved soon the agency will have to begin furloughing civilian employees and withholding pay for active duty military in August -an outcome that is virtually certain to be avoided. As a result, an outcome on the FY10 supplemental spending bill should be a few weeks away if the House intends to break by July 31st as is currently the plan.

The FY11 appropriations process will continue to limp along this week, as House and Senate Appropriations Committees will consider spending bills. Few, if any,  FY11 bills are likely to come to a full vote in either chamber before the August recess.

Other issues for consideration on the Hill in the coming weeks include: Senate reauthorization of the America COMPETES Act, which authorizes annual increases for the NSF, DoE Office of Science,  and NIST; final Senate approval of the financial overhaul bill; Senate committee consideration of clean energy legislation; and another attempt in the Senate to extend unemployment benefits. Some of these bills may need to wait for West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin to appoint a temporary replacement for the late Robert Byrd -expected in the coming days. The nation’s governors continue to push for a two quarter extension of the enhanced Federal Medical Assistance Percentage provided under ARRA. However, a path forward has yet to emerge from the Senate. The provision would mean $480 million for the State of Washington.

UW Participates in Senator Cantwell’s Press Conference on Oil Spill Prevention & Response

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UW Dean Lisa Graumlich at Cantwell press event
UW Dean Lisa Graumlich gives remarks on the Gulf oil spill at Cantwell press event

On Tuesday Senator Maria Cantwell held a press conference in Seattle regarding the need for better research and development on oil spill prevention and response. She announced that she will soon chair a hearing and introduce legislation that will require the oil industry to incorporate the latest and best technologies into their oil spill prevention and response plans.  The Senator proposed a joint Research & Development center between NOAA and the UW, an idea that the UW School of Marine Affairs has been exploring.

The UW Seaglider, which was present at the event, drew a lot of attention as an example of technology that, with some investment, could be much more useful in the event of an oil spill. Lisa Graumlich, the Dean of the College of the Environment (COEnv) said there are currently six Seagliders in the Gulf of Mexico aiding scientists and the government in identifying underwater oil plumes.  However, the Seagliders were developed as instruments for basic research and currently don’t have the power to carry large, heavy hydrocarbon sensors which would do a better job at finding the oil plumes.  Instead of detecting the oil itself, they are searching for a proxy for oil – an example of making do with the technology we have instead of the specific technology we need. Dean Graumlich emphasized that we do not require a major scientific breakthrough because the UW already has monitoring systems that examine the quality and movement of water in the Sound. With some tweaking, those technologies could be used to determine how an oil spill would spread through the Sound.

Several UW researchers and staff attended the event in support of the proposed legislation and to emphasize the need for more investment in research and development.  Dean Graumlich was accompanied by UW COEnv colleagues Russ McDuff (Director, School of Oceanography), David Armstrong (Director, School of Aquatic and Fisheries Sciences), Fritz Stahr (Manager, Seaglider Fabrication Center), and Deanna Congdon (Advancement Specialist).  The group was also joined by Christy Gullion (Director, Office of Federal Relations) and COEnv Communication Director Michelle Ackerman. 

Cantwell press release

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