Tax Bill; Kennedy; NSF
HOUSE COMMITTEE APPROVES HIGHER ED TAX CHANGES
On Wednesday, Republicans on the House Committee on Ways and Means approved a bill that would change tax policies impacting colleges and students. Among other provisions, the bill would significantly increase the endowment excise tax for schools with endowments larger than $750,000 per domestic student; Boston University would not be subject to the tax. The measure would also expand the tax-free treatment of certain employer-provided education benefits and temporarily reinstate a charitable tax deduction for tax filers who do not itemize. Republican leaders plan to combine the Committee-passed bill with several other bills into a reconciliation package that the full U.S. House of Representatives may consider as early as next week.
BUZZ BITS…
- Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., testified about his agency’s budget before House and Senate committees on Wednesday. Kennedy defended the Trump Administration’s proposed budget cuts at the Department of Health and Human Services and reiterated his priorities to “focus narrowly on ending the chronic disease epidemic” and “make sure that science cannot be corrupted.”
- On Friday, President Donald J. Trump nominated Dr. David Barker to be assistant secretary for postsecondary education at the U.S. Department of Education. Dr. Barker is an economist who served on the Iowa Board of Regents, which oversees the state’s public universities. As a regent, he focused on cost control measures and ending diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.
- As the National Science Foundation (NSF) reportedly undergoes significant reorganization, more agency leaders have recently announced their departures. Chief Science Officer Karen Marrongnelle will leave NSF to join the University of Colorado, Denver. National Science Board member Alondra Nelson stepped down from the Board, which oversees the NSF.
- The House Cyber, Information Technologies, and Innovation Subcommittee held a hearing to examine the Department of Defense’s science enterprise last week. Representative Bill Keating (D-MA) highlighted the “integral” role universities play in conducting research and developing a scientific workforce critical to military success.
EVENT NEWS YOU CAN USE
Dr. Alicia Knoedler, leader of Office of Integrative Activities at the National Science Foundation (NSF), addressed the BU community during a webinar hosted by the Office of Research last month. Dr. Knoedler shared insights on building strong NSF partnerships, crafting compelling proposals, competing for NSF research infrastructure funds, and navigating the competitive grants process.