CTE Policy Watch: A blog for CTE advocates

ACTE Launches 118th Congress Freshmen Advocacy Guide

Every two years, a new crop of federal policymakers enter Congress for the beginning of the next congressional session. ACTE has developed this resource to help you effectively develop relationships with new Members of Congress and urge them to support policies that will help advance high-quality CTE for all learners. The start of the 118th Congress presents the perfect opportunity to inform them about CTE and encourage their support! 

CTE advocates are in an excellent position to provide these new members with information about their programs and how these programs affect their communities. If you can develop a working relationship with the new Member and his or her staff, they will look to you more often and ask for your input as issues come forward.

Don’t forget to maintain relationships with your returning policymakers! Even lawmakers who have been in office before may shift their focuses and priorities, so reiterate your willingness to serve as a resource for them.

If you have questions about advocacy in the 118th Congress, please contact Jori Houck, Media Relations and Advocacy Associate, at [email protected] or Government Relations Manager, Zach Curtis ([email protected]). 

Visit the advocacy guide here!

ACTION ALERT: Ask Members of Congress to Include JOBS Act Language in FY23 Appropriations!

Government funding talks for fiscal year 2023 are proceeding slowly, with appropriations leaders in both parties at odds over the total amount of non-defense spending to be included in a potential “omnibus” spending package. ACTE has been monitoring this process closely and participating in meetings with education and workforce staff members on Capitol Hill to advocate for the priorities of the CTE community.  

As this is likely one of the final bills to be considered by this Congress, there is the potential for additional, bipartisan priorities to be attached to the final funding legislation. One area that could be addressed is the expansion of Pell Grants to short-term CTE programs. Earlier this year, the JOBS Act (S. 864/H.R. 2037) was close to being included in other legislation, and the bill’s sponsors have been looking for an appropriate vehicle where it might be included. Now is a perfect opportunity for CTE advocates to make their voices heard in support of short-term Pell Grant expansion during these negotiations. 

ACTION NEEDED: Contact your policymakers in the House and Senate to ask them to support Pell Grant eligibility for high-quality, short-term CTE programs as they negotiate fiscal year 2023 appropriations packages. 

If you have a direct contact in your representative’s or senator’s office, such as from a meeting with a staff member during NPS or at another time, we urge you to call or email directly. You can also call the U.S. Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121, and an operator will connect you to your requested congressional office. Please contact your senators and representatives today!

ACTION ALERT: Learn About Your Representatives for the 118th Congress!

With Election Day in the rearview mirror, now it is time for new representatives and senators-elect to start the process of hiring staff, opening offices and developing their legislative philosophies and agendas.  

The First Session of the 118th Congress – comprising calendar year 2023 – will begin officially on January 3, 2023. While we are still awaiting final election results in several races, this is a critical time for CTE and CTE advocates. 

Although the current Congress still has a “lame-duck” session of the 117th Congress left to finish this year, this is the best time to start planning outreach to newly elected Members to build relationships and help shape their priorities for the months to come. 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!  

This is not an exhaustive list, but some actions you can take before the start of the next Congress may include: 

• 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 members-elect are attending community events or meetings, attend to introduce yourself and inquire about their understanding and support of CTE in their 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 increases to Perkins funding, Pell Grants expansion to short-term training programs and support for the educator workforce. 

Shortly before the beginning of the new Congress, ACTE will share more resources to help you build relationships with your new representatives  and urge them to support ACTE priorities that will benefit CTE. We need your help in getting to know the new Members of Congress and encouraging them to serve the needs of their constituents in the CTE community. You can view a full list of election winners here. 

Read ACTE’s comprehensive advocacy toolkit for a head start as we prepare for the transition! If you have any questions, please reach out to Jori Houck, ACTE Media Relations and Advocacy Associate, at [email protected].

ACTION ALERT: Ask Members of Congress to Include JOBS Act Language in the CHIPS Act!

On July 14, news reports stated that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) would move to consider a standalone package of funding for semiconductor manufacturing, now known as the CHIPS Act, as soon as Tuesday, July 19 after Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) halted conference negotiations on the bipartisan and bicameral America COMPETES/USICA. The status of several provisions under negotiation, including the JOBS Act and College Transparency Act (CTA), are still unclear, as lawmakers seek to bypass the conference negotiations in hopes of passing the bill before the August congressional recess. The America COMPETES Act and the USICA contain several provisions with implications for CTE, most notably the expansion of Pell Grants to short-term programs through language similar to the JOBS Act in the America COMPETES Act. 

Now, lawmakers are lobbying congressional leadership to include their personal priorities in the bill. We need your help in putting pressure on your Members of Congress to include the JOBS Act language in the text of the CHIPS Act! 

If you reside in Arizona, New York, Ohio, Indiana, Virginia, Kentucky, North Carolina, Washington or California, your Members of Congress are in a key position to impact negotiations, making it crucial that CTE advocates in these states weigh in now as the negotiations quickly shift in a new direction. 

ACTION NEEDED: Contact your policymakers in the House and Senate to ask them to support the extension of Pell Grant eligibility to high-quality, short-term CTE programs as they negotiate the CHIPS Act. 

