The biggest news this week was that the U.S. Senate passed its CTE Month resolution with a record 68 cosponsors on February 15! The House resolution is still open for co-sponsors. In addition to final CTE Month activities, ACTE is also keeping a close eye on any negotiations that may arise on the America COMPETES Act/USICA, which contains language similar to the JOBS Act and the College Transparency Act (CTA), two of ACTE’s top legislative priorities. After passing a short-term CR to extend government funding to March 11, both chambers will be in recess for the duration of this week. Here are the key headlines from the past week:
- Notice of Funding Opportunity for Community Colleges in STEM: The Department of Defense’s National Defense Education Program (NDEP) is seeking to strategically fund STEM education at 2-year institutions and Community Colleges through a consortium approach to develop and encourage STEM ecosystems. DOD NDEP Notice of Funding Opportunity Letters of Intent are due February 22, 2022, to [email protected]. Full applications are due March 29, 2022, through grants.gov.
- Senate Passes Continuing Resolution (CR): On February 17, the Senate passed a CR to extend government funding until March 11. After passage of the short-term funding bill, Senate Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL) was optimistic that appropriators could reach an agreement on Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 appropriations by the new mid-March deadline.
- ACTE and Advance CTE Hold Capitol Hill Briefing with CTE Caucus Co-Chairs: On Tuesday, February 15, ACTE and Advance CTE hosted a Capitol Hill webinar briefing with career and technical education student organizations (CTSOs) and congressional CTE Caucus co-chairs Rep. Jim Langevin (D-RI) and Sen. Todd Young (R-IN), bringing together policymakers, CTE stakeholders and CTSO representatives for a learner-focused conversation on the value of CTE. Read more about the event here.
- Senate HELP Committee Holds Hearing on Workforce Development: On February 15, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee held a hearing titled, “Supporting Quality Workforce Development Opportunities and Innovation to Address Barriers to Employment.” Four witnesses testified about their workforce development strategies and recommendations to confront the nation’s skills gap. Read more about the hearing here.
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