The ASWSU Senate heard a presentation from Bryce Regian, ASWSU deputy director of legislative affairs, about the federal bills his office is monitoring for the 2021 legislative session. 

“We don’t even know what the makeup of the Senate is, so everything is up in the air, but these are the things that we’re eyeballing,” Regian said.

The ASWSU Department of Legislative Affairs currently has no plan to testify for or against any of the proposed bills but will re-evaluate when the new session of Congress convenes in 2021, according to an email from Regian.

The REAL Act would restore Federal Pell Grant eligibility to students convicted of felonies, according to the U.S. Congress website. Federal law currently prohibits these students from receiving Pell Grants.

The Pell Grant Restoration Act would restore eligibility for Federal Pell Grants to students who used grant money to pay for classes while their school was shut down or while attempting to delay repayment of school loans, according to the U.S. Congress website.

The Higher Education Student Protection Act would require the Department of Education to limit and disclose the money colleges and universities spend on instruction, student services, marketing, recruitment, advertising and lobbying, according to the U.S. Congress website. WSU currently does not disclose what it spends on each category on its budget office’s website.

The Tyler Clementi Higher Education Anti-Harassment Act of 2019, introduced by Washington Senator Patty Murray, would require colleges and universities to include a harassment policy in their annual security report. It would also grant funds to schools that improve anti-harassment programs, counseling services and harassment education programs, according to the U.S. Congress website.

WSU’s harassment policy is currently included in the annual Clery Security Report and forbids all forms of sexual violence and targeted discrimination.

The Beyond the Box for Higher Education Act of 2019 would remove FAFSA questions relating to drug convictions. It would also require the Department of Education to recommend that schools remove questions relating to criminal history on their admission applications, according to the U.S. Congress website.

Regian said he will also pay attention to President-elect Joe Biden’s plan to double the number of funds for Federal Pell Grants.