Monthly Public Policy Report, Jan 2018

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February 27th, 2018
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AWFS is a client of LobbyIt. Each month, LobbyIt prepares the following report on public policy updates and activity for AWFS and its member companies.

AWFS Monthly Report

Greetings! During the month of January, Lobbyit continued to monitor workforce development on the Hill and began planning and outreach for a big AWFS Hill Day at the end of February.

Stakeholder Activity

In the month of January, the primary focus on the Hill was an Congress’s attempts to keep the government open. These efforts were fairly unsuccessful, as there were two short shutdowns in the span of 17 days. Thankfully, several “cliffs” were pushed back until a couple years, with a deal that was struck by the Democrats and Republicans in the Senate. There remains one cliff, coming up in about five weeks in March. All expectations are that Congress will reach another deal in time, fund the government for the rest of FY18, and get back to work with other issues on the legislative agenda.

In January, we worked with AWFS executive team to craft a strategy for the upcoming Hill day. The plan is to build momentum for a successful 2018 engagement strategy to build AWFS’s presence on the Hill and ensure that the membership’s unique perspective in the industry be reflected in the policies made on the Hill and in the Administration. Moving forward, we are hoping to build on our letter writing campaign and engage directly with the relevant staff in the Administration.

We also took a meeting with Kaine’s staff to discuss workforce development, particularly apprenticeships and the likelihood of progress on CTE legislation in the Senate. It seems like there is a chance for movement on this in the Senate and for the upcoming Hill day, we hope to move the needle. |

Legislative Tracking
S. 206 – JOBS Act of 2017 Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) introduced the JOBS Act of 2017 on January 24th, 2017. On the day it was introduced, the bill was referred to the Committee on Health, education, Labor, and Pensions. The bill currently has 6 cosponsors. This bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to establish the Job Training Federal Pell Grant Program. The Department of Education must award job training Federal Pell Grants to eligible students. An eligible student is one who does not have a degree, attends an institution of higher education (IHE), is enrolled in a job training program at such IHE, and meets all other eligibility requirements for a Federal Pell Grant. The maximum job training Federal Pell Grant award is 50% of the discretionary base maximum award specified in annual appropriations law. Related bills: H.R.2451 – Pell Grant Preservation and Expansion Act

H.R. 1485 – Flexible Pell Grant for 21st Century Students Act Representative Elise Stefanik (R-NY) introduced the bill on March 9th, 2017. On the day it was introduced, the bill was referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce. The bill currently has 36 cosponsors. Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to provide students with increased flexibility in the use of Federal Pell Grants. A student who has received a Federal Pell Grant during an award year and is enrolled in an eligible program for one or more additional payment periods during the same award year, may receive an additional Federal Pell Grant for such additional period or periods.

S. 790 – Innovation for Tomorrow’s Workforce Act Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) introduced this bill on March 30th, 2017. On the day it was introduced, the bill was referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. The bill has 1 cosponsor. Amends the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 to encourage innovation. Creates a grant program to identify and support innovative strategies to improve career and technical education.

H.R.4078 – Expanding America’s Workforce Act of 2017 On October 19, 2017, H.R.4078 was introduced to the House of Representatives by Representative Duncan D. Hunter (R-CA) and referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce. Currently the bill has 2 cosponsors. The purpose of this bill Is to establish various programs to ease the burden on undereducated and financially deficient workers seeking to further their education.

H.R.4162 – Pell Grant Modernization Act On October 27, 2017, H.R.4162 was introduced to the House of Representatives by Representative Glenn Grothman (R-WI) and referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce. Currently the bill has one cosponsor. The purpose of this bill is to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to adjust the period of eligibility for Federal Pell Grants, and for other purposes.

H.R.4115 – PARTNERS Act On October 25, 2017, H.R.4115 was introduced to the House of Representatives by Representative Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) and referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned. Currently the bill has one sponsor. The purpose of this bill is to promote registered apprenticeships and other work-based learning programs for small and medium-sized businesses within in-demand industry sectors, through the establishment and support of industry or sector partnerships.

Until next month,

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