ASMSU Vice Chair for Governmental Affairs Victor Draine and ASMSU Governmental Affairs State Liaison Sydney Hawthorne are representing the university in the nation’s capital.

The ASMSU General Assembly voted on which issues should be discussed during the trip at its meeting Oct. 6. The federal Campus Sexual Violence Elimination Act, or SaVE Act, is among the discussion items.

The SaVE Act seeks to prevent sexual violence on college campuses by requiring universities to improve campus safety through federal financial aid programs.

Draine said MSU’s current sexual violence policy is encompassed within the SaVE Act and would be in compliance if the act passes.

Groups including the MSU Women’s Council and Coalition Against Sexual Violence have protested against sexual violence on campus this year.

The ASMSU officials also will discuss the Protecting Academic Freedom in Higher Education Act, which would repeal federal credit hour and state authorization regulations.

Currently, federal regulations define a credit hour across the country, but the act would localize it to allow states to control what a credit hour entails.

ASMSU has gone to conferences in Washington, D.C., in the past, including the Big Ten on the Hill Conference for national advocacy across Big Ten Universities. The inaugural conference was this past spring.

Artley said this trip is different because only ASMSU officials are going and are meeting with Michigan legislators to discuss more local issues.

“It’s more personal to Michigan and Michigan State, whereas (other conferences) affect students across the country,” she said.

Journalism freshman Karina Drachman said she wishes Congress would put more emphasis on funding higher education, particularly at a time when both state and federal governments have reduced spending.

Drachman, whose parents are both teachers, said education cuts have impacted both students and instructors and would like to see a policy implemented that would prevent further cuts.

Michigan universities saw a 15 percent funding cut by the state government this year.

“No one’s happy about that who goes to school,” she said.

ASMSU previously planned to discuss the controversial Development Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act, or DREAM Act, a federal act that would allow children of illegal immigrants to obtain legal status if they attend college or serve in the U.S. military.

However, ASMSU currently does not have enough information to determine the effects of the DREAM Act on MSU students and will refrain from passing any resolution until more information is known, Draine said in a previous interview.