CTE Policy Watch: A blog for CTE advocates

ACTION ALERT: Ask Your Representatives: Support Increased Funding for CTE in Fiscal Year (FY) 2026

The co-chairs of the bipartisan House CTE Caucus, Reps. Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-PA) and Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), are circulating an important “Dear Colleague” letter addressed to the Chair and Ranking Member of the House Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations Subcommittee. The letter requests increased funding for the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act (Perkins) in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education appropriations bill. It is critical that the letter garners strong backing in the House to show support for Perkins funding in this year’s uncertain and challenging federal fiscal climate. 

CLICK HERE to ask your Representative to sign the letter and support increased CTE funding in the FY 2026 Labor, Health and Human Services and Education appropriations bill! 

Representatives have until April 24 to sign the letter, and can do so by contacting:  

• Brian Arata ([email protected]) in Rep. Thompson’s office  

• Allie Pearce ([email protected]) in Rep. Bonamici’s office 

 

Note: Senators will have a similar letter opportunity soon, but this one is just for House members! 

ACTION ALERT: Ask Your Representatives: Cosponsor the 2025 House CTE Month Resolution!

The House CTE Caucus’s CTE Month Resolution is still open for sign ons! CTE Caucus co-chairs, Reps. Reps. Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-PA) and Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), have introduced the resolution in the House. The resolution has also been introduced in the Senate and was passed last week. Due to different process rules in the House and the Senate, the House resolution is still open to co-sponsors! 

CLICK HERE to ask your Representatives to cosponsor this year’s CTE Month resolution. 

This resolution recognizes February 2025 as CTE Month. CTE Month is a critical time in raising awareness of the role that CTE plays in connecting learners to high-wage, in-demand career opportunities that are vital to building a 21st-century workforce and strengthening the American economy.  

Strong support for the CTE Month Resolution will help to ensure that CTE is a priority for the 119th Congress. Using ACTE’s Action Center, you can identify your Representative and send a message to their office to ask them to co-sponsor the Resolution. If you have direct contacts in your Member’s offices, we urge you to call or email them directly.  

House members have the entire month of February to cosponsor the Resolution. Representatives can sign on as a cosponsor of the House CTE Month Resolution by contacting: 

• Brian Arata ([email protected]) in Rep. Thompson’s office 

• Allie Pearce ([email protected]) in Rep. Bonamici’s office 

ACTION ALERT: Ask Your Senators: Cosponsor the JOBS Act!

The Jumpstart Our Businesses by Supporting Students (JOBS) Act of 2025 (S. 383) was reintroduced in the Senate by Sens. Tim Kaine (D-VA), Tina Smith (D-MN), Roger Marshall (R-KS) and Susan Collins (R-ME). This bipartisan legislation would expand federal Pell Grant eligibility to high-quality, short-term job training programs, which has been a top priority of the CTE community for many years. ACTE has once again endorsed this bipartisan bill. 

Currently, Pell Grants are not available to postsecondary CTE students in short-term certificate programs less than 600 clock hours (approximately 16 semester hours) over 15 weeks. As a result, many students across the country do not have access to high-quality, short-term CTE programs. These programs can provide the education and skills necessary for in-demand careers and culminate in meaningful credentials that are proven to increase lifetime earning potential and employment opportunities.  

ACTION NEEDED: CLICK HERE to ask your Senators to support the extension of Pell Grant eligibility to high-quality, short-term CTE programs by co-sponsoring the JOBS Act.  

Help hold the Senate accountable for supporting CTE students, educators and institutions by advocating for short-term Pell expansion. If you have a specific contact in your Senator’s office, we encourage you to reach out to them directly! Let them know that to cosponsor the JOBS Act, they can contact Rebecca Howard ([email protected]) in Senator Kaine’s office.

ACTION ALERT: Ask Your Members of Congress: Cosponsor the 2025 House and Senate CTE Month Resolutions!

