116th U.S. Congress - Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities

AJCU Statements & Letters to 116TH U.S. Congress & The Administration

Click to view documents from the 117th U.S. Congress.

Higher Education Act

AJCU joined higher education associations in providing comments on the “Safeguarding American Innovation Act,” which would amend the Higher Education Act (July 21, 2020)
Nearly 400 organizations, including AJCU, seek to boost the FY21 allocation for the Labor, HHS, Education Appropriations Subcommittees (April 16, 2020)
AJCU joins ACE and others in commenting on the U.S. Department of Education’s revised Section 117 Information Collection Request (March 11, 2020)
AJCU joined NAICU in submitting comments to the U.S. Department of Education on proposed regulations related to free speech (February 18, 2020)
AJCU joined the Coalition of Higher Education Assistance Organizations (COHEAO) in support of an amendment to the College Affordability Act that would allow for local campus based servicing of the Perkins Loan Program (February 7, 2020)
AJCU sent letters to Representative Susie Lee (D-NV) and Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL) in support of S.J. Res. 56, a joint resolution providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Department of Education relating to “Borrower Defense Institutional Accountability” (January 24, 2020)
AJCU joined ACE and nine other higher education associations in opposition to the U.S. Department of Education’s request for emergency processing of an information collection request tied to Section 117 of the Higher Education Act (December 17, 2019); AJCU also issued a separate letter on the request (December 17, 2019)
AJCU joined the higher education community to support H.R.5363, the FUTURE Act (December 10, 2019)
AJCU signed onto a letter from ACE expressing support for Senate action on the bipartisan amendment offered to H.R. 2486, the FUTURE Act (December 5, 2019)
AJCU joined ACE and other members of the higher education community in submitting comments to the U.S. Department of Education regarding the proposed Information Collection Request on Sec. 117 of the Higher Education Act, “Disclosures of Foreign Gifts and Contracts” (November 2019)
AJCU shared comments with the House Education and Labor Committee leadership on H.R. 4674, the College Affordability Act, to reauthorize the Higher Education Act (October 28, 2019)
AJCU joined 32 higher education associations to express support and concerns regarding H.R. 4674 (October 28, 2019)
AJCU joined with the American Council on Education and other higher education organizations to urge the House and the Senate to vote for legislation to extend funding for STEM programs at HBCUs and other Minority-Serving Institutions (September 2019)
AJCU called on the U.S. Senate HELP Committee to remove financial aid barriers for incarcerated students, as part of a comprehensive reauthorization of the Higher Education Act (July 22, 2019)
AJCU joined 31 national organizations to express support for graduate education and urge key policy makers to prioritize graduate education as part of any Higher Education Act reauthorization (July 15, 2019)
AJCU has joined higher education associations in signing onto a letter to the Senate HELP Committee from the Coalition for International Education, urging inclusion of the “Advancing International and Foreign Language Education Act” in the HEA reauthorization bill (May 14, 2019)
AJCU recently joined the American Council on Education and 31 other higher education associations on testimony presented to the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee on Addressing Campus Sexual Assault and Ensuring Student Safety and Rights in HEA Reauthorization (April 2, 2019)
AJCU joined higher education organizations in support of legislation to repeal the prohibition on Pell Grants for incarcerated individuals (April 2019). Click here for background information on the Beyond the Box for Higher Education Act.
Click here for a quick summary of the current Higher Education Act (HEA). The full text of the Act is included.

Budget and Appropriations

AJCU works on the Budget every year with the Administration and House and Senate Budget Committees. In addition, AJCU works on appropriationseach year with both the House and Senate. AJCU advocates for Federal Student Aid Programs such as Pell Grants, the Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant Program (SEOG), Federal Work Study (FWS), the Perkins Loan Program, TRIO and GearUP. AJCU also works on issues pertaining to graduate education, student loans, Parent Plus Loans, Teacher Education in Title II and international education.

