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This week in Washington

April 24, 2009

Congress resumed legislative business last week after a two-week Spring District Work period. The following is a recap of recent activities in Washington, D.C. of interest to the UCLA community.

CONGRESS

FY2010 Budget Resolution

Prior to the recess, the House and Senate passed separate versions of a federal budget resolution for FY2010. Conferees from both chambers met late this week to reconcile differences between the two versions. Reports from Capitol Hill today indicate that negotiators have reached a tentative deal on major elements of the budget resolution. The $3.5 trillion compromise would trim $10 billion from President Obama’s discretionary spending request, though conferees are still seeking a compromise on the final total for non-defense discretionary spending. The House measure provides $532.6 billion in total discretionary spending, while the Senate bill allows for $525 billion. The budget resolution reportedly also includes instructions to fast-track comprehensive health care and education reform.

House and Senate negotiators plan to hold a formal conference committee meeting on April 27. Democratic leaders would like to have the final budget adopted next week as the President marks his first 100 days in office. For full details on the FY2010 budget resolution, see the Budget Committee sites at http://budget.house.gov/and http://budget.senate.gov/.

Education Reform in the FY2010 Budget

Of great interest to the higher education community, the final budget resolution is likely to contain instructions to make the Pell Grant program a federal entitlement and to curtail the role of private lenders in the federal student loan program. President Obama has announced his desire to eliminate the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) program as a way to pay for a mandatory Pell Grant system. As an FFEL institution, UCLA would be required to transition to a direct lending system.

A group of 24 higher education associations, spearheaded by the American Council on Education (ACE), sent a letter earlier this week urging Congress to move the Pell Grant program from the discretionary side of the federal budget to the mandatory side. The letter noted that converting the Pell Grant program to an entitlement could be largely funded by eliminating the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) program and moving all student lending to the federal Direct Loan Program. The letter added that “…[A]lthough many of our institutions remain wary of this change, they are open to considering it in order to secure an authentic Pell Grant entitlement…”  Click here to read the higher education associations’ letter.

In addition, this week, the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA) released its “roadmap” for reforming the student financial aid system. The NASFAA report, entitled “National Conversation Initiative Preliminary Report and Recommendations,” calls for numerous reforms and recommends creating a single, new student loan program that combines the best aspects of the Direct Loan, FFEL, and Perkins Loan programs. To read the full report, visit: http://nasfaa.org/redesign/nci/ncicenter.html.

Energy and Climate Change Legislation

As reported in the April 4 “Week in Washington” edition, the House Energy and Commerce (E&C) Committee released a discussion draft of the American Clean Energy and Security Act as a starting point for comprehensive energy and climate legislation. E&C Chairman Henry Waxman (D-West Los Angeles) has set an ambitious schedule for his committee to complete work on this legislation by Memorial Day.

This week, the E&C Subcommittee on Energy and Environment held four consecutive hearings on various provisions of the bill. Witnesses included Energy Secretary Steven Chu, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, and former Vice President Al Gore, along with numerous other representatives from government, industry, and academia. For a full list of hearing witnesses and links to testimonies and webcasts, visit the Energy and Environment Subcommittee website.

UCLA faculty who specialize in energy and climate change research and policies are strongly encouraged to provide comments on the American Clean Energy and Security Act. Comments may be sent to Sarah Ervin, Assistant Director of Federal Relations. Sarah will share comments with appropriate committee staff. Sarah can be reached at: servin@support.ucla.edu.

For a summary of the provisions and link to the full text of the legislation, click here.

WHITE HOUSE AND FEDERAL AGENCIES

ARRA Update

On April 20, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger released $3.1 billion in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds for California school districts and universities. The U.S. Department of Education announced that California was the first state in the nation to gain approval for its share of the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund dollars within the federal recovery act.

Of the total ARRA funding for California schools, the University of California is eligible for $268 million. Because $255 million of that amount had previously been taken into account in the February state budget, the ARRA funding reduces the UC system’s current $450 million state funding shortfall by $13 million.

Aside from the money released under the ARRA State Fiscal Stabilization Fund, the federal recovery act provides increased funding for federal research grants and student financial aid. The package increases the value of Pell Grants by up to $619 for FY2009, and provides expanded federal education tax credits estimated to be worth $88 million to the families of UC students.

