Happy New Year! Congress kicked off its 119th session on January 3, reelecting current Speaker of the House, Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA). Rep. Johnson will have a full agenda to navigate, with only three months to negotiate a Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 appropriations package in order to avert a government shutdown, and pressure to pass a large reconciliation bill reflecting the new Administration’s priorities. The Senate will also have to dedicate significant time to confirming the incoming Administration’s cabinet nominations. To get in touch with your new Members of Congress, check out ACTE’s resources on how to connect with them and advocate for CTE!
- House Reelects Speaker Johnson: Friday marked the first day of the 119th Congress. The primary activity was in the House, where Members reelected Rep. Mike Johnson as Speaker after a somewhat uncertain vote. The agenda also consisted of the addresses from leadership and swearing in of new members.
- Senate Announces Committee Assignments: The incoming Senate Majority Leader Thune (R-SD) and Minority Leader Schumer (D-NY) announced committee assignments for the 119th Congress. New Senators on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee include Sens. Scott, Hawley, Banks, Crapo, Blackburn, Kim and Alsobrooks. ACTE will share more about these new additions and their work moving forward!
- Department of Labor Awards $65 Million for Community College: The Department of Labor announced $65 million in grants to 18 colleges in 14 states to support programs that help community colleges scale affordable, high-quality workforce training to meet employers’ and workers’ skill development needs in critical industries.
- Department of Education Releases Final Rule on Distance Education: The Department of Education released a set of final regulations related to distance education and eligibility for financial aid under the Higher Education Act. The new regulations will take effect in 2026 and plan to increase federal oversight of online programs, requiring colleges to report more data on enrollment in distance education classes. In a win for CTE programs at area CTE centers, the final rules removed the changes proposed in earlier drafts that would have eliminated the ability for asynchronous coursework to be included in clock-hour programs. This was a priority we had strongly advocated for when the initial draft regulations were published.
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