On June 30, Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) introduced S. 4112, the Coronavirus Child Care and Education Relief Act (CCCERA). This bill would provide $430 billion to education-related programs to help child care providers, K-12 school districts, and postsecondary institutions respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. Particularly important to CTE, $1 billion in the bill is designated to be distributed through the Perkins Act, matching the total introduced earlier this spring in the Rep. Scott’s Relaunching America’s Workforce Act. Other resources in the bill would also benefit CTE programs by providing much-needed aid to help districts and colleges deal with state and local budget cuts and the increased costs of COVID-19-related safety precautions and instructional shifts. Highlights include:
- $345 billion for the CARES Act Education Stabilization Fund, with $175 billion for elementary and secondary education, $132 billion for the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund, and $33 billion for the Governors’ Emergency Relief Fund
- $12.9 billion funding specifically for Title I and other K-12 education programs
- $11.9 billion for special education
- $50 billion for child care through the Child Care and Development Block Grant
- $4 billion for the e-rate program to increase connectivity at schools and for students and educators
- $2 billion for competitive grants to community colleges
- $1.5 billion for child abuse prevention
- $1 billion for adult education
- $1 billion for Perkins career and technical education
- $450 million for TRIO programs
While this bill is not expected to move forward on its own, it could serve as a key marker in the Senate negotiations over the next relief package, which Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said today should focus on “liability reform, kids in school, jobs, and health care” and is likely to be developed later this month.
ACTE has endorsed the Coronavirus Child Care and Education Relief Act, and you can read our statement here.
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