The House and Senate CTE Caucuses are once again leading the annual CTE Month Resolutions to mark February as CTE Month. House CTE Caucus co-chairs, Reps. Reps. Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-PA) and Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), have introduced the resolution in the House. Senate CTE Caucus co-chairs Sens. Tim Kaine (D-VA), Todd Young (R-IN), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Ted Budd (R-NC) introduced the resolution in the Senate.  

CLICK HERE to ask your Members of Congress to cosponsor this year’s CTE Month resolution. 

These resolutions recognize February 2025 as CTE Month. CTE Month is a critical time in raising awareness of the role that CTE plays in connecting learners to high-wage, in-demand career opportunities that are vital to building a 21st-century workforce and strengthening the American economy.  

Strong support for the CTE Month Resolution will help to ensure that CTE is a priority for the 119th Congress . Using ACTE’s Action Center, you can identify your Members of Congress and send a message to their office to ask them to co-sponsor the Resolution. If you have direct contacts in your Members’ offices, we urge you to call or email them directly.  

House members have the entire month of February to cosponsor the Resolution. Representatives can sign on as a cosponsor of the House CTE Month Resolution by contacting: 

• Brian Arata ([email protected]) in Rep. Thompson’s office 

• Allie Pearce ([email protected]) in Rep. Bonamici’s office 

The deadline for the Senate Resolution is January 31. Senators can sign on as a cosponsor of the Senate CTE Month Resolution by contacting: 

• Rebecca Howard ([email protected]) in Sen. Kaine’s office 

ACTION ALERT: Get Ready for the 119th Congress!

On January 3, 2025, the 119th Congress is scheduled to convene for the first time. However, there is plenty of work to do before then! While the current Congress wraps up the “lame-duck” session, newly elected Members will soon begin the process of hiring staff, opening offices and developing their legislative philosophies and agendas. With numerous potential threats to education and workforce development programs and funding on the horizon, this is a fantastic opportunity to ensure that CTE is a priority for your new representatives and senators-elect. 

Outreach to newly elected Members will help you to build relationships and shape their legislative goals. It is still important to maintain existing relationships on Capitol Hill as well – now is a great time to renew relationships with existing Members of Congress and remind them to support CTE! 

Here are some actions you can take to prepare for the 119th Congress: 

• Visit member-elect campaign websites and review their information and views on education and workforce development. 

• If contact information is available, congratulate the member-elect on their election victory and offer to serve as a resource to them on education and workforce development issues going forward. If they don’t have a public or staff email, reach out over social media! 

• If Members-elect are attending community events or meetings, attend to introduce yourself and inquire about their understanding and support of CTE in your state or district. 

• Reach out to your returning representatives to congratulate them on re-election, reiterate your desire to serve as a resource to them and express your hope that they will continue to take actions in support of CTE, such as increasing Perkins funding, expanding Pell Grants to short-term training programs and supporting the educator workforce. 

As we approach the 119th Congress’s First Session, ACTE will share more information and to help you build relationships with your new policymakers. You can also use the resources in ACTE’s advocacy toolkit to help prepare for the transition! If you have any questions, please reach out to Hannah Richards, ACTE’s Media and Advocacy Coordinator, at [email protected].  

ACTION ALERT: Ask Your Members of Congress: Support the Senate’s FY 2025 Education Funding Bill!

Prior to August recess, the Senate Appropriations Committee considered and approved its Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill on a bipartisan basis, which contains a $35 million increase over FY 2024 for the Perkins Basic State Grant program, and an overall increase of $1 billion for education programs. These  increases will provide significantly more resources for education and workforce development programs than the House version of the bill released earlier this summer  

The appropriations process will resume in September when both chambers return from the August recess. We want to let Members of Congress know that we support the higher funding levels in the Senate bill! Congress still has significant work to do to complete the FY 2025 appropriations process, and your advocacy is critical in emphasizing that the Senate bill is preferable. 