For more on the impact of ARRA funding for UC, visit: http://www.advocacy.ucla.edu/news/090420_statenews.htm.

For the latest ARRA updates and guidelines, visit the official White House Recovery website at http://www.recovery.gov.

UCLA Faculty and staff interested in grant opportunities should visit specific agency sites for the most recent announcements. The full list of agency recovery sites is available through the UCLA Office of Contracts and Grant Administration (OCGA) website: http://www.research.ucla.edu/ocga/ARRA.htm.

NIH Stem Cell Guidelines

This week, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) released draft Guidelines on Human Stem Cell Research, as part of the implementation of President Obama’s March 9, 2009 Executive Order 13505 for Removing Barriers to Responsible Scientific Research Involving Human Stem Cells. According to NIH, the goal of the guidelines is to “establish policy and procedures under which NIH will fund research in this area, and to help ensure that NIH-funded research in this area is ethically responsible, scientifically worthy, and conducted in accordance with applicable law.” Of concern to the stem cell research community, the draft guidelines would prohibit federal funding for research on stem cell lines created through somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). The SCNT technique, sometimes referred to as “therapeutic cloning,” is used to create disease-specific human embryonic stem cell lines on which to conduct research and test therapies.

NIH is currently seeking public comment on the draft guidelines, which were published in the Federal Register on April 23. UCLA faculty are strongly encouraged to provide input on the mechanics and other details set forth in the draft guidelines. UCLA Federal Relations is coordinating with UCOP, the Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research (CAMR), and other research associations to review and submit official comments on the stem cell guidelines. The deadline for submitting public comments is May 26, 2009.

UCLA ADVOCACY

Chancellor Block in Washington, D.C.

Chancellor Block participated in a number of Congressional and Agency visits during his trip to Washington, D.C earlier this week. His meetings focused on UCLA’s research in alternative energy, funding for low- and middle-income students, and passage of the American Dream Act. Chancellor Block provided interested lawmakers with an update on the UCLA Community School to be opened this fall at the site of the former Ambassador Hotel.

As his visit to Washington coincided with the PRO-test rally held on campus, Chancellor Block also informed legislators of recent activities surrounding animal rights activists and the steps UCLA is taking to protect researchers.

CleanTech Los Angeles

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa recently announced the public launch of CleanTech Los Angeles, a collaborative effort by local government agencies, academic institutions, and the business community to establish Los Angeles as a global capital for clean technology. The mission of CleanTech LA is to promote research, commercialization, production, and deployment of new clean technologies, as well as to support the development of capital, talent, and workforce to drive new “green” industries.

UCLA is a lead partner in CleanTech LA. Chancellor Block signed a formal Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on April 15. Other signatories include Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa,

CalTech President Jean-Lou Chameau, USC President Steven Sample, Los Angeles County Economic Development President Bill Allen, Los Angeles Business Council President Mary Leslie, and Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce President Gary Toebben.

The CleanTech LA partnership is currently working to develop strategies related to the California Climate Change Institute, the CleanTech Manufacturing Center, and the Clean Technology Research Center. Planned future programs include a CleanTech Corridor, advocacy for federal and state funding, and greater collaborations and partnerships.

UCLA Federal Relations and counterparts at CalTech, USC, and the City have reached out to our Los Angeles area Congressional delegation to inform them of this new initiative. For more information on CleanTechLA, visit: http://www.cleantechlosangeles.org/.

UCLA Day in D.C.

UCLA Federal Relations will sponsor its federal advocacy trip to Washington, D.C. on May 11-13, 2009. This year, our alumni, students, and staff will be traveling to Capitol Hill to advocate for increases for federal financial aid programs. At UCLA, more than one-third of undergraduates qualify for federal Pell Grants and nearly 70% receive some form of need-based financial aid. Many of these students will be joining us in May to share their personal stories and experiences with Members of Congress and their staff.

We will also host a “UCLA in D.C.” reception on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, May 12 for the California Congressional Delegation and UCLA Alumni who live in the DC-metro area. John Brooks Slaughter (UCLA M.S. 1961), President and CEO of the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering (NACME),former Director of NSF, and past president of Occidental College, will be our keynote speaker.

For more information about “UCLA Day in D.C,” visit: www.advocacy.ucla.edu/events.html.