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NCSL Updates
NCSL Policy Directives and Resolutions
NCSL adopted or updated nearly 40 positions on state-federal issues during the Legislative Summit. Read more.
USDA Briefing for NCSL on New Tools to Combat Summer Hunger
Staff from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service will brief NCSL members on two new tools to fight child hunger when schools are closed for the summer: the non-congregate summer meal option for rural communities and the Summer EBT program. Join us on Sept. 6 at 3 p.m. ET to hear updates on these new options, including recent federal guidance, and to learn how state legislatures can support successful implementation. Register here.
What Borrowers Should Know as Student Loan Payments Restart
NCSL provides a full breakdown of everything borrowers should be aware of as student loan payments resume in September, including the latest on pathways to loan forgiveness and a new income-driven repayment plan. Read more.
Administration Updates
Education Department Launches New Income-Driven Student Loan Repayment Plan
The new Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) plan is now available to all student loan borrowers and is the most generous income-driven option compared with existing plans. Borrowers enrolled in the REPAYE plan will automatically be enrolled in the SAVE plan, and the SAVE application is now open for enrollment by all other borrowers. Read more.
Labor Department Updates Davis-Bacon Wage Regulations
The Department of Labor announced a new rule, “Updating the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts Regulation,” to raise the wage standards of construction workers on federal construction investments. The updates are designed to strengthen and streamline the process for setting and enforcing wages for more than 1 million construction workers on federally funded projects.
Background on the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts can be found here. The Labor Department will offer compliance seminars on Sept. 13-14. Register here. More information and FAQ on the rule can be found here.
DHS Makes Additional $77M Available to Communities Receiving Migrants
The Department of Homeland Security announced over $77 million in grants to support border and interior communities currently receiving migrants through the DHS Shelter and Services Program. Grant recipients can use the funding for temporary shelter and other costs migrants may incur while awaiting the outcome of their immigration cases.
As part of the announcement, DHS has also expanded the cap for hotels/motels and airfare to 10% of the total funding requested and created a waiver process for recipients who can show an operational need to waive the cap.
The announcement brings the total fiscal year 2023 funding of the Shelter and Services Program to over $363 million. The deadline to submit applications for the program is Monday, Sept. 11, at noon ET. Read more.