Yesterday, Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), along with 18 other members of the Senate Democratic Caucus, introduced the Coronavirus Child Care and Education Relief Act (CCCERA) (S. 4112). The bill would provide nearly $430 billion in federal aid to support child care centers, elementary and secondary education, higher education, and workforce education.
This legislation follows the broader HEROES Act from the House Democrats, and comes in advance of a proposal that Senate Republicans said they will release later in July. Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) – Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee chair – has said schools and colleges will need more funding to open safely this fall.
The Democrats’ CCCERA would provide $132 billion for higher education, $175 billion for elementary and secondary education, and $33 billion for the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Fund. The higher ed funding would go to the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) established in the CARES Act. The Senate proposal is substantially larger than the roughly $30 billion for higher ed proposed in the House Democrats’ HEROES Act.
The proposed CCCERA bill would make changes to how some of the HEERF dollars are distributed and used. Institutions would again be able to use funding to offset their own pandemic-related costs as well as provide emergency grant aid to students (as they are able to do with CARES Act funding). But, crucially, CCCERA would prohibit the U.S. Department of Education from limiting which students are able to receive the emergency education grants. This means institutions would be able to give grants to undocumented students and others not eligible for Title IV federal financial aid.
Additionally, if CCCERA becomes law, institutions will receive their funding based on total student enrollment, not full-time equivalent (FTE) count. Critics of the CARES Act said the use of FTE shortchanged community colleges that have large portions of part-time enrollments. The bill also includes a $2 billion for a Community College and Industry Partnership Grants program.
NCAN supports additional investment in higher education institutions, particularly community colleges, and the ability for colleges to provide emergency grants to all of their students. NCAN also appreciates the additional support that CCCERA would provide to help students access the internet and technological devices needed for remote study.
The next steps for both CCCERA and the House HEROES Act are dependent on the Republicans in each chamber. Congress will take a two-week recess for the Fourth of July holiday, returning July 20. Any movement on the next COVID relief package is expected to happen between July 20 and the August recess that begins on Aug. 3.
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