We hope everyone had a great holiday season! Normally, the holidays are pretty quiet on the Hill, however this year there was a surprising amount of activity. Today is the final day of the Georgia Senate run-off races between former Sen. David Perdue (R-GA) and Democrat Jon Ossoff, and Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-GA) and Democrat Raphael Warnock. The outcomes of the races will determine which party controls the majority in the Senate. Here are some other notes from over the break:
- Joint Government Funding and COVID-19 Relief Bill Enacted: In the last days of 2020, a $2.3 trillion joint COVID-19 relief package and government funding bill was passed by Congress. After some hesitation, it was signed into law by the President on December 27. Under the law, $82 billion will be directed toward the Department of Education for the Education Stabilization Fund. Most importantly for CTE, Perkins Basic State Grants received a $52.25 million increase in funding for FY21! Read more on our full blog.
- Defense Bill Veto Overridden by Congress: On January 1, Congress overrode President Trump’s veto of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The NDAA authorizes $740 billion for national defense spending and includes policies impacting every aspect of military activities.
- Miguel Cardona as U.S. Secretary of Education Nominee: President-elect Biden chose Miguel Cardona, Connecticut’s education commissioner, as the U.S. Secretary of Education nominee. He will need to be approved by the full Senate following the presidential inauguration. Read more on our full blog.
- Updated CDC Guidance for Decreasing COVID-19 Transmission for Schools: The Operational Considerations for Schools document from the CDC was updated on December 29, 2020. This document provides suggestions for decreasing the risk of COVID-19 transmission in schools, and is organized by different strategies for schools to follow: physical distancing, hand hygiene, cleaning and disinfection, and respiratory hygiene.
- 117th Congress Sworn-in: On January 3, Congress officially started its new term and newly elected Members of Congress were sworn into office. You can read about all of the new Members of Congress in our recent blog series. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), was also reelected as speaker of the House of Representatives.