*AJCU is an active member of the Committee for Education Funding (CEF)

TITLE IX

AJCU Letter to U.S. Department of Education on Proposed Regulations Implementing Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, 34 CFR Part 106 (January 29, 2019)
American Council on Education Letter to U.S. Department of Education on Proposed Regulations Implementing Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (January 30, 2019; signed by AJCU)

HOMELAND SECURITY & International Students

AJCU joined ACE and other higher education organizations seeking maximum flexibility in guidance for international students and exchange visitors for the Spring 2021 semester (December 4, 2020)
ACE, AJCU and other higher education organizations submitted comments to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on proposed changes to the H-1B Visa program (December 2, 2020)
AJCU joined the higher education community in a letter expressing concern to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Department of Labor regarding changes to the H1-B Visa program (November 9, 2020)
Comments from ACE (signed by AJCU) expressing concern with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s proposed rule on “Establishing a Fixed Time Period of Admission and an Extension of Stay Procedure for Nonimmigrant Academic Students, Exchange Visitors, and Representatives of Foreign Information Media” [DHS Docket No. ICEB-2019-0006] (October 26, 2020)
AJCU filed comments expressing concern with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s proposed rule on “Duration of Status” that would negatively impact international students (October 22, 2020)
AJCU lends support in an effort to ensure that the new Academic Subcommittee within the Homeland Security Advisory Council (charged with addressing critical homeland security issues related to academic institutions) uses the higher education community as a resource in its work (September 25, 2020)
AJCU joins ACE and others expressing concerns about House and Senate language included in the the FY21 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) related to memorandums of understanding (MOUs) establishing Confucius Institutes (September 18, 2020)
Letter from ACE, AJCU and other associations to the Acting Secretary of Homeland Security seeking clarity regarding the status of incoming international students for Fall 2020 (July 22, 2020)
Letter signed by U.S. colleges and universities including Jesuit institutions (February 3, 2017)
Letter signed by AJCU and other higher education associations (January 31, 2017)

Additional Issues

AJCU joined the higher education community in providing comments to the House and Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committees on the Protect the GI Bill Act (December 3, 2020)
Letter to President-Elect Biden and Vice President-Elect Harris from the higher education community (signed by AJCU) recommending quick action to reverse specific Trump Administration policies (November 18, 2020)
AJCU joined the higher education community in asking President Trump to repeal Executive Order 13950 on “Combating Race and Sex Stereotyping,” which applies to all federal contractors and grant recipients, including colleges and universities (October 10, 2020)
AJCU joined 50 higher ed associations expressing grave concern with the U.S. Department of Education regarding its unprecedented and unwarranted September 2020 investigation into Princeton University (September 30, 2020)

Affiliations

AJCU does not work alone. Here, you will find more information on just a small sample of allies in the work to shine a brighter light on the importance of higher education in the United States.

A note on regulations:

After the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was signed into law in 2010, regulations from the joint Departments of H&HS, Treasury and Labor were released in March 2011 mandating that religious institution’s employees and students would have access to contraceptive coverage. AJCU responded to this first NPRM on June 13, 2011 with a focus on the loss of religious freedom and concern over a new definition of a religious institution that had never been used before. AJCU also responded to the second NPRM of February 1, 2013 and filed a response on April 8, 2013. In this NPRM, AJCU thanked the Departments for inclusion of AJCU’s suggested language on establishing a precedent description for a religious institution.

COVID-19 Legislation

AJCU has joined the American Council on Education (ACE) and other higher education organizations to ask Congress to support students and institutions in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis:

