On Tuesday, March 15, President Biden signed the omnibus bill to fund the government for the remainder of fiscal year (FY) 2022, providing over $1.5 trillion across the entire federal government. Today was the last day to do so to avert either another continuing resolution or a government shutdown. While overall investments in education were lower than what the President had originally proposed, the Perkins Basic State Grant was given a much needed $45 million increase! While this represents a steady increase in CTE funding since 2017, ACTE will advocate for larger investments that are needed in the FY 2023 budget.
Within the omnibus, the Department of Education was funded at $76.4 billion overall – an 4% increase over FY 2021. This includes many important investments across K-12, postsecondary and adult education that are important to the CTE community, such as:
Secondary Education
- 6% increase for Title I grants to local education agencies
- $27 million increase to Title II of ESEA for effective instruction
- $448.4 million increase for special education
- $7.5 million increase for education for homeless children & youth
- $60 million increase for Student Support and Academic Enrichment grants
Postsecondary & Adult Education
- $15.5 million increase for Adult Education
- $20 million increase for federal work-study
- $400 increase to the maximum Pell grant
Further, FY 2022 was the first spending bill in a decade to include earmarks. Earmarks are used by Members of Congress to guarantee funding for specific projects or grantees that would benefit their state or district. This bill earmarks $2.3 million for vocational rehabilitation projects, $140 million for K-12 projects, and $249 million for higher education projects. We will be reporting back with a full analysis of the earmarked projects pertaining to CTE in the near future.
The Department of Labor (DOL) was funded at $13.2 billion, a 5% increase over FY 2021. Included in the $653 million increase for DOL are numerous investments in programs that are critical to ensuring connections between education and the workforce. For example, registered apprenticeships were given an additional $50 million - a 27% increase over FY 2021! Strengthening Community College Grants received a $5 million, or over 10%, increase, and WIOA state grants received a $34 million increase.
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 Administration to advocate for more robust federal investments in CTE – stay tuned for more updates over the coming weeks.
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