Dear John,

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

Last week, the House passed H.R. 8070 – the Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025. My full statement on the passage of the legislation is included below. On Thursday, I introduced the Time for Completion Act, bipartisan legislation to ensure community colleges more accurately report graduation rates and provide increased transparency for students when selecting an academic institution. Also, the House Committee on Education and the Workforce held a full committee markup of nine pieces of legislation, including H.R. 8606, the Never Again Education Reauthorization and Study Act of 2024 and  H.R. 618, the Improving Access to Workers' Compensation for Injured Federal Workers Act. 

More from the week: I met with the National Association of Secondary School Principals Principal Recovery Network (PRN). Also, I joined my colleague Rep. Leger Fernandez (NM-03) for the launch of the Head Start to Congress Caucus and welcomed students participating in the Connecticut History Day program to the Capitol. 

For my full recap, please read below. 

 H.R. 8070 – the Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2025

Last week, the House passed H.R. 8070, the Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2025.

The fiscal year 2025 NDAA started as a truly bipartisan bill, passing out of the House Armed Services Committee on a 57-1 bipartisan vote. After months of collaboration, the bill funds American defense and national security priorities and supports our service members.

The initial bill contained numerous bipartisan and monumental investments that I have supported. These include historic pay raises for service members, an increase in the basic housing allowance for service members and their families, increased support for military spouses, increases in childcare provider pay on Department of Defense (DOD) facilities, and a $125 million investment in Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

Additionally, the final NDAA passed by the House includes my amendment requiring DOD to ensure suicide prevention and behavioral health resources on DOD and military base websites are up-to-date and certify this information is up to date to Congress. This amendment was included in the 2024 NDAA and through its renewal for fiscal year 2025 will ensure service members have access to vital mental health resources no matter where they are stationed.

Despite this strong bipartisan support, House Republicans overhauled the NDAA to include harmful amendments to attack and defund reproductive and LGBTQI+ health care, roll back diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives throughout our armed forces, and deny funding to combat climate change.

Unfortunately, these extreme, dangerous, and misguided amendments fundamentally changed the legislation, and I could not support the final passage of the NDAA and voted against the bill on the floor.

I welcome the opportunity to return to a bipartisan bill that supports both our national defense and our service members and their families.

Time for Completion Act

On Thursday, I introduced the Time for Completion Act, bipartisan legislation to ensure community colleges more accurately report graduation rates and provide increased transparency for students when selecting an academic institution. The legislation is co-led by Rep. John R. Curtis (UT-03).

Currently, community colleges and other institutions of higher education are required to report graduation rates only for first-time, full-time students. This excludes millions of nontraditional students and leads to incomplete reporting, especially by community colleges.

According to a report by the Association of Community College Trustees, over half of students at community colleges are enrolled part-time. Under current law, these students are excluded from reporting on graduation rates. 

The Time for Completion Act expands existing reporting requirements to ensure schools provide data on all student populations, including part-time and returning, students with disabilities, and others who are earning a full-time degree or certificate at community colleges. By including all students, community college reporting will more accurately reflect student success and allow students to better evaluate institutions of higher education.

Prospective students need as much information as possible when pursuing pathways for higher education. The Time for Completion Act aims to empower students so they may carefully choose the institution that is right for them.

Learn more about the Time for Completion Act here. 

House Committee on Education and the Workforce Full Committee Markup

On Thursday, the House Committee on Education and the Workforce held a full committee markup of nine pieces of legislation.  

Of particular note in the markup is H.R. 8606, the Never Again Education Reauthorization and Study Act of 2024. This legislation promotes tolerance by extending the mandate of the United States Holocaust Museum to disseminate Holocaust education resources through Fiscal Year 2030 and by commissioning a study on Holocaust education in public schools. The bill was reported out of the Committee by a vote of 40-0.

The Committee also advanced H.R. 618, the Improving Access to Workers' Compensation for Injured Federal Workers Act on a bipartisan basis. This legislation allows nurse practitioners and physician assistants to act as eligible providers under the FECA program within the scope of their practice according to state law and expands options for federal workers to receive medical treatment, especially in rural areas, so they can get back to work sooner.

Unfortunately, several of the remaining bills were advanced by the Committee without adopting key amendments that would have improved the legislation.

The full markup can be found here.

Meeting with the NASSP Principal Recovery Network

The National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) Principal Recovery Network (PRN) is a national network of current and former school leaders who have experienced gun violence tragedies in their buildings. Last week, members of the organization visited Washington to advocate for national school safety enhancements and violence prevention programs.

I had the pleasure of meeting with Sandy Hook Elementary School Principal Dr. Kathy Gombos. During our meeting, Dr. Gombos and I discussed how Congress can build on the work of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act by passing critical mental health legislation. This includes the Mental Health of Educators and Staff Act – legislation to establish grants and requires other activities to improve mental and behavioral health among education professionals and other school staff; and the Mental Health Services for Students Act, which provides $130 million in competitive grants for schools, expanding the scope of Project AWARE (Advancing Wellness and Resilience in Education) by providing on-site licensed mental health professionals in schools across the country.

Learn more about the Mental Health Services for Students Act here.

Learn more about the Mental Health of Educators and Staff Act here. 

Launching the Head Start to Congress Caucus

Head Start is an early childhood education model committed to 360-degree development of the whole child – providing a strong foundation which sets children up for a lifetime of learning and growth in school and in the wider world. Above all, Head Start is more than a place of learning, it connects families to vital services and is one of the greatest antipoverty programs in our nation. 

In Connecticut, Head Start supports more than 5,000 children and families.

As an alumna of the Head Start program, I was thrilled to join my colleague Rep. Leger Fernandez (NM-03) for the launch of the Head Start to Congress Caucus. This caucus will highlight the importance of funding for Head Start programs, many of which continue to face substantial challenges in recruiting and retaining qualified staff as programs struggle to pay competitive wages and provide proper benefits.

Earlier this year, I led the Fiscal Year 2025 Head Start Appropriations letter requesting $15.67 billion for Head Start and Early Head Start, an increase of approximately $3 billion from Fiscal Year 2024. 

Every student deserves the Head Start they need to be successful for the rest of their lives. I look forward to increasing opportunities for early childhood success as a member of the Head Start to Congress Caucus. 

CT History Day

Last week, I welcomed Connecticut History Day students to the Capitol with Rep. John Larson (CT-01) and Rep. Joe Courtney (CT-02).

These Connecticut students were in Washington, D.C. to compete in the 50th National History Day along with nearly 3,000 students from around the country and globe. The National History Day program engages students in historical research and creative expression. For months, program participants worked on project research and preparation, presented in the state contest and now in the national competition. 

Congratulations to all on a job well done!

That’s a wrap! 

Thank you for taking the time to read this update. As always, please continue to share your thoughts and priorities with me. 

Jahana Hayes
Member of Congress