ACTION NEEDED: CLICK HERE to urge your Members of Congress to support the Senate’s $35 million increase for Perkins and overall higher funding levels!    

Send a message directly using the ACTE Action Center. You can also call or email directly any personal contacts that you have in your Members’ offices, such as from a meeting at NPS, or call the U.S. Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121, and an operator will connect you to your Member of Congress.   

ACTION ALERT: Ask Your Members of Congress to Oppose Cuts to Education and Workforce Programs in FY 2025!

On June 27, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies approved its Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 appropriations bill on a party-line vote. In some good news for CTE, the bill proposes a $10 million increase to the Perkins Basic State Grant. However, the bill proposes significant cuts to or complete eliminations of several critical education and workforce programs, such as WIOA Youth and Adult programs, federal work-study, Registered Apprenticeship, ESSA Title I and II and more. 

Proposed cuts to education and workforce development programs jeopardize CTE by limiting access to broader career pathways and resources. These programs work hand-in-hand to develop a skilled workforce – CTE cannot be successful without the support of the entire system.  

As the bill moves forward in the House and the Senate continues work on its version of this bill, it is critical that Members of Congress understand the impact of these proposed cuts, and that you lend your voice in support of funding for the entire education and workforce development system.  

ACTION NEEDED: CLICK HERE to tell your Members of Congress to oppose cuts to education and workforce programs in the FY 2025 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education appropriations bill!   

Send a message directly using the ACTE Action Center or contact any personal contacts that you have in your Members’ offices, such as from a meeting at NPS. An operator at the U.S. Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121 can also connect you to your Member of Congress.  

ACTION ALERT: Ask Your Senators to Support CTE Funding in Fiscal Year (FY) 2025

Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), longtime CTE advocate, is currently circulating an important “Dear Colleague” letter addressed to the Chair and Ranking Member of the Senate Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations Subcommittee. The letter requests robust funding for the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act (Perkins) in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education appropriations bill. Committee members view these letters as a critical part of the process because they show the breadth of support for a specific program. Now more than ever, it’s imperative the letter amasses strong backing in the Senate to show support for Perkins funding and CTE at the federal level.

CLICK HERE to ask your Senators to sign the letter and support strong CTE funding in the FY 2025 Labor, Health and Human Services and Education appropriations bill!

ACTION ALERT: Support Funding for CTE in Fiscal Year (FY) 2025

The co-chairs of the House CTE Caucus, Reps. Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-PA) and Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), are circulating an important “Dear Colleague” letter addressed to the Chair and Ranking Member of the House Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations Subcommittee. The letter requests robust funding for the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act (Perkins) in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education appropriations bill. It is critical that the letter garners strong backing in the House to show support for Perkins funding in this year’s challenging federal fiscal climate. The deadline for sign-ons is April 17, 2024!

CLICK HERE to ask your Representative to sign the letter and support strong CTE funding in the FY 2025 Labor, Health and Human Services and Education appropriations bill! 

Note: Senators will have a similar letter opportunity soon, but this one is just for House members! 

ACTION ALERT: Ask Your Representatives: Cosponsor the 2024 House CTE Month Resolution!

The co-chairs of the House CTE Caucus, Reps. Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-PA) and Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), are once again leading the House’s annual CTE Month resolution marking February as CTE Month. These representatives are currently circulating a “Dear Colleague” letter asking their colleagues to cosponsor the resolution.  

CLICK HERE to ask your Representative to cosponsor this year’s CTE Month resolution. 

The resolution raises awareness about the many benefits associated with high-quality CTE programs. By requesting support for the resolution, you are continuing to elevate the benefits of CTE to policymakers at a critical time for CTE advocacy. Please contact your representative today! If you have a direct contact in your representative’s office, we urge you to call or email them directly. 

*If you haven’t responded to last week’s alert and asked your Senators to sign on to the similar Senate CTE Month resolution, please click here to reach out to them as well!