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Good afternoon,

The goal of this email is to provide a regular source of useful information to staff and faculty of the ��ҹӰԺ System regarding the federal government and higher education. We have put together a list of news articles that will keep you informed of the actions taken by the executive, legislative, and judicial branch of government. These articles are meant to be informative and are not a reflection of the views or stance of the system regarding these issues. 

If you would like more information regarding any of the stories we share, or if you have any suggestions, please feel free to contact Dusty Schnieders and/or Emily Lucas .

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Athletics News

Congressman Gus Bilirakis – January 11, 2024
On the heels of this year’s college football season and the widely watched NCAA College Football National Championship game, U.S. Representative Gus Bilirakis, who serves as Chairman of the House Innovation, Data and Commerce Subcommittee looks forward to discussing the latest version of the Fairness, Accountability, and Integrity in Representation of College Sports Act (FAIR College Sports Act) Discussion Draft. This announcement marks significant progress on moving this priority forward and reflects feedback and testimony from current and former collegiate athletes, university presidents and athletic directors, the NCAA, and conference presidents imploring Congress to take action to create a level playing field for all students and educational institutions across the nation. Discussion draft linked .

Capitol Hill News

Roll Call – January 12, 2024
Speaker Mike Johnson reiterated support Friday for the fiscal 2024 spending agreement he negotiated in face of opposition from members of the House Freedom Caucus, who’ve been lobbying him to toss the deal. Johnson told reporters that while he is seeking feedback from across his conference, he is committed to the “strong” deal he negotiated with Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer.  

POLITICO – January 7, 2024
Congressional leaders have clinched a deal on overall budget totals that could pave the way for a broader government funding compromise in the coming weeks — further enraging Speaker Mike Johnson’s right flank. The long-stalled agreement, announced Sunday afternoon, establishes funding limits for the military and domestic programs for the fiscal year that began on Oct. 1, allowing House and Senate appropriators to begin hashing out their differences between a dozen annual spending bills. A partial government shutdown looms. Here is Speaker Mike Johnson’s Dear Colleague . 

Delegation News

STL Today – January 7, 2024
State Sen. Mary Elizabeth Coleman on Friday became the first Republican to jump into the race to replace retiring U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer. Coleman’s announcement could be the first of many. Luetkemeyer’s retirement promises to lead to a competitive GOP primary as ambitious state lawmakers and others see an opportunity to capture a rare open congressional seat.

STL Today – January 8, 2024
Ann Wagner, who has represented a swath of suburban St. Louis in the U.S. House since 2013, said she’ll seek a seventh term in this year’s elections. The Republican-leaning district, the 2nd, includes parts of west and south St. Louis County, parts of St. Charles and Warren counties and all of Franklin County. Wagner in 2022 won reelection over Democrat Trish Gunby, a Democratic state representative from West County, with a 55%-to-43% edge.

United States Senator Eric Schmitt Press Release- January 12, 2024
Senators Eric Schmitt and Josh Hawley introduced a Senate resolution congratulating the ��ҹӰԺ Tigers football team for beating the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic. Link to resolution . 

Federal News

US Department of Energy – January 9, 2024
The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science announced up to $5 million in federal funding for research projects that will help universities and non-profit organizations advance the fundamental understanding of basic plasma science and engineering. This funding, which has been made available under the Office of Fusion Energy Science’s General Plasma Science program, supports research at the frontiers of basic and low temperature plasma science. Please see the for details regarding agency contacts, eligibility, and application information.

Higher Education News

Politico – January 10, 2024
House Ways and Means Chair Jason Smith is warning the leaders of four elite universities that their response to Hamas’ attack of Israel might have put their tax exemptions at risk. Not coincidentally, the Missouri Republican sent letters to the three schools — Harvard, MIT and the University of Pennsylvania — whose presidents made a controversial appearance before the House Education and Workforce Committee last month.

Important Dates

The “laddered CR” has two separate expiration dates for two groups of annual spending bills:
•    Deadline #1 CR: Agriculture-Rural Development, Military Construction-Veterans Affairs, Energy & Water, and Transportation-HUD are extended through January 19, 2024.
•    Deadline #2: Commerce-Justice-Science, Defense, Financial Services & General Government, Homeland Security, Interior-Environment, Labor-HHS-Education, Legislative Branch, and State & Foreign Operations are extended through February 2, 2024.