119th Congress Begins
The 119th Congress began on January 3. New members from Colorado include Rep. Jeff Hurd (CO-03), Rep. Jeff Crank (CO-05), and Rep. Gabe Evans (CO-08). Rep. Lauren Boebert moved from Colorado's 3rd District to the 4th District. Outgoing members from Colorado include Reps. Greg Lopez, Doug Lamborn, and Yadira Caraveo. On January 3, the House re-elected Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) as speaker, and the Senate named Sen. John Thune (R-SD) majority leader.

Congress Passed Short-Term Funding Bill
President Biden signed a short-term funding bill on December 21. The bill maintains Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 funding levels through March 14 and includes additional disaster relief funds and aid for farmers. CU Federal Relations will continue to engage lawmakers on our priorities as they negotiate final funding levels for FY 2025. More can be read at CBS News.

Congress Passed NDAA
President Biden signed the annual National Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 5009) on December 23. The bill authorized increased overall military spending, pay raises for junior enlisted service members and policies to counter China. The legislation also includes up to $500 million in additional funding for the Economic Development Administration’s Tech Hubs program. Colorado is home to one of 12 Hubs awarded under the program. More can be read at AP News.

Rep.-elect Jeff Crank Meets with UCCS Students
Students in UCCS’ Political Science department met with Rep. Crank on December 3. Mr. Crank discussed the political environment before taking questions from the audience of 120 students. Crank was elected in November 2024 to represent Colorado’s 5th Congressional District and sworn into office on January 3, 2025.

CU Anschutz Announces Receiving Up to $46 Million From ARPA-H to Develop Treatment to Cure Blindness
CU Anschutz announced they will receive up to $46 million from the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) to advance research towards curing blindness through human eye transplantation. The award will support the Total Human Eye-allotransplantation Innovation Advancement Team (THEIA) at CU Anschutz in collaboration with other institutions across the country. The award was announced during a December 2 event at CU Anschutz and was attended by President Todd Saliman, CU Anschutz leadership, researchers, ARPA-H Director Renee Wegrzyn, PhD, and Rep. Diana DeGette (CO-1). More about the award can be read at the CU Anschutz newsroom.

CU Boulder WWA, Others Send Letter Supporting NOAA CAP Funding
CU Boulder’s Western Water Assessment (WWA), alongside other teams supported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Climate Adaptation Partnerships (CAP) program, sent a letter to congressional appropriators on November 21 thanking them for their support of the NOAA CAP program in Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 funding bills and urging continued support for NOAA CAP and Regional Climate Data and Information (RCDI) funding. WWA, part of the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) at CU Boulder, conducts research on societal vulnerabilities to climate change and climate variability, particularly those related to water resources.

Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence Receives Two Federal Grants
The Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence at CU Boulder recently received two federal grants. The first grant was a $1.2 million grant from the National Institute of Justice to evaluate the Colorado Threat Assessment and Management Protocol. The second grant was a $2 million Bureau of Justice Assistance STOP School Violence Program grant to enhance the Safe Communities Safe Schools Model. Senators Michael Bennet (D-CO) and John Hickenlooper (D-CO) provided letters of support for both grants.

CU Denver will Participate in DoD Award to Address STEM Shortage
The Alliance of Hispanic Serving Research Universities (HSRU) was recently awarded a cooperative agreement by the Department of Defense (DoD). The DoD will provide HRSU with up to $9.3 million for the Hispanic- Serving Research Institutions Research and STEM Education Project to address STEM shortages in STEM and the DOD workforce. CU Denver will participate in this new program. More about the program can be read at CU Denver News.

President Signs FAFSA Deadline Act
President Biden signed the FAFSA Deadline Act (H.R. 8932) on December 12, requiring the U.S. Department of Education to make the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) available by October 1 each year. The Education Department was previously required to release the FAFSA by January 1. The new deadline will come into effect for the 2025-26 FAFSA. More information about the law can be read at Higher Ed Dive.

Senate Passed National Anti-Hazing Bill
President Biden signed the Stop Campus Hazing Act (H.R. 5646) into law on December 23. The bill mandates that colleges and universities include hazing statistics in annual security reports, implement hazing prevention policies on campus, and compilate a hazing transparency report. More information about the bill can be read at the Clery Center website.