Weekly Federal Update 5/23/22

President and Administration

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is announcing its first-ever behavioral health Recovery Innovation Challenge… 

The goal for the United States Innovation and Competition Act (USICA) is to have all legislative items completed by Wednesday, 5/25…

The Federal Trade Commission announced ramped-up enforcement of education technology companies that sell student data for targeted advertising and that “illegally surveil children when they go online to learn,” in violation of federal student privacy rules…

The Statement Department estimates as many as 160,000 Afghans allies along with their immediate family members are eligible to come to the U.S. through a Special Immigrant Visa (SIV)…

The Biden administration officially launched the $45 billion “Internet for All Initiative" with three Notices of Funding Opportunity and a new website… 

Congress  

Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), along with Sens. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), have introduced legislation that would require people trying to get a firearm to get a license from the Department of Justice before they can buy or receive a gun… 

 Mental Health

Public schools have received nearly $190 billion in three waves of federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds that can be used for a range of priorities, including school-based mental health supports…

The Education Department on Thursday, 5/19, urged colleges to use Higher Education Emergency Relief Funds (HEERF) on mental health services on campus…

Education

Learning loss during the pandemic may have exceeded the damage inflicted on New Orleans students by Hurricane Katrina, according to a recently released study of standardized test scores… 

A study of more than 7,000 Chicago Public High School students who enrolled in a program meant to improve college graduation rates for low-income participants showed they had a 40 percent greater chance of earning a bachelor’s degree than their peers…

YouthTruth, a nonprofit, surveyed 22,000 members of the Class of 2022 and compared the results with a similar survey of the Class of 2019, the last high school class to predate the pandemic…

Young adults today need more time, education and work experience to secure what’s considered a “good job” than previous generations did, according to a pair of new reports from the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce (CEW)…

Student Loans

The Education Department’s Office of Federal Student Aid announced a new plan Thursday, 5/19, to reform the student loan servicing system that oversees the 35 million borrowers with federal student loans…

The Department of Education will extend waivers for certain verification requirements on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid…