This week in Washington, both the House and Senate returned from recess. House Committees continued their markup work and held several hearings, while the Senate focused on pending nominations and held hearings. In addition to the continued work on the budget reconciliation bill, the Build Back Better Act, Congressional leaders are still attempting to bring the companion infrastructure deal to the floor for a vote the week of September 27. In addition, there is also the more pressing issue of passing a continuing resolution (CR) to keep the government funded after September 30. Here is some other news and notes from the week:
- House Budget Committee Approves House Budget Reconciliation Bill: The House Budget Committee held a markup of the budget reconciliation package, known as the Build Back Better Act, on Saturday, September 25, and advanced the bill as the next step in the House’s process. It is still unclear if the House will bring this version of the bill to the floor, as negotiations within the House and with the Senate continue. The timing of future markups of the Build Back Better Act in the Senate are also still in flux. Nevertheless, this is still a great time to utilize ACTE’s Action Center to contact your Members of Congress and urge them to include robust, dedicated funding for CTE in the final version of the budget reconciliation bill.
- Senate HELP Committee Holds Hearing on Apprenticeships: On September 22, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee’s Employment and Workforce Subcommittee held a hearing to discuss ways to improve access to and awareness of apprenticeships. Two co-chairs of the Senate CTE Caucus, Sens. Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Rob Portman (R-OH), also attended the hearing as off-committee members. Sen. Portman celebrated the CTE Caucus and called for more senators to join the caucus, and Sen. Kaine discussed needed efforts to expand short-term Pell Grant access. The three witnesses present at the hearing included a student that recently completed an apprenticeship that led to full-time employment, as well as a career development professional and a business professional to provide industry perspectives.
- Zach Curtis Joins ACTE's Public Policy Team as Government Relations Manager: Zach Curtis will be the association’s primary lobbyist, working alongside the public policy team to advocate for CTE priorities on Capitol Hill and with the executive branch. He will be laser-focused on CTE funding through the federal budget and appropriations process, issues falling under the House and Senate education committees and relevant regulatory issues pertaining to the Department of Education or Labor. Learn more about Zach on CTE Policy Watch!
- Department of Education Announces National Blue Ribbon Schools: The Department of Education has announced 325 schools that were selected as National Blue Ribbon Schools for 2021, recognizing schools that have achieved academic excellence or made substantial progress in closing achievement gaps. Language was added for this year’s selection criteria to recognize curriculum that supported college and career readiness. View the complete list of award winners here.
- Department of Education Announces Funding to Promise Neighborhood Grantees: The Department of Education awarded over $40 million to a new cohort of Promise Neighborhoods grantees across seven states. Promise Neighborhoods bring together schools, nonprofits, and other organizations in a concerted effort to meet the needs of children and youth.
- Department of Education Announces Awards to Showcase Commitment to Equity, Excellence, and Opportunity: The Department of Education’s Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE) announced it is on track to award more than 5,100 grants, totaling around $2.6 billion dollars, to new and existing grantees by September 30, 2021. Grants provided under these programs will serve more than 1.3 million students and millions more attending institutions with approved projects. These grants are in addition to the nearly $40 billion in emergency grants for postsecondary education provided to more than 5,000 institutions under the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act.
- CTE Highlighted in Advancing Innovation in Adult Education Project: This past week, September 19-25, was recognized by adult education partners as Adult Education Week. The Advancing Innovation in Adult Education Project, led by the Manhattan Strategy Group, includes several CTE programs. The project received funding from the Department of Education’s Office of Career, Technical and Adult Education (OCTAE).
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