After two weeks of recess, Congress returns to a busy legislative schedule on Monday, April 25. The first big item on the agenda related to CTE is the annual budget and appropriations process. The fiscal year (FY) 2023 appropriations process kicked off on March 28 when President Biden released his budget request. Thanks to the delayed passage of the FY 2022 budget, this process started much later than normal, putting pressure on Congress to speed up the timeline in FY 2023.
In the coming weeks, the House of Representatives will be taking into consideration the needs of stakeholders in the FY 2023 budget. On Thursday, April 28, Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona will testify in front of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies. He will also testify in front of the Senate’s equivalent committee later in May. The committees will also seek testimony from select education stakeholders, while personal offices will continue advocating for their own budget priorities prior to the release of the first House drafts of the appropriations bills.
Given the disappointing proposal for Perkins funding in the President’s request, it is critical that we keep pressure on Congress to make substantial investments in CTE now. Visit the ACTE Action Center to make your voice be heard by your respective legislators.
In addition to appropriations, the House and Senate will be negotiating their respective versions of a blockbuster bill aimed to increase U.S. global competitiveness in the hopes that they can pass it before the August recess. Earlier in April, the House and Senate named over 100 conferees to participate in the bipartisan, bicameral negotiation of the bill aimed to make the United States more globally competitive in areas like semiconductor manufacturing, STEM and more. The House’s version of this bill, the America COMPETES Act, included some top ACTE priorities, including the expansion of Pell eligibility to short-term programs (similar to the JOBS Act) and provisions to support Department of Education data collection on student-level postsecondary outcomes (the College Transparency Act). These negotiations will provide us with the best opportunity yet to make these longstanding priorities law.
Lastly, the House may consider a floor vote on the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act reauthorization that was passed through the House Education and Labor Committee along party lines in early April. Should it get a vote, it is expected to pass the House as well. However, it is very unlikely to be considered by the Senate.
Now more than ever, it is critical for ACTE members to ensure that CTE stakeholders’ voices are heard by Congress. There is so much at stake – from critical funding needs to expanding postsecondary opportunities and more – we need all of you to help us make this one of our best legislative years yet. If you are looking for more ways to advocate for CTE on the federal level, please reach out to ACTE’s Manager of Government Relations, Zach Curtis ([email protected]) or ACTE’s Media Relations and Advocacy Associate, Jori Houck ([email protected]).
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