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With more reporting data now readily available, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) has issued a new report on how institutions have utilized funding provided by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. In this latest installment, the agency examined how funds from the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) were provided to schools under the CARES Act, and how schools distributed those emergency dollars to eligible students.

With the physical spaces in which education is offered shifting over the course of the past several years, institutions are increasingly broadening their reach to students outside of the state the school is in, hence the importance of State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (SARA), which streamline the authorization process for institutions through a set of agreements between member states, districts, and territories to establish national standards for interstate distance education. A new report published this week by the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS) and commissioned by the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA) sought to highlight the cost savings for SARA participating institutions and examine in what aspects the agreements help schools save.

A bill introduced Wednesday by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) calls for making community college and public trade schools tuition-free for all, regardless of income. For students from families that make less than $125,000 annually, tuition would be free at public four-year colleges and universities, as well as public and private historically Black colleges and universities and minority-serving institutions. The College for All Act also calls for doubling the maximum Pell Grant award to $12,990 for the 2021-22 school year, though for-profit institutions would be excluded from the increase. The legislation would also allow students to use the funds from the Pell Grant for expenses other than tuition, such as books and housing costs.

The nomination of James Kvaal, President Joe Biden’s choice to serve as Department of Education (ED) under secretary, the top higher education post at the department, cleared another hurdle Wednesday when the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) committee voted 19-3 in favor of his nomination. Kvaal’s nomination was expected to advance fairly smoothly after ranking member Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) at a previous hearing signaled he would support the nomination. Kvaal’s nomination now heads to a vote before the full Senate. 

The Consortium Agreements, Written Arrangements & Study Abroad webinar originally scheduled for May 19 has been rescheduled to July 14 so that we can bring you the Changes Are Coming to R2T4 and Modules: Will You Be Ready on July 1, 2021? webinar. If you are already registered for the Consortium Agreements webinar, your registration has been transferred to the July webcast. Registration is now open for Changes Are Coming to R2T4 and Modules: Will You Be Ready on July 1, 2021? Join NASFAA’s Amanda Sharp and David Futrell on Wednesday, May 19 at 2:00 p.m. ET for a detailed discussion of the new rules, including scenarios and examples to help schools determine when a student is considered a withdrawal from a payment period or period of enrollment that includes modules, how to apply new R2T4 exemptions, and more. July 1 will be here soon, so make sure your school is ready. Register now.

It's 2021 National Volunteer Week and we'd like to take this opportunity to remind you that NASFAA is always seeking volunteers to serve on its Advocacy Network or participate in a future Advocacy Pipeline event. The Advocacy Network will work to organize and inform NASFAA members regarding ongoing opportunities for advocacy with lawmakers on important and timely higher education priorities, while the Advocacy Pipeline is an ongoing advocacy effort designed to bring NASFAA's elected leaders and other members together to share on-the-ground perspectives directly with policymakers.

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