With a short week prior to the Thanksgiving holiday and government funding soon to run out, Congress spent last week passing legislation to fund the government. Ultimately, President Biden signed a continuing resolution (CR) to fund the government through mid-February 2022. The Senate is also working on bringing the Build Back Better Act to the floor for a vote, but negotiations are still ongoing regarding overall funding levels in the bill and other key provisions. To this end, it is still critical for you to contact your senators – especially Democratic senators – and ask them to maintain the $700 million investment in Perkins, $5 billion for community college and industry partnership grants and the overall $40 billion allocation for workforce development included in the House-passed version of the bill. You can read more about how to get involved on the CTE Policy Watch blog here. As we await the next steps from Congress, here are the key headlines from the last couple weeks:
- President Biden Signs Continuing Resolution to Fund Government: President Biden has signed a continuing resolution (CR) to keep the government funded through February 18, 2022, avoiding a government shutdown and delaying FY 2022 funding decisions until next year.
- ACTE Endorses Military Spouse Licensure Act: ACTE has endorsed the Military Spouse Licensing Relief Act, H.R. 2650/S. 1084, legislation that would provide military spouses with professional license reciprocity in the state where their spouse is serving on military orders. The Military Spouse Licensing Relief Act was incorporated into the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and passed the House of Representatives on September 23, 2021, but unfortunately was not incorporated into the final NDAA bill agreement this year.
- President Biden Visits Minnesota Technical College to Promote Workforce Development Investments: On November 30, President Biden visited Dakota County Technical College in Rosemount, Minnesota, to promote the Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act and the Build Back Better Act, bills that contain funding that will benefit CTE students and programs. President Biden noted that schools like Dakota County Technical College will train the next generation of workers to do the jobs that the bills will help create. While the Infrastructure Jobs and Investment Act has already become law, the Build Back Better Act is expected to receive a vote in the coming weeks. You can read more about the bills on the CTE Policy Watch blog.
- Department of Labor Announces Grant Funding for Apprenticeships: The U.S. Department of Labor announced the availability of $90 million in YouthBuild program grants to provide occupational skills training, employment services and educational support to disadvantaged youth, ages 16-24, in communities where inequalities hinder basic academic and career skills development. These funds will also provide pre-apprenticeship services for in-demand industries including construction, healthcare, information technology and hospitality. Administered by the Department’s Employment and Training Administration, these grants will fund approximately 75 projects nationwide with individual grants ranging from $700,000 to $1.5 million.
- Department of Education Launches Two Communities of Practice: The Department of Education has launched “Evidence-Based Interventions: Using American Rescue Plan Resources to Accelerate Learning Community of Practice” with the National Comprehensive Center, a community of practice that will work with states and communities to accelerate learning using American Rescue Plan (ARP) funding in sustainable ways. The Department of Education is also launching “Toward an Equitable Education and Recovery: Transforming Kindergarten Community of Practice” in partnership with the Campaign for Grade Level Reading and the Department’s T4PA Center, among other partners.
- Department of Education Announces Grants to Support Tribal Education: The Department of Education has announced approximately $20 million in grants to Tribal Educational Agencies (TEAs) to meet the needs of students in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The American Rescue Plan Act’s American Indian Resilience in Education (AIRE) grant program will fund culturally relevant projects to assist and encourage Native American children and youth to enter, continue or resume participating in school from Pre-K through grade 12, including education and workforce preparation activities.
- Department of Education Approves Additional ARP-ESSER Funds: The Department of Education announced that it has approved ARP-ESSER plans for the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Washington and Wisconsin. ARP-ESSER funds are used to support schools and students as they reopen for in-person learning, and to help sustain the safe operation of schools.
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