Last week, the biggest items Congress focused on were negotiating and passing a Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 appropriations package, as well as responding to the ongoing crisis in Ukraine. In great news for CTE, the Perkins Basic State Grant program received a $45 million increase in the FY 2022 spending package! You can read our full recap of the bill in the linked blog article below. With FY 2022 appropriations now complete, Congress now turns its focus to the FY 2023 appropriations process. The first step is the release of the president’s budget, which is expected to arrive by the end of March. ACTE will continue to work with its partners on Capitol Hill and within the Biden Administration to advocate for more robust federal investments in CTE, so stay tuned for more updates over the coming weeks! Both chambers of Congress will be in session during this upcoming week, although activity is expected to be light. As we await more congressional action, here are the key headlines of the week:
- Congress Passes Negotiated Fiscal Year 2022 Appropriations Bill: On March 8, congressional leaders released the negotiated text of the long-overdue Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 appropriations omnibus package. The bill was then passed by the House and Senate. The omnibus bill includes a $45 million increase for the Perkins Basic State Grant. While larger investments in CTE are still needed, this bill offers more than what the President requested and continues the steady increase in Perkins funding since 2017. Overall, the omnibus proposes $1.5 trillion in spending, including a 5.6% increase over FY 2021 in defense-related spending and a 6.7% increase for non-defense spending. You can read more about the bill here.
- Departments of Labor and Transportation Announce Effort to Advance Infrastructure Jobs for Underrepresented Populations: Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh and Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg have announced a partnership with the signing of a memorandum of understanding to promote the creation of infrastructure and transportation jobs with a focus on equitable workforce development using funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The partnership will include registered apprenticeships to connect workers in underserved communities to modern day infrastructure and transportation jobs. You can read more about the initiative here.
- NPS Agenda Taking Shape: With one week to go before ACTE's Annual National Policy Seminar, the agenda is being finalized and several new events have been added. In particular, NPS attendees can participate in a tour and reception hosted at the site of Amazon's new second headquarters, and a school tour of Northern Virginia Community College. The school tour is open to any CTE stakeholder – you do not have to be planning to attend NPS! Be sure to check out information about the hybrid NPS conference on ACTE's website for the latest information.
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