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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 ��������Ƶ 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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Capitol Hill News

Roll Call – September 4, 2024
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) is preparing a six-month stopgap funding package to avoid a government shutdown past September 30. The package is expected to include a one-year extension of the farm bill and a citizenship voting bill; it could be taken up for consideration next week. It is also being reported that Democrats prefer a continuing resolution “with an end date in mid-to-late November or early-to-mid December” so they can “come back after the elections and negotiate a lame-duck funding package.” The Senate is expected to pass a “clean” stopgap funding bill.

Things to watch during Congress’s September sprint
The Hill – September 2, 2024
Congress returns Sept. 9 for a three-week sprint, during which lawmakers will face key legislative deadlines and work to push their political messages before departing again for campaign season.

1. Government Funding: Government funding for fiscal 2024 expires Sept. 30, and virtually no one expects Congress will come to an agreement on funding for 2025 by that deadline. Attention is now turning to what the terms will be for a continuing resolution (CR) to fund the government at current levels to avoid a government shutdown and buy Congress more time. 
2. Veterans Affairs funding shortfall: In addition to the funding deadline, Congress has until Sept. 20 to address a roughly $3 billion budget shortfall for the Department of Veterans Affairs.
3. Farm Bill: Authorizations passed in the large agricultural, food, and nutritional program bill technically expire Sept. 30, with those originally approved in the 2018 bill having been extended to the end of fiscal 2024 in a continuing resolution last year. But consequences do not actually kick in until after Dec. 31, when dairy and commodity programs expire. Still, the Sept. 30 deadline is likely to spur pushes from interest groups for Congress to address the farm bill, which is typically renewed every five years.

Federal News

US Department of Energy – September 4, 2024
Ten Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRCs) designed to bring together world-class teams of scientists for groundbreaking fundamental research have been funded in nine states by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).

U.S. Department of Transportation – September 5, 2024
U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced more than $1 billion in grants through President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for the Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) program.

U.S. Department of Energy – August 21, 2024
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced $19.5 million in funding over three years for 14 projects on low-dose radiation – studying the cellular and molecular responses to doses of radiation that are at or near lower exposure limits. The Low Dose Radiation Research Program supports research to develop a disease risk prediction and, in the longer term, inform radiation protection measures for the public and the workplace.

2024 Congressional Calendar

Tentative 2024 congressional calendar below, subject to change.