On Wednesday, June 22, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies released the first draft of its fiscal year (FY) 2023 appropriations bill, which includes funding for the Department of Education and the Department of Labor. While a full, detailed funding table has not yet been released, according to the committee’s initial summary, the legislation proposes a $45 million increase to the Perkins Basic State Grant program – a year-over-year increase equal to what was enacted in FY 2022. Overall, the bill provides a 15% increase to the Department of Education and a 12% increase to the Department of Labor.
Encouragingly, this bill provides more funding to the Perkins Basic State Grant program than was requested by the President. However, at a time of record inflation and a growing skills gap in areas such as healthcare and infrastructure, this proposal does not currently provide enough funding to meet the needs of CTE programs and learners. ACTE and Advance CTE have requested that Congress increase Perkins funding by $200M and will continue to work with partners on Capitol Hill to fight for the largest investment possible.
In addition to Perkins funding, the bill proposes substantial investments across the education spectrum, including:
Primary & Secondary Education
- 17% increase for Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Title I state grants to local education agencies
- 123% increase for Teacher Quality Partnership Grants
- 6% increase for ESSA Title IV-A Student Support and Academic Enrichment state grants
- 20% increase for magnet school programs
- $1 billion for grants to increase access to school-based mental health professionals
Postsecondary Education & Workforce
- 100% increase for Strengthening Community College Training Grants
- 8% increase for Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act State Grants
- 29% increase for Apprenticeship Expansion Grants
- 5% increase for Adult Education
- $500 increase to the maximum Pell Grant award
The subcommittee marked up the bill on Thursday, June 23, advancing it for consideration by the full House Appropriations Committee scheduled for the morning of June 30. We will continue to update you as the bill is updated and inches closer toward passage. If you have any questions, please contact ACTE’s Government Relations Manager, Zach Curtis ([email protected]).
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