On Friday, the House passed H.R. 6800, the HEROES Act, by a party line vote of 208 to 199. The $3 trillion proposal provides $1 trillion to aid state and local governments, funding to increase coronavirus testing capacity, almost $100 billion in education funding, provisions to strengthen the Paycheck Protection Program, and waivers to give education leaders additional flexibilities with Perkins funds to ensure the continuation of high-quality CTE programs, among other provisions. For a more detailed summary of the legislation, click here to read our recent blog post.
Next steps for the bill are unclear, as Senate Republicans have expressed deep concerns with numerous provisions. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has stated that Congress needs to “pause” and reassess the measures they have already taken to get a better understanding of what still needs to be done. It is not expected that a coronavirus proposal will receive any action in the Senate until after the Memorial Day recess.
This inaction provides CTE advocates a unique opportunity to continue to advocate to Congress the need for dedicated CTE funding in the next package that is taken up in both chambers. As our nation continues to battle this global pandemic and its economic fallout, dedicated CTE funding is critical to ensuring that students can gain skills that are needed to help combat the pandemic and that will be needed by business and industry as we shift toward long-term economic recovery. Although dedicated CTE funds were not included in the HEROES Act, ACTE will continue to advocate for these resources to be included in the next relief package.
We need your help to emphasize this message with Congress. Click here to ask your Members of Congress to support the inclusion of funds for CTE, as provided in the Relaunching America’s Workforce Act, in the next relief package.
Members of Congress prioritize action requests from their constituents, so contacting them makes a huge difference. Please contact them today and urge them to show their support for CTE programs by supporting the inclusion of Relaunching America’s Workforce Act in the next comprehensive coronavirus relief package! You can also call the U.S. Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121. An operator will then connect you with your requested office.
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