Amidst COVID-19, the Department of Education sent a letter to higher education accrediting agencies allowing them to relax rules regarding site visits. Accreditors will be allowed to conduct virtual site visits, and can extend an institution’s accreditation if a site visit or hearing would not be possible. However, the virtual site visit must be “engaged” and “interactive” and followed up by an in-person visit eventually. The Department stressed that this should be considered a “unique and temporary departure” from requirements.
News and updates
Associations Ask for Regulatory Flexibility in Light of COVID-19
On March 9, the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) granted federal agencies the authority to provide regulatory flexibility on research and other federally funded efforts that they viewed as important in response to COVID-19.
Earlier today, four higher education associations representing a vast swath of the research university community– AAU, APLU, AAMC, and COGR– wrote to OMB asking that such regulatory flexibility be expanded to other federally funded research as institutions are grappling with research environments that are rapidly changing, sometimes by the minute. The letter is available here.
SVA Letter on GI Bill /COVID-19 Issues Now Available
The letter from the Student Veterans of America to the leadership of Veterans Affairs committees of both chambers of Congress explaining the concerns surrounding GI Bill payments as a result of COVID-19 is available here.
House Passes 2nd COVID-19 Appropriations Package, Next Senate
Despite earlier push back, the House passed fixes to its financial relief package Monday night by Unanimous Consent. Conservative Senate Republicans also voiced concerns, specifically about the small business leave provisions. Those requirements for paid leave were apparently tweaked by tightening eligibility in some areas. It restricts paid family leave to $200 per day or $10,000 total. It also provides more generous tax credits to employers for providing paid leave than the initial bill.
The package, which still has no official cost estimate, would extend unemployment insurance, increase federal Medicaid spending, offer nearly $1 billion in additional food aid, provide free coverage for coronavirus testing, and more.
The measure now moves to the Senate which is expected to take up the measure (HR 6201) today to cushion the economic blow of the COVID-19 pandemic.
3rd COVID-19 Package Being Discussed
The government’s economic stimulus is set to quickly balloon into trillion-dollar territory in the coming days, the largest rescue in modern American history, as major industries flood the Administration and Capitol Hill for aid while huge swaths of the economy stall from the coronavirus crisis.
The size and scope of the package are morphing rapidly as the economic and market damage mounts. Senate Republicans and the White House are exploring how to fast-track existing legislation with the upcoming stimulus packages.
The Administration is expected to ask for a third package of $850 billion, which would consist of direct spending and tax breaks.
Stay tuned.