On July 11, the House Appropriations Committee released the first draft of its Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education appropriations bill, which funds education and workforce development programs including Perkins. In the bill, the Perkins Basic State Grant received a $50 million increase over the FY 2021 level, and $30 million above what the President recommended in his budget proposal in May, for a total funding level of $1.38 billion! While this is still not enough to meet the critical needs in CTE as the economy and educational system recover from the pandemic, it is a step in the right direction.
The bill also matched the President's request for a $100 competitive grant program to carry out evidence-based middle and high school career and technical education innovation programs, although few details are included about what this program would entail. Few details are also included about a piece of legislative language that is dropped into the bill to more closely tie apprenticeship programs to Perkins, but more information on that provision will be available as the Committee releases more supporting documents.
Overall, the bill provides $14.7 billion for the Department of Labor, an increase of $2.2 billion above the FY 2021 level, and a total of $102.8 billion for the Department of Education, an increase of $29.3 billion above the FY 2021 level. Most of the increases, particularly at the Department of Education, are concentrated on a few large programs that were campaign priorities of the Biden Administration, including Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), which received a $19.5 billion increase (more than doubling its current funding), the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which received a $3.1 billion increase, and Pell grants, where the maximum annual award for each student was increased by $400 to a total of $6,895. Additional funding levels of interest to the CTE community include:
- Federal Work Study – $43 billion, a $244 million (21%) increase over FY 2021
- ESEA Title II – Supporting Effective Instruction State Grants – $2.3 billion, a $150 million increase over FY 2021
- ESEA Title IV-A – Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants – $1.3 billion, an $85 million increase over FY 2021
- Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act State Grants – $3.1 billion, an increase of $250 million above the FY 2021 level
- Registered Apprenticeships – $285 million, an increase of $100 million above the FY 2021 level
- Strengthening Community College Training Grants – $100 million, an increase of $55 million over the FY 2021 level
- Adult education – $738.7 million, a $50 million increase over FY 2021
The bill was considered briefly by the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Subcommittee on July 12 and approved by voice vote. Additional discussion and amendments are expected in the full Appropriations Committee markup, scheduled for Thursday, July 15, then the bill will need to be approved by the full House, and a similar process will begin in the Senate. There is a long way to go in this year's appropriations process, so stay tuned for additional information and opportunities to take action!
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