Dear John,

Welcome to your Weekly Wrap, a recap of the week in Congress and highlights of my work.

Last week, the House Committee on Education and the Workforce held a markup of the College Cost Reduction Act. I offered three amendments to the bill including, provisions from my legislation, the Teacher Debt Relief Act. Unfortunately, my amendments were not included in the final text. Also, I co-led the introduction of the Expanding Access to Mental Health Services in Schools Act.

More from the week: I introduced the Paraprofessionals and Education Support Staff Resolution, which calls for living wages, good benefits, and fair working conditions for paraeducators, classroom assistants, bus drivers, custodial workers, and others who are vital to our education system. On Tuesday, I met with representatives from the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education (CABE). Lastly, the House passed the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act.

For the full recap, please read below. 

Markup of the College Cost Reduction Act

On Thursday, the House Committee on Education and the Workforce held a markup of the College Cost Reduction Act. Despite the name, the College Cost Reduction Act contains multiple short-sighted provisions, which would create a bleak landscape for access and affordability for degree-seeking students. It would eliminate the Parent and Graduate PLUS loans, making it more difficult for low-income students to afford school. Additionally, this bill makes sweeping reforms to the higher education accreditation process and oversight. These changes provide ill-informed flexibility to both institutions of higher education and accreditors that will erode the quality of education.

During the markup, I offered three amendments to improve the larger bill to put students on a pathway to post-secondary success. Unfortunately, these amendments were not included in the final text of the legislation. 

1. Providing Debt Relief for Teachers
   • Across the nation, educator pay continues to decline making it more challenging to recruit and retain teachers and for those teachers to pay off their debts. My legislation, The Teacher Debt Relief Act, would make a technical correction to ensure teachers can use their five years of classroom service to qualify for both the Stafford Student Loan Forgiveness (SSLF) program and toward the ten years of loan payments required for Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program.     
2. Doubling the Federal Pell Grant Program
   •  The federal Pell Grant program is the foundation of the federal student aid program. Unfortunately, due to the rising costs of college and a lack of state investments, the purchasing power of the Pell Grant has declined. My amendment would have doubled the maximum Pell Grant and ensure students who receive federal benefits, such as SNAP, WIC, and Medicaid, automatically qualify for the maximum Pell Grant and are eligible to receive up to an additional $1,500 in aid. Additionally, it would index the Pell Grant to inflation to keep up with rising costs.
3. Eliminating the Misguided Accreditation Provision  
   
   •  Institution Accreditation provides students with the assurance of receiving a quality education and gaining recognition by other colleges and by employers for the course credits and degrees earned. Provisions in the College Cost Reduction Act weaken the authority of accreditors - opening the door to political influence for states to have more authority over school accreditation. My amendment would have eliminated this dangerous provision. 

Higher Education should be accessible and affordable for students nationwide. The College Cost Reduction Act works against this goal. For this reason, I voted against advancing the legislation out of committee. 

The Expanding Access to Mental Health Services in Schools Act

In 2021, almost 15% of children in the United States ages 5 to 17 received treatment for mental health, 8% had taken medication, and nearly 12% participated in therapy or counseling, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Children deserve easy access to child-centered and trauma-informed mental health services. We must meet them where they are – in schools. Having qualified health professionals readily available for students improves academic outcomes and plays a key role in healthy development. 
 
Last week, I co-led the introduction of the Expanding Access to Mental Health Services in Schools Act alongside my colleagues Representatives Rosa DeLauro (CT-03) and Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01). This legislation addresses the urgent need for mental health professionals in schools. Specifically, the legislation builds upon the work of the School Based Mental Health Services Grants program by allowing school districts and states to directly increase the number of vital mental health professionals, like school counselors, social workers, and psychologists. 

Additional information on the Expanding Access to Mental Health Services in Schools Act is available here.

The Paraprofessionals and Education Support Staff Resolution

On Wednesday, I introduced the Paraprofessionals and Education Support Staff Resolution, which calls for living wages, good benefits, and fair working conditions for paraeducators, classroom assistants, bus drivers, custodial workers, and others who are vital to our education system.

As of 2023, there were approximately 12,000 paraeducators across Connecticut working with an annual salary of about $27,000. According to a 2022 EdWeek survey, a third of paraprofessionals say they work two or more jobs—with the additional jobs typically outside of education. Additionally, more than a quarter of paraprofessionals say they cannot afford to live in the community where they work, and some workers say they have had to rely on government or community assistance to support themselves or their families.

My legislation calls for these public servants to have a meaningful voice in workplace policies, the right to negotiate for better working conditions, year-round job security, and opportunities for growth. 

Learn more about the Paraprofessionals and Education Support Staff Resolution here. 

Meeting with the Connecticut Boards of Education

On Tuesday, I was happy to welcome representatives from the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education (CABE) to Washington, D.C., for their annual legislative conference. For decades, CABE has been the voice of more than 1,300 board of education members across Connecticut. 

As we discussed in our meeting, local boards have the most impact on the day-to-day operations of our school districts. It was great to hear their priorities as we work to craft policy solutions for students and families. 

Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act

The Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act of 2024 is a $78 billion bipartisan relief package to provide tax relief to American families and businesses.  The legislation: 

1. Expands the Child Tax Credit (CTC)
   • The current cap for the refundable CTC is $1,600. Under the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act, the cap amount rises to $1,800 in the tax year 2023, $1,900 in the tax year 2024, and $2,000 in the tax year 2025.
   • Estimates indicate 25,000 children living in the Fifth District would benefit from this expansion.
   • Roughly 16 million children in low-income families would benefit in the first year— and half a million children could be lifted out of poverty.
2. Raises the ceiling for the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC)
   • The Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act reinstates a 12.5% increase in the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit, which supports affordable housing efforts. 
3. Supports main street businesses 
   •  The Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act increases the amount of investments a small business can write off, provides disaster relief to businesses recovering from recent hurricanes, flooding, wildfires, and the Ohio rail disaster, and adjusts the reporting threshold for businesses relying on subcontract labor. 

On Wednesday, I joined my colleagues in advancing the legislation out of the House, sending the bill to the Senate, where it awaits further action.

And that’s a wrap! 

Jahana Hayes

Member of Congress