On December 20, congressional leaders announced that a bipartisan, bicameral deal had been reached on fiscal year (FY) 2023 funding and released the corresponding appropriations omnibus package. The Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies portion was given a 7.1% overall increase from FY 2022, including a $50M increase for the Perkins Basic State Grant program. This increase for CTE state grants is slightly more than proposed in the original House draft bill and a significant improvement over the President’s budget request, making it yet another year of modest yet critical growth in investment in CTE.
In addition to the Basic State Grant, this bill would give $25M in additional funds to Perkins Innovation and Modernization Grants (Section 114(e) of Perkins V). This program provides competitive grants to spur innovation in CTE, and additional funds were included to support the Administration’s proposal for “Career-Connected High Schools”. This Biden-Harris Administration initiative supports dual enrollment, career counseling, industry-recognized credential attainment and work-based learning opportunities.
Further, this bill would give increases to the following programs related to CTE:
Department of Education
- $850M increase for ESSA Title I grants to local education agencies
- $100M increase for ESSA Title IV-A Student Support and Academic Enrichment State Grants
- $11M increase for Teacher Quality Partnership grants
- $500 increase to the maximum Pell Grant award ($7,395 total)
- $25M increase for Adult Education
Department of Labor
- $50M increase for Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) state grants
- $50M increase for registered apprenticeships
- $15M increase for Strengthening Community College Training Grants
House Democrats are expected to pass this bill along party lines; however, the Senate will need to secure at least 10 Republican votes this week in order to send it to President Biden for his signature. It is expected that these votes will occur before the current continuing resolution (CR) expires on December 23. ACTE will keep you abreast of the bill’s passage or any other developments. If you have questions or concerns, please reach out to ACTE’s Government Relations Manager, Zach Curtis ([email protected]).
UPDATE: On December 29, President Biden signed the omnibus package into law following passage by the House and Senate.
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