By Carrie Warick, Director of Policy and Advocacy, and Raymond AlQaisi, Policy and Advocacy Manager
Reading time: 6 min.
We’re halfway into the first month of 2022, and the policy landscape is as clear as mud. But what is crystal clear is that NCAN is here to support our members and students as you advocate for more equitable, affordable access to higher education.
In addition to advocacy in Washington, we are also ramping up our state work because sometimes the policies close to home can have the biggest impact.
I (Carrie) would also like to share that this is my last blog post as NCAN’s director of policy and advocacy. It has been an honor to serve the NCAN membership as the leader of our advocacy work. Members are in good hands with co-author Raymond AlQaisi,
policy and advocacy manager. (And those who may be looking for a new way to impact policy can check out the job posting here.)
Now, moving on to the crystal ball of policy prediction for the year ahead.
🟢 What We Know for Certain
NCAN is here to support our members and students.
Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, NCAN members and our students have stepped up in full force to engage in policy discussions for college access, affordability, and success. We are so grateful for all your contributions and accomplishments, some
of which are highlighted in this summary of our work together in 2021.
As we head into year three of the pandemic, our policy and advocacy work carries even greater urgency. Please know that NCAN is here to support you on policy efforts to close equity gaps in attainment.
The college access and success community faces a challenging road ahead, but our collective voice will continue to make the case that we must rebuild for postsecondary equity. Together, we are all playing a huge role in helping today's students find greater
certainty in their college pursuits and in their path to earning a degree or credential.
To get involved, if you aren’t already, please consider joining NCAN’s Rapid Response Policy Team (RRPT) – a volunteer group of members who are interested in policy. RRPT is a crucial communication tool for us to connect with you and relay updates. All
NCAN members are welcome to join and can do so today by emailing Ray, at raymond@ncan.org.
There is much work to do quickly, with funding amounts for fiscal year 2022 still in limbo.
Congress continues to negotiate federal funding for fiscal year 2022 (FY22) appropriations, which technically began back on Oct. 1.
By extending past fiscal year funding levels until Feb. 18, lawmakers have given themselves until then to either 1) finalize FY22 appropriations, or 2) pass another stopgap bill to keep the government funded while they continue debating.
With this deadline approaching, we expect to learn more and to be able to share an update with members in the coming days.
Members, please note that the delay means that the maximum Pell Grant for the 2022-23 award year is not yet established.
Student loans will stay in the news.
In late December, the Biden administration announced it would extend the pause on federal student loan repayment, interest accrual,
and collections on defaulted loans for an additional 90 days. The extension of this relief for borrowers is now effective through May 1, 2022. With this update, the Department of Education (ED) has said that the administration continues
"to assess the impacts of the Omicron variant on student borrowers" and that the extension will "provide additional time for borrowers to plan for the resumption of payments."
ED has committed to continuing to provide tools and supports to borrowers so that they are prepared for repayment. Please see Federal Student Aid’s dedicated website on the repayment pause,
for more information.
Last October, the U.S. Department of Education announced significant, yet temporary, fixes to some of the issues that prevented many
borrowers from qualifying for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program. ED is offering a limited-time waiver where borrowers can now be credited for payments previously deemed ineligible toward the total count needed for PSLF. Borrowers
have until Oct. 31 to benefit from the waiver.
Elections will be the focus of the second half of the year.
2022 is a midterm election year. This means the U.S. House of Representatives will have district work periods for not only the month of August but also from the beginning of October through Election Day (Nov. 8).
With limited working days in September, Congress will likely tackle any high-priority before the end of July or wait until after the election. Most often, those days in September are spent finalizing appropriations, or in more recent years, passing a continuing
resolution and returning post-election to finish the funding process.
🟡 What is Murkier
The new year also brings new state legislative sessions. If your organization is focused on state-level policy and advocacy, this month will surely consist of much planning and discussion, particularly with governors’ State of the State addresses on
the horizon. How much will governors talk about higher education in their speeches? That remains to be seen, but we have our fingers crossed for some mentions of key issues like college affordability, need-based aid,
and FAFSA completion.
NCAN hopes to soon share opportunities to connect members and engage with you on state policy. Please stay tuned!
In the meantime, please check out NCAN’s updated state policy priorities page, where we have recommendations, research, and resources for states looking to advance equitable postsecondary access,
affordability, and attainment. You will also find a recently released series of state postsecondary policy reports, to which NCAN members lent their expertise and insights. Accompanying the overview report are individual policy profiles for six states
(California, Florida, New York, Ohio, Tennessee, and Texas), which cover in greater detail the policy landscape, emerging and urgent issues, and opportunities for future work.
Implementation of FAFSA Simplification
In December 2020, Congress passed the FAFSA Simplification Act, one of NCAN’s top policy priorities. The new law is set to go into effect for the 2024-25 academic year, which means there will be a completely new FAFSA on Oct. 1, 2023.
NCAN continues to learn more about the implementation process and offer feedback to the Office of Federal Student Aid, which oversees the aid application process.
🔴 What is Clear as Mud
Build Back Better
At the end of 2021, the Build Back Better framework negotiations on Capitol Hill fell apart. The $1.7 trillion
social spending package included, among many other provisions, a $550 increase to the maximum Pell Grant award.
Key to accomplishing the president’s domestic agenda, we expect that Democrats will continue to negotiate on the major package, in the hopes of passing a scaled-back or even piecemeal version of the legislation. NCAN is following the congressional discussions
closely and will keep members updated on new developments over the next few weeks (or months).
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