Dear friend,

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

I was back in Washington, D.C. for another busy legislative week.  On Monday, I introduced the National Specialized Support Personnel Appreciation Week resolution to recognize the more than one million support personnel who help students each day. On Tuesday, the House Committee on Education and Workforce convened for a markup of the House Budget Reconciliation bill. Also, alongside Reps. Sean Casten (IL-06), Gwen Moore (WI-04), and Don Beyer (VA-08), I led 39 House Democrats in sending a letter to Department of Education Secretary Linda McMahon demanding the agency immediately restore the shuttered Office for Civil Rights (OCR).

More from the week: I attended a roundtable entitled, Strengthening HBCUs: Advancing Black Higher Education, and I joined the New England Council to discuss my work in Congress. Additionally, the Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions convened a hearing entitled, Investing for the Future: Honoring ERISA’s Promise to Participants. I am also including an update on the legislation before the House.

For my full recap, please read below.

National Specialized Support Personnel Appreciation Week

On Monday, I introduced bipartisan legislation to recognize more than one million Specialized Instructional Support Personnel (SISP) across the United States by designating the week of April 28, 2025, as “National Specialized Instructional Support Personnel Appreciation Week.”

Specialized Instructional Support Personnel are crucial in helping students navigate learning challenges by identifying strengths, talents, interests, and areas that hinder overall academic performance. These professionals—including school counselors, psychologists, social workers, occupational therapists, library media specialists, speech-language pathologists, and others—collaborate with teachers, staff, families, and the community to remove barriers.

Learn more about the National Specialized Instructional Support Personnel Appreciation Week resolution here.

House Committee on Education and Workforce Budget Markup

On Tuesday, the House Committee on Education and Workforce convened for a markup of the House Budget Reconciliation bill.

The budget legislation put forward by my Republican colleagues is shameful. Rather than helping student borrowers, the legislation would force students into the private loan market, making college less affordable and leading to fewer students pursuing college. Education is supposed to be the great equalizer, but this legislation would only perpetuate inequality in our country.

I offered two amendments to the legislation. My first amendment focused on teacher debt relief. Specifically, the amendment would have ensured teachers could use their ten years of service in a qualifying school district for both the Stafford Student Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program and the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program.

I also offered an amendment to ensure that no provisions in the budget resolution contribute to the hunger crisis on college campuses.  Unfortunately, the amendments were not adopted in the final version of the bill that advanced out of Committee.

Department of Education Office of Civil Rights

Alongside Reps. Sean Casten (IL-06), Gwen Moore (WI-04), and Don Beyer (VA-08), I led39 House Democrats in sending a letter to Department of Education Secretary Linda McMahon demanding the agency immediately restore the shuttered Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and fulfill its statuary civil rights mandate.

The OCR is the core federal body that protects the rights of students to equal access to education. OCR lawyers and staff are responsible for investigating complaints of discrimination brought by students against schools.

Shuttering offices across the country will leave the Department with reduced capacity to protect vulnerable students.

The full letter is available here.

HBCU Roundtable

On Tuesday, I attended a roundtable entitled, Strengthening HBCUs: Advancing Black Higher Education.

The roundtable brought together the leadership of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), students, advocacy organizations, and Members of Congress to discuss key issues, including college student food security, workforce readiness, and school infrastructure. 

We also discussed how lawmakers can protect federal partnerships and funding streams that support HBCU students.

New England Council Capitol Conversations

The New England Council is a non-partisan alliance of businesses, academic and health institutions, and public and private organizations throughout New England formed to promote economic growth and a high quality of life in the New England region.

On Wednesday, I joined the group to discuss my work as a member of Congress. We also discussed how Congress can mitigate the harmful impact of the President’s recent trade and tariff policies.

Honoring ERISA’s Promise to Patients

On Wednesday, the Committee held a hearing entitled, Investing for the Future: Honoring ERISA’s Promise to Participants.  The hearing focused on the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), the federal law that regulates private sector retirement and health plans.

Environmental, Social, and Governance factors, or ESGs, can encompass a wide range of risks and opportunities in an investment portfolio. Workers may not want their savings to go towards a company that is polluting the environment, diverting resources from struggling neighborhoods, or violating labor laws.

A 2020 ESG rule implemented by the Trump Administration would limit the consideration of ESG factors in retirement plans governed by ERISA and impose undue regulatory burdens on retirement plan fiduciaries.

Investors care about how companies operate. Fiduciaries should have the ability to focus on all relevant factors when making investment decisions for their clients.

Listen to my remarks here.

Floor Update

The Congressional Review Act (CRA) is a tool that Congress may use to overturn a rule issued by a federal agency. This measure also blocks agencies from implementing similar rules in the future.

Last week, House Republicans advanced a series of CRAs that would undo vital protections provided by the Environment Protection Agency (EPA). This includes rules regarding clean air, clean energy, and vehicle emissions. There were additional CRAs to limit the ability of the National Park Service (NPS) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to protect public lands and natural resources. 

I voted against this legislation to preserve and protect our environment for generations to come.

And that’s a wrap!

Thank you for taking the time to read this update. Please be assured I will continue to advocate for your priorities.

Jahana Hayes

Member of Congress