The U.S. House of Representatives voted along party lines on Thursday to raise the full-time employment threshold in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) from 30 to 40 hours a week. The Republican majority in the Senate is expected to support the legislation, but it faces a certain veto from President Obama. If made law, the 40-hour rule could impact college faculty across the country, perhaps including UM lecturers with a 75% appointment who enjoy health-care benefit eligibilty under the current law. 

AFT President Randi Weingarten issued a statement opposing the bill:

“Contingent workers, including college and university adjunct faculty, make up an increasing share of the workforce. If the threshold for coverage is raised from 30 to 40 hours, many of these contingent workers will lose a hard-fought opportunity for employer health coverage. This is wrong and unfair. Rather than embracing the spirit of the ACA to help expand healthcare for all working families, this unwarranted change would subvert the law’s intent to cover more Americans and would close off a much-needed health insurance option.”

From The Nation (Michelle Chen):

On their campus set amid the idyllic northwestern woodlands, graduate students at the University of Oregon stepped out of their classrooms and onto a historic picket line last week. The union, representing some 1,500 graduate teaching fellows, went on an eight-day strike and emerged Wednesday with a final deal, embattled but triumphant.

Read the rest at The Nation.Com

Allie Grasgreen in Politico:

The Obama administration on Thursday watered down its threatened crackdown on for-profit colleges, loosening tough sanctions under heavy political pressure from the industry and members of Congress from both parties.

The administration’s long-awaited “gainful employment” regulation, in the making since nearly the start of Barack Obama’s presidency, aims to force colleges to overhaul or shut down career-training programs that leave students with high debt and too low a salary to repay it.

Read more.

Paul Fain in Inside Higher Ed:

Critics of for-profit colleges were disappointed by the final “gainful employment” regulations. They said the Obama administration caved to industry pressure and put out a watered-down, inadequate set of rules.

The U.S. Department of Education calls that narrative “misleading.” The department said the regulations are strong, legally sound and will protect students from underperforming academic programs.

Read more.