From: PUBLIC POLICY ACCOUNT [publicpolicy@acct.org]
Sent: Monday, September 21, 2009 3:07 PM
To: PUBLIC POLICY ACCOUNT
Subject: LAW E-Alert: President Obama and Dr. Biden Visit Hudson Valley Community College, Urge Congress to Pass AGI

September 21, 2009 Today, President Barack Obama along with Dr. Jill Biden visited Hudson Valley Community College (HVCC) in New York and toured its technology classrooms.  While at HVCC, President Obama publicly renewed his call on Congress to pass the American Graduation Initiative and outlined the Administration’s goal to improve innovation.  President Obama noted the importance of institutions like HVCC to prepare students for 21st-century jobs and to prepare America for a 21st-century global economy.  President Obama’s speech can be found here:  http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Remarks-by-the-President-on-Innovation-and-Sustainable-Growth-at-Hudson-Valley-Community-College/.

In other major news, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee is expected to release its version of the education reconciliation bill later this week.  The HELP Committee will likely consider the bill next week.  While the final details of the bill are unclear, the HELP Committee bill is expected to differ in a number of areas from the bill recently passed by the House, H.R. 3221.  Most importantly for community colleges, the bill is expected to contain the American Graduation Initiative. 

Please encourage your fellow trustees, presidents and colleagues to stay up to date about legislation that affects their community colleges by joining the LAW E-Alert network.  To join, simply email publicpolicy@acct.org with LAW Alert in the subject of the e-mail.  For more community college news from inside the beltway, visit ACCT’s news blog at: http://communitycollegebeltwaynews.blogspot.com.

Contact us with any questions or concerns about public policy and ACCT's advocacy on behalf of two-year colleges and two-year college trustees. 

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Public Policy Department

Association of Community College Trustees

1233 20th Street, NW - Suite 301

Washington, DC 20036

Tel: 866.895.2228

Fax: 866.904.2228

For more information go to:  http://www.acct.org/events/annualcongress/09/

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