Yesterday, Congress approved a $2.3 trillion combined package of FY 21 funding and COVID relief.
The Department of Education received a $785 million overall increase in FY 21, a far cry from the $7 billion funding cut proposed earlier this year by the Administration. HHS received a $2.1 billion boost, including an additional $1.25 billion for NIH and $151 million more for HRSA. The bill also includes a significant expansion of Pell Grant eligibility, FAFSA simplification, restarts the "Second Chance Pell" program for incarcerated students, and restores Pell eligibility for students defrauded by for profit entities.
The COVID relief provisions in the Act provide $22.7 billion to postsecondary institutions through the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund created in the CARES Act, with $20 billion distributed by formula to both public and private non-profit institutions of higher education to help defray costs caused by the pandemic and also provide student support services. In addition, $1.3 billion in loans made to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) under the HBCU Capital Financing Loan program were discharged.
The Labor-HHS-Education bill provides the HRSA Title VII Health Professions and Title VIII Nursing Workforce Development programs with $754 million for FY 21, a $19.5 million (3%) increase from FY 20 enacted levels. Programs receiving funding increases include geriatric programs, mental and behavior health programs, and the Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training program.
The bill text may be accessed here.
The Labor-HHS-Education joint explanatory statement may be accessed here.
An Education & Labor Committee Press Release may be accessed here.
A HRSA Title VII and VIII Health Workforce Programs Funding Chart may be accessed here.
