Congress Extends Budget Two Weeks
BU IN DC
School of Public Health Dean Sandro Galea gave the keynote address at the AcademyHealth Conference on the Science of Dissemination and Implementation in Health on December 4. He and Chief of Staff Catherine Ettman discussed public health issues with Congresswoman Katherine Clark (D-MA) on December 6.
School of Medicine Dean Karen Antman participated in an administrative board meeting of the Association of American Medical Colleges Council of Deans on December 5.
CONGRESS EXTENDS BUDGET TWO WEEKS
Congress has extended the continuing resolution that is keeping the federal government operating, giving legislators until December 22 to craft a final spending package for fiscal year 2018. Annual spending legislation is nearly three months overdue, but lawmakers are currently negotiating an agreement to lift the budget caps that limit federal spending on activities such as research and student aid. Given the difficulty of finalizing both the budget caps and the spending levels for each federal agency, another continuing resolution that extends into next year may be needed.
TAX BILL NEGOTIATIONS BEGIN
Both chambers of Congress have begun negotiating a final tax bill, after the U.S. Senate passed its version of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act by a vote of 52 to 48 last week. The version passed by the U.S. House of Representatives would eliminate student tax benefits and make university-provided tuition benefits taxable. Both the House and Senate measures would impose a tax on the investment income of certain private university endowments and erode the value of the charitable giving tax deduction. Universities have vigorously opposed the measures, urging lawmakers to make changes that would improve college affordability.
HOUSE GOP INTRODUCES HIGHER ED BILL
House Education and the Workforce Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC) introduced a bill to reauthorize the Higher Education Act, the federal law governing universities which was last updated in 2008. Foxx’s Promoting Real Opportunity, Success, and Prosperity through Education Reform (PROSPER) Act proposes to significantly alter financial aid programs, campus free speech, and campus safety; to give nontraditional education providers access to federal funds; and to lessen the regulation of for-profit institutions. Universities are concerned that the PROSPER Act would make higher education less accessible by increasing loan costs for undergraduates and limiting loan access for graduate students. The House committee may vote on the bill as soon as next week, but the U.S. Senate is not expected to release its version of the bill until next year.