Summary of Key Elements in HEALS Act (7/30/20)

CGS has created a summary highlighting key provisions in the HEALS Act and compares them to support included in the HEROES Act and the CARES Act.

CGS Summary of Select Provisions of the HEALS Act (7/28/20)

On July 27, Senate Republican lawmakers introduced the Health, Economic Assistance, Liability Protection and Schools (HEALS) Act, totaling $1 trillion in supplemental funding to address COVID-19.

Updated: CGS Summary of Select Provisions in the HEROES Act (10/5/20)

On May 15, the House of Representatives passed the Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (HEROES) Act (H.R. 6800) as a framework for a fifth COVID-19 relief package. On October 1, the House of Representatives passed an updated version of this bill slimming down the total from $3 trillion to $2.2 trillion. CGS has complied a summary of certain higher education and research provisions highlighting the changes from the original bill.

The CARES Act (P.L. 116-136) was signed into law by President Trump on March 27 as the third federal stimulus package responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. CGS Government Affairs has created the following resources to navigate various provisions in the law that impact graduate institutions and students. Resources may be updated or amended and should be considered working documents.

Updated 7/8/2020: CGS Factsheet: Immigration and International Graduate Students in COVID-19 This policy resource includes FAQs, highlights additional issues requiring federal guidance, and CGS’s requests to the Administration on COVID-19 policy issues impacting international students and scholars.

Updated 6/17/2020: CGS Factsheet: CARES Act Grants to Students and Institutions This resource includes a short summary, FAQs, and CGS’s requests to Congress and the Administration on the CARES Act (P.L. 116-136) Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund. This document will be updated regularly as new information is made available.

Updated 5/7/20: CGS Summary of Unemployment Provisions CGS has compiled a summary of major unemployment compensation provisions in the CARES Act here. The summary details the purpose of the provisions, the terms of coverage and amounts, and the eligibility requirements for each. Possible implications for graduate students at the state and federal levels are included in the document.

CGS Summary of Certain Financial Assistance Provisions CGS has compiled a summary of certain financial assistance provisions in the CARES Act here. The provisions included are those most likely to have implications for graduate students, such as stimulus payments, unemployment benefits, grant aid, and federal student loans.

COVID-19 "Phase Three" Stimulus Bill On March 25, Congressional leaders released legislative text of H.R. 748, the CARES Act, which would provide an over $2 trillion stimulus package primarily aimed at bolstering support for activities to address COVID-19. CGS has prepared a summary of higher education and research provisions here

Individual COVID-19 Legislation Aside from large stimulus packages, several lawmakers have introduced individual proposals to address more particular issues or to provide language that can be wrapped into a larger package. CGS has prepared a summary of these proposals here

Policy Brief Federal Financial Support for U.S. Graduate Students CGS continues to update this policy brief summarizing how federal policies create financial support for U.S. graduate students.

CGS’s Requests for Future COVID-19 Legislation (4/17/2020)

On April 17, CGS sent letters to House and Senate leadership outlining policy recommendations and requests to be adopted in future legislation addressing the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, the association requests $46.6 billion to assist students and institutions, additional funding for federal research grants and extensions, suspending taxation on student grant aid and scholarship, making federal student loan and repayment terms more feasible, and outlining concerns related to the international graduate student community.