House Appropriators Pass Education/NIH Spending Bill

The House Appropriations Committee, along a party line vote Wednesday, approved legislation that would increase spending on the National Institutes of Health by $1.1 billion, raise the maximum Pell Grant to $5,915 (but commandeer $370 million in excess Pell funds for other purposes) and block the Obama administration from implementing several regulations aimed at holding colleges accountable, including a proposed rating system (see related article). The measure now goes to the full House. The Senate Appropriations Committee is due to consider a parallel bill today.