Last week in Washington was quiet for CTE-related policy items. Congress focused on responding to the school tragedy in Texas, holding several hearings and confirming pending nominees. Congress is now in recess until the week of June 6 for the Memorial Day holiday. Conference committee negotiators are still working to resolve differences on the America COMPETES Act/USICA, which could see movement during June legislative days. Conferees had set Memorial Day as an informal deadline for completing these negotiations, but the process is still ongoing. A new tentative deadline of July 4 has been discussed among congressional leadership. In the meantime, here are some important news and notes:
- Fiscal Year 2023 Perkins Senate Letter: Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) led a “Dear Colleague” letter to be sent to the Chair and Ranking Member of the Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Subcommittee of the Senate Appropriations Committee requesting robust funding for the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act (Perkins) in the FY 2023 Labor, Health, and Human Services appropriations bill. A copy of the letter and the complete list of signers is available here.
- Secretary of Education Testifies to House Education and Labor Committee: On May 26, the House Education and Labor Committee held a hearing with Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona about a broad range of education funding and policy priorities. Sec. Cardona highlighted the Department’s proposed career-connected learning initiative. In response to a question about Perkins Basic State Grant funding from Rep. Joe Courtney (D-CT), Sec. Cardona clarified that the Department would not advocate for a cut. Cardona replied, “What ended up happening and why the proposals are low is because we're thankful for the [FY 22] omnibus package and the funding there. But our FY 23 proposal was due before the omnibus was done. So, we sent in a proposal using [FY 21] numbers and the [FY 22] package came out after our proposals came in.” You can view the full hearing at the link above.
- House Appropriations Subcommittee Holds Hearing on Teacher Shortages: On May 25, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies discussed the teacher shortage crisis, including potential solutions, such as raising teacher salaries, credentialing reform, financial assistance, improving school leadership and the role of support staff such as counselors. Rep. Ben Cline (R-VA) noted that CTE is one of the top 10 teacher shortage areas in the state of Virginia. You can watch the hearing here and read more about the hearing here.
- House Appropriations Subcommittee Holds Public Witness Hearing: On May 26, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies held its annual Public Witness hearing. Witnesses from across the health care, education and workforce spectrum were featured, including Bob Lamer of the California Workforce Association who advocated for WIOA Title I funding. You can view the hearing here.
- Department of Education Holds Summit on Mental Health in Higher Education: On May 23, the Department of Education held a virtual summit on mental health in higher education with a particular focus on supporting students with disabilities as they transition from school to careers. Read more about the summit here.
- Department of Education Opens Cybersecurity Education Award Nominations: Nominations of K-12 teachers for the Presidential Cybersecurity Education Award are now open! Nominations are due July 31, and more info is available here. Apply or nominate a CTE colleague today!
- Senate Takes Procedural Step on OCTAE Nomination: The nomination of Amy Loyd to serve as Assistant Secretary for Career, Technical, and Adult Education is still pending in the U.S. Senate, but took a small procedural step forward on May 25. A vote could be scheduled soon.
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