AJCU joined ACE and other higher education associations in a letter to House and Senate leadership asking for an extension of the current suspension of payment and zero percent interest for all federal student loan borrowers, as well as the suspension of collections on defaulted loans, due to the COVID-19 pandemic (December 4, 2020)
More than 100 higher education associations, including AJCU, shared data-driven cost and loss estimates with House and Senate leadership in a letter requesting support for COVID supplemental funding for post-secondary students and institutions of higher education (December 2, 2020)
AJCU joined ACE and the higher education community on a letter to the Small Business Administration and Office of Management and Budget expressing concern about questions on the SBA’s Loan Necessity Questionnaire (Non-Profit Borrowers) related to the Paycheck Protection Program (November 25, 2020)
Letter from ACE (signed by AJCU) asking the U.S. Secretary of Education to extend the current suspension of payment and zero percent interest for federal student loan borrowers, as well as the suspension of collections on defaulted loans (November 20, 2020)
Letter from higher education community (signed by AJCU) requesting funding for colleges and universities in the next supplemental bill (October 19, 2020)
AJCU joined ACE and other higher education associations in a request for funding in the next COVID-19 supplemental bill (September 25, 2020)
Letters from higher education associations, including AJCU, requesting the extension of the provisions of S.3503 (a bill that authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide flexibility for programs of education that converted to distance learning due to COVID-19), and H.R. 6322 (the Student Veteran Coronavirus Response Act) (September 23, 2020)
AJCU letter to Congress, endorsing the Temporary Reciprocity to Ensure Access to Treatment (TREAT) Act (September 15, 2020)
AJCU joined ACE and other higher education associations in support of Sec. 1763 of the House-passed FY 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which provides needed clarity and assurances that international students can continue to study in the United States if the coronavirus pandemic forces their program to pivot to an online-only mode (September 15, 2020)
Letter from higher education associations, including AJCU, requesting that the Paycheck Protection and Main Street Lending Programs be included in the next COVID-19 relief package (August 6, 2020)
AJCU letter to Congress, requesting specific provisions for higher education in next supplemental bill (August 6, 2020)
AJCU joined ACE and other higher education associations to share their views on which student and institutional aid provisions should be included in Congress’ next supplemental bill (August 5, 2020)
AJCU joined higher education associations to express support for legislative fixes for specific tax provisions in the next COVID supplemental (August 3, 2020)
Letter from higher education associations, including AJCU, asking that Congress include measures to help student loan borrowers by extending and expanding loan relief provisions that were provided in the CARES Act (July 29, 2020)
Letter from higher education associations, including AJCU, endorsing S. 4317, the “SAFE TO WORK Act,” which will provide temporary and targeted liability protections related to the coronavirus pandemic (July 29, 2020)
Letter from higher education associations, including AJCU, asking Congress to ensure that any new initiatives in the next COVID-19 supplemental appropriations act are implemented effectively by the U.S. Department of Education (July 22, 2020)
Letter from higher education community to Acting Secretary of Homeland Security, Hon. Chad Wolf, urging the withdrawal of the July 6 guidance from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for international students (July 10, 2020)
Letter from higher education community seeking guidance for international students and exchange visitors with regard to the reopening of colleges and universities (July 2, 2020)
AJCU joined ACE and other higher education associations on a letter to the leaders of the Senate HELP Committee in response to questions regarding the costs involved in safely reopening college campuses this fall (July 2, 2020)
Letter from AJCU to Senators Chris Murphy (D-CT) and Roy Blunt (R-MO) expressing support for the bipartisan TREAT Act (June 30, 2020)
AJCU joined ACE and other higher education associations to suggest improvements to the proposed Main Street Lending Program—Nonprofit Organization Facilities (June 22, 2020)
AJCU joined EDUCAUSE and other higher education associations on a letter to Congressional leadership asking for consideration of proposals that address immediate problems with student broadband access, and advance and extend the nation’s broadband infrastructure (June 5, 2020)
AJCU joined higher education associations on a letter to the Chair and Ranking Member of the Senate HELP Committee, thanking them for holding a hearing on ways that U.S. colleges and universities can reopen their physical campuses in the fall (June 3, 2020)
AJCU joined ACE and other organizations on letters asking the Senate to expand the Paycheck Protection Program to all nonprofits, and to include nonprofits in the Main Street Lending Program (May 29, 2020)
AJCU joined the higher education community in requesting the U.S. Senate to provide additional grant support for students and institutions to assist in America’s recovery from the coronavirus pandemic (May 29, 2020)
Letter from higher education associations seeking targeted, limited liability protection related to COVID-19 (May 28, 2020)
AJCU signed onto a letter supporting the creation of a new facility for nonprofits with the Main Street Lending Program (May 22, 2020)
Higher education associations wrote to key administration officials in response to the April 22 White House executive order on immigration during the COVID-19 outbreak (April 30, 2020)
AJCU joined ACE and other associations to ask leaders of the House Committee on Financial Services and Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs to change the CARES Act Main Street Lending program to help accommodate higher education institutions (April 23, 2020)
- AJCU sent a similar letter to the House and Senate Small Business Committees seeking changes to the Paycheck Protection Program and COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan Emergency Program (April 23, 2020)
AJCU joins ACE and 30 other higher education associations on letters to the House and Senate requesting borrower relief for 13.7 million students borrowing to finance their education, and for the 44 million borrowers already in repayment as they struggle during this time of economic crisis (April 20, 2020)
AJCU wrote to the U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Education asking for clarification on DACA students’ eligibility for emergency student aid authorized in the CARES Act (April 17, 2020)
AJCU joins the higher education community in asking for clarification from the Federal Reserve on the eligibility of nonprofits, including institutions of higher education, for the Main Street Lending program (April 16, 2020)
AJCU requests protections for veterans’ education benefits during the COVID-19 crisis (April 13, 2020)
AJCU joins national associations in recommending tax proposals to help students and institutions of higher education in Stimulus 4 package (April 9, 2020)
House and Senate letters requesting additional grant assistance for students and institutions in Stimulus 4 signed by AJCU (April 9, 2020)
American Council on Education Letter to U.S. Department of Education to delay regulatory efforts on Title IX and Section 117 in light of COVID-19 (March 24, 2020)
Letters to the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate to support recovery efforts for students and institutions (March 20, 2020)
Letter to the U.S. House of Representatives in support of GI Bill benefits for veterans, in light of move to online learning (March 18, 2020)

