This was a very busy week for federal action on CTE-related policy, with Congress finishing its final week in town before the August recess. The House Appropriations Committee approved one FY 24 veterans’ affairs funding bill, while the Senate Appropriations Committee completed consideration of all 12 of its funding bills for FY 24. The House’s schedule is moving well behind the Senate’s after the House Appropriations Committee decided not to consider any additional bills this week before the full committee, including its FY 24 education funding bill. The appropriations process will now pause until after the month-long recess, but your advocacy will be critical as we work to maintain the higher funding level for Perkins included in the Senate bill, in addition to the Senate’s funding levels for key education and workforce programs. Stay tuned, and here are more updates from sunny Washington this week:
- Senate Appropriations Committee Proposes $40 Million Increase for Perkins State Grants: On July 27, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved its FY 24 Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS), and Education Appropriations bill on an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote of 26-2. Despite the tight budget caps enforced by the debt limit deal, the bill contained an additional $40 million for the Perkins Basic State Grant program! Learn more about the next steps to come in the appropriations process here.
- ED Hosts National Summit on Equal Opportunity in Higher Education: On July 26, the Department of Education (ED) hosted the National Summit on Equal Opportunity in Higher Education to discuss strategies and resources to expand access to postsecondary education opportunities following the recent Supreme Court ruling on affirmative action. Learn more about the summit here.
- CTE Briefing on Capitol Hill Features National FFA: On July 26, the Senate CTE Caucus organized a briefing at the U.S. Capitol with the National FFA Organization highlighting agricultural education. Sen. Todd Young (R-IN), Co-Chair of the Senate CTE Caucus, delivered remarks along with several FFA leaders and students. Read more about the briefing here.
- Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-PA) Introduces Creating Opportunities to Thrive and Advance Act: On July 26, House CTE Caucus Co-chair Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-PA) introduced H.R. 8195, the Creating Opportunities to Thrive and Advance (COTA) Act, a bill that would amend the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) to bolster career guidance for adult learners. ACTE has endorsed this legislation.
- The Interstate Teacher Mobility Compact Would Allow Teaching Licenses to Transcend State Borders: Seeking to address strains on the teacher workforce, legislation newly adopted in ten states aims to make it easier for teachers to move to a new state. The Interstate Teacher Mobility Compact eliminates additional training and testing requirements for teachers seeking to obtain a teaching license in a different state. Learn more about the compact here.
- ED, DOL Announce New Efforts to Advance Teacher Preparation Programs and Expand Registered Apprenticeships for Educators: ED and the Department of Labor (DOL) have announced a series of new efforts to expand registered apprenticeships for educators and invest in teacher preparation programs, including new National Guidelines for Apprenticeship Standards (NGS) for registered apprenticeships for K-12 teachers, funding from ED and DOL to support educator preparation programs and registered apprenticeship programs in critical sectors, and a new DOL intermediary to launch, promote and expand registered apprenticeship programs for K-12 educators, among other items.
- ED Launches Unlocking Career Pathways Regional Summits: On July 25, ED kicked off the first of the Unlocking Pathways Summit series at Renton Technical College in Renton, Washington. ACTE Region V Vice President Shani Watkins represented the association at the event. The series consists of four regional education and workforce convenings to highlight workforce priorities and opportunities for young people that are growing due to recent federal investments, like the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Inflation Reduction Act and CHIPS and Science Act. ACTE will have representatives at each summit.
- CIAW Sends FY24 House Letter: On July 26, the Campaign to Invest in America’s Workforce (CIAW), one of ACTE’s coalition partners, sent a letter to leaders of the House Appropriations Committee expressing concerns with proposed cuts to education and workforce development programs in its version of the FY24 education appropriations bill.
- JOBS Act Coalition Sends Letter of Support to Senate HELP Committee: On July 26, the JOBS Act Coalition, of which ACTE is a member, sent a letter to leaders of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee in support of S. 161, the JOBS Act.
- House Education and Workforce Committee Holds Hearing on Accountability in Postsecondary Education: On July 27, the House Education and Workforce Committee’s Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development held a hearing titled “Lowering Costs and Increasing Value For Students, Institutions and Taxpayers.” The Subcommittee questioned witnesses on how postsecondary education can be made more affordable, increase transparency and lead to better outcomes for students.
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