Both the House and Senate were in session this week, but progress continues to be slow on key pieces of legislation. The Senate is still negotiating a national security supplemental bill, which is expected to be released soon. The House passed a bipartisan bill to extend a number of business tax cuts and expand the Child Tax Credit, but it faces an uncertain future in the Senate. On the appropriations front, congressional leaders have reportedly agreed on how to divide the overall allocation among the 12 subcommittees so that work on final bills can begin, although those allocations have not been made public. This week also marks the start of CTE Month, celebrated in the bipartisan resolution that Reps. Thompson and Bonamici, co-chairs of the CTE Caucus, introduced on Thursday, and the similar one that will be introduced in the Senate soon! Don’t forget to ask your Members of Congress to co-sponsor these resolutions.
- Thompson, Bonamici Recognize February as Career and Technical Education Month: On February 1, Reps. Thompson and Bonamici, co-chairs of the CTE Caucus, introduced the bipartisan 2024 CTE Month Resolution, recognizing February as National CTE Month.
- Diversifying the CTE Educator Workforce This week, ACTE and Advance CTE released a report titled, “State and Local Strategies for Diversifying the CTE Educator Workforce.” It examines common challenges in diversifying the educator workforce and practices to overcome these challenges.
- More Workforce Funding Expected for Community Colleges from Energy Department The U.S. Department of Energy plans to release $24 million in grant funding for community colleges, trade unions and labor management partnerships to establish Industrial Assessment Centers to expand workforce pathways. Be on the lookout for applications later this spring.
- Colleges Won’t Get FAFSA Data Until March, Delaying Aid Offers: This week, the Department of Education announced a delay in data transfer from the FAFSA to schools. This delay could impact student access to federal student loans, work study and Pell Grants for low-income students. Congruently, the Dept. Of Education announced earlier this week they had received over 3 million FAFSA forms that had been submitted successfully.
- House Education and the Workforce Committee Approves College Cost Reduction Bill: This week, the House Education and the Workforce Committee approved the partisan H.R. 6951, the College Cost Reduction Act, by a vote of 22-19. The bill focuses on price transparency, college accountability for student debt repayment, and a new funding approach based on student outcomes. House Democrats released their own plan to improve access to postsecondary education as a counter proposal to the bill.
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