UNDOCUMENTED STUDENTS

AJCU Presidents’ Statements on Undocumented Students (from multiple congresses)

Statement of AJCU Presidents on Undocumented Students (November 30, 2016)
AJCU Presidents’ Statement on Undocumented Students (January 2013)

DACA / Dream Act

Letter co-signed by over 600 institutions, including Jesuit colleges and universities, urging Congress to pass bipartisan legislation protecting Dreamers (September 16, 2019)
Letter co-signed by AJCU urging Senate leadership to prioritize and pass legislation protecting Dreamers (June 27, 2019)
Letter co-signed by AJCU urging House leadership to pass H.R. 6, the Dream and Promise Act of 2019 (June 3, 2019)
Letter co-signed by AJCU in support of the Senate Dream Act of 2019 (April 4, 2019)
Letter co-signed by AJCU in support of H.R. 6, the Dream and Promise Act of 2019 (March 20, 2019)
Letter co-signed by AJCU and Jesuit institutions in support of DACA (October 19, 2017)

Tax Policies

AJCU joined NACUBO and other higher ed organizations to offer comments to the IRS in response to proposed changes to unrelated business taxable income (UBTI) added by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) (June 22, 2020)
Letter written by National Association of College and University Business Officers and co-signed by AJCU, ACE and other organizations to provide comments in response to a NPRM from the IRS and Treasury Department on the implementation of the Excise Tax on certain private institutions (September 30, 2019)
Letter co-signed by AJCU urging swift passage of Kiddie Tax Scholarship Fix (June 21, 2019
Letter from AJCU to Bipartisan Senate Leadership and Senate Finance Committee to request passage of H. R. 1994 (Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act of 2019) (May 24, 2019)
Letter from AJCU to House Leadership to request support for H.R. 1994 (Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act of 2019)(May 21, 2019)
Letter co-signed by AJCU in support of H.R. 1994, Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act of 2019(May 20, 2019)

Click here to learn about the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.