Members of Congress were focused on holding some of their first hearings of the 118th Congress this week, attending the State of the Union speech and responding to national security concerns. In CTE-related news, the CTE Month resolutions have been introduced and we are collecting a strong roster of cosponsors! While the Senate resolution has closed for new cosponsors, House members can still be added as cosponsors. If you haven’t already, please contact your House representative and ask them to cosponsor the resolution! In the meantime, here are some key headlines:
- Congressional Education Committees Outline Priorities: On February 8, the newly renamed House Education and the Workforce Committee held a hearing focused on U.S. education reform, and on February 9, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee held its organizing meeting. Given early committee activity often strikes the tone for the remainder of the year, the committees’ focus on issues related to CTE is promising. Read more about the hearings here.
- State CTE Policies Year-in-Review Report Released: ACTE and Advance CTE have released the 10th annual report, State Policies Impacting CTE: 2022 Year in Review. In 2022, 36 states enacted 123 CTE-related policy actions across five categories: industry partnerships and work-based learning, funding, access and equity, data, reporting and/or accountability and industry-recognized credentials. You can read the full report here and read our blog post announcing its publication here.
- State of the Union Highlights CTE Interests: Tuesday’s State of the Union address by President Biden highlighted several initiatives relevant to CTE, including the necessity of recruiting and retaining workers to fill many of the jobs created by legislation such as the CHIPS and Science Act and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and the importance of increasing teacher salaries. Read more about CTE in the State of the Union here.
- Department of Labor Announces Partnership to Train Students for Auto Technician Careers: The Department of Labor has announced a partnership with Mercedes-Benz USA and Job Corps to train cohorts of students at centers in Kentucky, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Utah for automotive industry careers. Read more about the announcement here.
- Secretary Cardona Visits Omaha Career Academies: On February 8, Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona visited Omaha Public Schools’ Bryan High School to tour its Urban Agriculture, Design & Construction and Transportation & Logistics academies. News coverage from the visit can be found here.
- Senate Subcommittee Assignments Yet to be Finalized: We are still awaiting the formal announcement of Senate Appropriations Committee subcommittee leaders and members in order to have complete rosters for CTE-relevant committees and subcommittees. A formal announcement is expected soon, according to reports from CQ Roll Call.
- Meet Vilmer Alvarado, ACTE's Newest Public Policy Team Member: Vilmer Alvarado has joined ACTE’s Public Policy team as the newest Research and Policy Associate. Learn more about Vilmer here.
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