Last week in Washington, the focus was on the release of President Biden’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 budget request. We have developed several blog articles this week on funding-related processes, including a full recap of the president’s budget and what it means for CTE, which can be found below. Each chamber will return to Washington this week for one more week before adjourning for the Easter recess. There could potentially be action on the America COMPETES Act/USICA this week as we await the naming of conferees, as well as broader action on the Supreme Court nomination and COVID emergency funding. Stay tuned to CTE Policy Watch for any upcoming advocacy opportunities! In the meantime, here are some news and notes from Washington:
- President Releases FY 2023 Budget Request: On March 28, the Biden Administration released the president’s FY 2023 budget request. The request, which serves as a blueprint for Congress to appropriate federal funds, included a disappointing $25 million cut to the Perkins Basic State Grant compared to FY 2022 levels. Read more about the president’s budget request here.
- WIOA Reauthorization Bill Formally Introduced: On March 31, Democratic House Education and Labor Committee Chair Bobby Scott (D-VA) and Higher Education Workforce Investment Subcommittee Chair Frederica Wilson (D-FL) introduced a new bill to reauthorize the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). The bill, H.R. 7309, is titled the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2022. Read more about the bill here.
- Movement on America COMPETES/USICA: Last week, the House and Senate both took additional procedural steps to move forward on a bipartisan innovation bill. First, the Senate took up the House version of the bill (the American COMPETES Act) and amended it with the text of their bill, the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act, or USICA. Following Senate approval of their bill, the House approved a motion to instruct conferees to begin negotiations to reconcile the differences between the two versions of the legislation. Speaker Nancy Pelosi added that conferees were expected to be formally named this week.
- Latest Information on Earmarks: The recently signed FY 2022 omnibus appropriations bill marked the first spending bill in a decade to include earmarks. If you have a project that might be eligible under the guidelines highlighted in this blog post, please reach out to your elected officials in the House and Senate to inquire about their request process for FY 2023. Readers can use this spreadsheet created by ACTE to learn more about which CTE-related projects in their state received FY 2022 earmarked funding. Read our full earmark analysis here.
- ACTE Releases Spanish Translation of “CTE Works!” Fact Sheet: This week, ACTE released a Spanish-translated version of our “CTE Works!” fact sheet to help CTE supporters inform learners and families in the Spanish-speaking community about recent research on CTE’s benefits. Read more here.
- House Small Business Subcommittee Holds Hearing on Upskilling and Reskilling: On March 31, the House Committee on Small Business’s Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Workforce Development Subcommittee held a hearing titled, “Skill, Upskill, and Reskill: Analyzing New Investments in Workforce Development,” featuring witnesses from across the workforce development and business spectrum. Each Member of Congress in attendance and the witnesses emphasized the need to expand skills training to fill workforce gaps through CTE. Read more about the hearing here.
- Department of Labor CTE-Related Grant Opportunities: The Department of Labor currently has several open competitive grant opportunities for CTE stakeholders to apply for and obtain funding. We’ve reported on many of these grants as they were announced, but wanted to provide them here again all in one place! Read the rundown here.
- GAO Releases Report on CTE Challenges and Strategies: The U.S. Government and Accountability Office (GAO) recently released a study on how CTE programs are supporting learners. Researchers interviewed state education officials in Delaware, Georgia, Ohio and Washington; representatives from eight CTE program providers; 14 stakeholders such as employer partners; and individuals from six national CTE organizations. Read more about the study findings here.
- Secretary of Education Cardona Statement on Teacher Shortages: Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona is calling on states, higher education leaders and schools to tap federal resources to address the nationwide teacher shortage. Among the proposals the Secretary suggested is the establishment of teaching as a registered apprenticeship at the state and district level. Read more from the Department of Education here.
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