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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 ÎçÒ¹Ó°Ôº 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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Appropriations News

AP – September 25, 2024
Congress passed a temporary measure that keeps government agencies funded into December, avoiding a shutdown for now while punting final spending decisions until after the Nov. 5 election. The Senate approved the measure by a vote of 78-18 shortly after the House easily approved it. The bill generally funds agencies at current levels through Dec. 20. But an additional $231 million was included to bolster the Secret Service. Money was also added to aid with the presidential transition, among other things. The bill now goes to President Joe Biden’s desk to be signed into law. After passing the legislation, both chambers recessed through the November elections. Upon their return, Congress may address additional FY25 appropriations legislation, the National Defense Authorization Act, and the Farm Bill, among other legislative items.

Federal News

US Department of Health & Human Services – September 12, 2024
The Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) announced an agreement of approximately $14 million for innovative manufacturing of active pharmaceutical ingredients in the United States, initially previewed as part of an effort to make more essential medicines in America to help mitigate drug shortages as a matter of national defense. Under the agreement, the API Innovation Center (APIIC), a non-profit coalition in St. Louis, Missouri, will modernize the manufacturing capacities across several sites within APIIC's consortium network. Specific project partners, including MilliporeSigma, the ÎçÒ¹Ó°Ôº – St. Louis, Apertus Pharmaceuticals, and Mallinckrodt Specialty Generics, will lead the implementation of continuous flow manufacturing and other advanced processes to establish end-to-end supply chains for three essential medicines. APIIC will contribute an additional $2.4 million.

Higher Education News

House Committee on Education & The Workforce –  September 24, 2024
The House passed H.R. 5646, the bipartisan Stop Campus Hazing Act, which combats hazing on college campuses and protects students across the nation. The bipartisan Stop Campus Hazing Act:

• Combats Hazing and Protects Students: This bill requires that universities report hazing incidents under the Clery Act and creates a clear and consistent definition for hazing statistics across all postsecondary institutions.
• Educates and Prevents: The bill requires institutions to provide comprehensive hazing prevention programs for faculty and students to avoid hazing before it occurs and cultivate a culture of respect on campus.
• Leaves Room for Flexibility: The new reporting and educational requirements for institutions are balanced by respect for existing anti-hazing processes at the institution and state levels.

Inside Higher Ed – September 24, 2024
A new House committee report claims that some U.S.-China university institutes pose a security threat and suggests the solution lies in a stalled Republican bill. Beyond Washington, universities have also implemented a variety of new research security policies. According to the Association of American Universities (AAU), which represents the nation’s leading research institutions and keeps a comprehensive list of institutional and federal efforts to protect research activity, member institutions have taken it upon themselves to enhance cybersecurity training and communications and bolster reviews of international contracts and gifts.

US Senator Eric Schmitt – September 26, 2024
Senator Eric Schmitt introduced The Protecting Higher Education from the Chinese Communist Party Act, which bans members of the Chinese Communist Party and their relatives from receiving student visas to American universities. According to the U.S. Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns, the United States issued 105,000 visas to Chinese students in 2023, and there are currently 292,000 Chinese students currently studying at American colleges and universities. These visas disproportionately go to the most elite schools in the United States, such as Washington University in St. Louis whose student body is just over 17,000, with about 1/3 of the student body being foreign nationals and roughly 10% of the student body from mainland China. Missouri would benefit from 1.) protecting its universities’ research from theft by CCP agents, and 2.) protecting the free speech of non-CCP Chinese students on Missouri’s college campuses, who are often subject to monitoring by the CCP. Read the bill here.

2024 Congressional Calendar

Tentative 2024 congressional calendar below, subject to change. Currently, both chambers recessed through the November elections.