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Capitol to Capitol | July 22, 2024

July 22, 2024

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NCSL Update

NCSL Legislative Summit in Louisville

Access the policy directives and resolutions that the NCSL Standing Committees expect to consider during their committee business meetings at the NCSL Legislative Summit in Louisville, Ky.  Aug. 5-7. Final votes on all policy directives and resolutions will take place at the annual NCSL Business Meeting, scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 7, starting at 9:15 a.m. Read more

Administration Updates

Two Years Into 988—Many States Without Sustainable Funding

When the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline launched in July 2022, it did so with significant federal investments from the American Rescue Plan and Bipartisan Safer Communities Act that total $1.5 billion to date. Those funds have helped to support over 200 call centers across the country that have collectively responded to over 10 million calls, texts and chats. When federal funds wind down however, ongoing funding of local call centers will be the responsibility of state and local governments—and not all states have implemented long-term funding strategies.

Prior to the launch of—and in anticipation of the funding needs of the lifeline—Congress passed the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act of 2020, which authorized states to enact telecommunications fees as a sustainable way to fund 988 operations, data collection and mobile crisis efforts. This is like the way that 911 is funded. According to a July 2024 report from the National Alliance of Mental Illness, 10 states have enacted such fees while others have provided one-time appropriations to support 988. Some states have enacted legislation mandating insurance coverage of mobile crisis and crisis stabilization services.

Expansion of services to Spanish speakers, LGBTQI+ youth and adults and videophone options in ASL have all likely contributed to the rise in call volume nationally. Additionally, georouting—technology that routes callers to call centers based on their approximate physical location versus their phone’s area code—is expected to be launched later this year. All these efforts and other innovations to improve access to mental health will require ongoing funding. It's possible that telecom fees may become part of the solution. A map of 988 state legislation can be found here. Read more.

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Proposes New Rule to Help Struggling Homeowners Stay in Their Homes

The CFPB proposed rule would permit loan servicers to offer options for struggling borrowers like temporarily pausing payments or loan term extension for lower monthly payments. According to the proposal, reducing foreclosures has immediate positive financial impacts on not only the individuals but the local housing and mortgage market and overall economy.

Currently, rules dating back to 2014 regulate the mortgage industry and were developed in response to the millions of foreclosures that occurred between 2006-2014. These rules saw a temporary shift during the pandemic, as the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau sought ways to help struggling borrowers. This rulemaking requests comments on making some of these pandemic-era changes permanent as a means for improving assistance for borrowers undergoing financial difficulty.

The proposal includes four main changes:

  • Requiring mortgage servicers to assist borrowers first before foreclosing and limiting the fees they could charge a borrower while options are being reviewed.
  • Streamlining application paperwork to make the process less cumbersome.
  • Improving notice communications between the borrower and servicer.
  • Ensuring the delivery of notice and information in the language of the borrower’s choice.

Comments on the proposal must be received by Sept. 9. Read more.

Biden-Harris Administration Unveils Measures to Protect US R&D from Foreign Threats

The Office of Science and Technology issued a memorandum to federal research agencies defining covered institutions and outlining four standardized requirements for covered institutions: reliable cybersecurity, foreign travel security, research security training, and export control security.  These guidelines for implementation are requirements found in the National Security Presidential Memorandum-33 from January 2022 and in some provisions of the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022.

Federal research agencies or “covered institutions” include institutions of higher education, federally funded research and development centers, and nonprofit research institutions. The memo calls for institutions of higher education to certify a cybersecurity program consistent with the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 within one year of this resource’s publication. Other federal research agencies will also need to certify the use of cybersecurity programs.

According to the memo, implementation of security should not interfere with equality adhere to the principles of the CHIPS and Science Act not to “target, stigmatize, or discriminate against individuals on the basis of race, ethnicity, or national origin.” Read more

Court Update

Court Blocks Implementation of Federal Student Loan Repayment Plan

A federal appeals court temporarily prohibited the Department of Education from implementing the entirety of its new income-driven repayment program, known as the Saving on a Value Education (SAVE) plan. It is unclear how long the program will remain blocked as the case goes through the district courts. Two previous court rulings in June had blocked components of the SAVE plan, although another federal appeals court had allowed the department to proceed with lowering borrowers’ monthly payments. Read more

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