Now that the 116th Congress has been sworn in, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee has taken shape. The partisan divide will remain unchanged on the Committee at 12-11. As we previously reported, on the Democratic side, Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) will not be returning to the Committee and will be replaced by freshman Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV).
On the Republican side, significantly, Sen. Todd Young (R-IN) will not be returning to the Committee. Sen. Young is one of four Senate CTE Caucus Co-Chairs. While Sen. Young will no longer be on the Committee, Sens. Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), both Caucus Co-Chairs, will be returning. Sen. Young will be replaced by the freshman senator from his state, Sen. Mike Braun (R-IN). As we previously reported, Sen. Braun is a former state legislator and businessman, whose family business once involved manufacturing truck bodies and now focuses on truck accessories.
Also on the Republican side, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT), who chose not to seek re-election, will be replaced by Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT). Sen. Romney, the Republican nominee for president in 2008, has a record on education as a former governor of Massachusetts. Education Week did a thorough dive into that record:
As governor of Massachusetts, Romney championed tough academic standards, and pushed for the state to adopt a new test in science for accountability purposes. He also pushed for the state to be measured on the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMMS) alongside other countries—Massachusetts ended up looking relatively good. And he defended the Bay State's high school exit exam. He also supported teacher merit pay and tying teacher evaluations in part to test scores.
ACTE will work with these new HELP Committee Members, along with all Members of Congress, to strengthen CTE. The House Education and Labor Committee is expected to announce its membership later this month.
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