Consortium of State School Boards Associations
OSBA members will receive access to a weekly Federal Advocacy Education Report as part of OSBA’s membership with the Consortium of State School Boards Associations (COSSBA). OSBA’s weekly Facts in a Flash newsletter will contain a new federal section that provides a synopsis of the federal activity and access to the weekly Federal Advocacy Education Report.

Federal update
The House Education and Labor Committee held a hearing on a child nutrition bill H.R. 8450, the Healthy Meals, Healthy Kids Act, sponsored by U.S. Reps. Bobby Scott (D-Virginia) and Suzanne Bonamici (D-Oregon). The bill would do the following:

  • expand access to school meals;
  • preserve the future of school meal programs;
  • modernize the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC);
  • address food insecurity during the summer;
  • improve school meal capacity and sustainability;
  • strengthen the Child and Adult Care Food Program.

The United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service hosted a webinar for state agencies providing an overview of provisions included in the recently passed Keep Kids Fed Act. Click here to view the webinar.

Congress passed H.R. 4346, the CHIPS Act, which provides $52 billion in subsidies and offers an investment tax credit to encourage semiconductor companies to boost manufacturing in the U.S. Additionally, the bill creates new grant programs to prepare students for STEM and computer science fields. The bill is now waiting for President Joe Biden's signature.

Click here to read the weekly Federal Advocacy Education Report.

School Safety Grants
The Ohio Facilities Construction Commission approved guidelines for the ARPA School Security Grants that were created in House Bill (HB) 687, the capital appropriations bill. HB 687 appropriated $100 million for the ARPA School Safety Grant program, which allows each district to apply for grants up to $100,000 per building for physical security enhancements. Click here for a link to the approved guidelines.

Posted by Nicole Piscitani on 7/29/2022