Yesterday, ACCT joined the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) in sending a letter to the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee outlining our response to the House Budget Reconciliation bill that will now be considered by the Senate. The letter lists our requests for the Senate as they embark on their own process.
While there are positive pieces in the House bill — for example, the inclusion of Workforce Pell and additional funds to address the shortfall in the Pell Grant program — there are other seriously concerning changes to the Pell Grant program that outweigh this good news. In particular, students who are enrolled for fewer than 8 credits per semester would lose access to any type of Pell Grant funding. Our top priority is getting this Pell eligibility change from the House bill removed from the Senate bill. All other requests can be reviewed in our letter and in the summary in the lower part of this blog post.
Now through the first week of June is the most crucial time to reach out to your Senators. We encourage trustees to call your Senators' offices or email staff directly. Our action campaign provides scripts and suggests the data points most helpful to collect and share. Those in target states will receive direct communication from ACCT on how to connect with Senate staff. Any questions or requests for support in contacting the Senate should be directed to [email protected].
We are on the verge of a long-fought win on short-term Pell. But this addition of student aid for workforce education must come with the continued access to Pell dollars for our students who are only able to enroll part-time due to their obligations to family and work. Take action today to ensure all of our students will continue to receive the resources that they need to succeed.
For the latest on Reconciliation and all things happening in Washington, please join our Latest Action in Washington Live webinar on Friday, June 6th at 1pm EDT. Register here.
To stay up to date on all federal actions that impact community colleges, please sign up for Latest Action in Washington Updates and check out the latest news on our blog NOW.ACCT.org.
Questions?
For any questions regarding the content in this email, please contact us at [email protected].