| Dear Colleagues,
I want to provide a brief update of activity on Capitol Hill on issues that may affect you.
FLSA
There has been some movement on a postponement of the timing of FLSA implementation deadline. Congressman Walberg of Michigan introduced the end of last week the Regulatory Relief for Small Businesses, Schools and Nonprofits (HR 6094).
Congressman Walberg introduced legislation last spring to ensure there was a balanced approach to updating overtime rules. The Department of Labor went forward with the quick turnaround of the rule.
This bill has just been scheduled to hit the floor on Thursday. While there is not much hope that anything will happen right now, the hope is to get this more moderate approach under review, allowing more time for discussion of a more balanced and incremental approach. Potentially, this approach could find passage during the "lame duck" session after the election.
Our public policy consultant is preparing a statement that our External Relations Advisory Board and Executive Team will review and determine whether ACPA will sign.
Please send any input you wish to share to my e-mail on or before September 30. clove@acpa.nche.edu
Thank you to Carol Graves Holladay at Hurt, Norton & Associates
for tracking this activity on Capitol Hill.
Accessible Instructional Materials in Higher Education (AIM HE) Act
We join with ACE in support of the AIM HE Act which was introduced in the House Last week by Reps. Phil Roe (R-TN) and Joe Co.
"The AIM HE Act will create a commission charged with developing voluntary accessibility guidelines for instructional materials used in postsecondary educational programs. The commission also will develop a list of existing information technology standards on accessibility as a resource for colleges and universities and the companies that work with them," said Terry W. Hartle, ACE senior vice president for government and public affairs.
US Department of State Religion and Diplomacy Conference
I represented ACPA at the US Department of State Religion and Diplomacy Conference (#RaDCoN) on Monday, September 26 and Tuesday, September 27.
On Monday, conference attendees at the State Department offices discussed the topic of "Engaging Religious Actors to Promote Human Rights: The Marrakesh Declaration." Today the topics were presented at the Pew Research Center and Georgetown University including "The Gender Gap in Religion Around the World"and the influence of the Academy in perpetuating bias and ways to support change.
This is an exciting time to explore these topics within ACPA and to amplify the voices and research by ACPA scholars regarding the influence of faith, religion, and belief as they relate to student development, the administration of student affairs, and the organization of governance structures within a college, community college, or university setting.
I adapted our framing questions for you to consider on your campuses.
- Are religious groups and leaders partners or problems in efforts to promote human rights, social justice, human dignity, equity and inclusion?
- How does a history of lived interfaith coexistence survive substantial stresses, like conflict and extremist movements? How do senior-level religious leaders connect with and influence local grassroots networks, and how do they influence campus policies and practices?
And, the Washington Secretariat convenes next week for the first time in this academic term. I will provide a more comprehensive report after that session.
Best,
Cindi Love, Ed.D.
Executive Director, ACPA |