If you have a direct contact in your representative’s or senator’s office, such as from a meeting with a staff member during NPS or at another time, we urge you to call or email directly. You can also call the U.S. Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121, and an operator will connect you to your requested congressional office. Please contact your senators and representatives today!

Ask Your Senators to Support Robust Funding for CTE in FY 2023!

On June 30, the House Appropriations Committee marked up and approved by a vote of 32-24 its Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 spending bill for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services and Education. In addition to other education and workforce-related investments, the House legislation proposes a $45 million increase to the Perkins Basic State Grant program, a year-over-year increase equal to what was enacted in the FY22 spending bill. 

Now, the Senate Appropriations Committee and the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies Subcommittee are set to begin crafting their version of the FY23 spending bill, and we need your help to promote an even greater increase for Perkins that is more reflective of the needs of the CTE community. We are requesting an increase of $200 million for the Perkins Basic State Grant in FY23 to ensure that CTE can continue to serve as a critical part of our nation’s economic development and meet urgent workforce needs. 

ACTION NEEDED: CLICK HERE to ask your senator to support robust funding for high-quality CTE programs in the Senate’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education appropriations bill! 

You can send a message directly using the ACTE Action Center. Additionally, if you have a direct contact in your senator's office, such as from a meeting with a staff member during NPS or at another time, we urge you to call or email directly. You can also call the U.S. Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121, and an operator will connect you to your requested Senate office. Please contact your senators today!

ACTION ALERT: Ask Your Members of Congress to Cosponsor the RAISE Act!

On March 3, Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) introduced legislation that would boost compensation for all public early childhood and K-12 teachers, including those in CTE. The legislation, titled the RAISE Act, would provide refundable federal income tax credits between $1,000 and $15,000 to eligible teachers annually. The amount of the credit would be determined by a sliding scale based on the school poverty level where the teacher works. 

Specifically, the RAISE Act would:   

• Provide all eligible K-12 and early childhood teachers with a minimum $1,000 refundable tax credit, regardless of school poverty level.  
• Provide a refundable tax credit of up to $15,000 for early childhood teachers with a bachelor’s degree and all eligible K-12 teachers. 
• Provide a refundable tax credit of up to $10,000 for early childhood teachers with an associate degree or Child Development Associate (CDA) certificate.  

Additionally, the bill would invest in educator recruitment and retention programs, incentivize local education agencies to increase teacher salaries, provide labor protections to prevent the tax credit from being unfairly used in salary negotiations and increase the educator tax deduction to $500 for all early childhood and K-12 teachers.   

ACTE has officially endorsed the RAISE Act. Now, we need your assistance to help retain teachers in the profession and attract more high-quality professionals to the teacher workforce.  

ACTION NEEDED: Contact your Members of Congress to ask them to cosponsor and support the RAISE Act! 

If you have a direct contact in your Member's office, such as from a meeting with a staff member during NPS or at another time, we urge you to call or email directly. You can also call the U.S. Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121, and an operator will connect you to your requested congressional office. Please contact your Members of Congress today!

Ask Your Members of Congress: Support CTE Provisions in the America COMPETES Act/USICA Conference Negotiations!

After House passage of the America COMPETES Act in February, House and Senate leadership began the formal process of resolving differences between America COMPETES and the Senate’s version of the legislation, known as the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act (USICA). The America COMPETES Act contains several provisions with implications for CTE, most notably the expansion of Pell Grants to short-term programs through language similar to the JOBS Act.  

• However, the JOBS Act language is not currently included in the Senate version of the bill, making it a critical issue for the conference negotiations. There are several other CTE-related issues that we hope the conference committee considers as well. 

If you reside in Arizona, New York, Virginia, Kentucky, North Carolina, Washington or California, your Members of Congress are in a key position to impact the conference negotiations, making it crucial that CTE advocates in these states weigh in now with these Members of Congress as the negotiations move to the final stages. 

ACTION NEEDED: Contact your policymakers in the House and Senate to ask them to support the extension of Pell Grant eligibility to high-quality, short-term CTE programs and additional workforce development priorities during the conference negotiations for the America COMPETES Act/USICA. 

If you have a direct contact in your representative's or senator’s office, such as from a meeting with a staff member during NPS or at another time, we urge you to call or email directly. You can also call the U.S. Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121, and an operator will connect you to your requested congressional office. Please contact your senators and representatives today!

Ask Your Senator: Support Robust Funding for Perkins in FY 2023!

Each year, Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) lead a “Dear Colleague” letter to be sent to the Chair and Ranking Member of the Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Subcommittee of the Senate Appropriations Committee requesting robust funding for the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act (Perkins) in the FY 2023 Labor, Health, and Human Services appropriations bill. Committee members view these “Dear Colleague” letters as a critical part of the process because they show the breadth of support a specific program has, making this letter’s success critical. These senators have begun circulating the letter to their Senate colleagues to obtain additional senators to sign on. 

The president’s original budget request for FY 23 was disappointing, but only represents a starting point in what will be months of negotiation in Congress. Your advocacy these past few years has been critical to securing increases in Perkins funding; we need your help again to secure an increase for Perkins that is more reflective of the needs of the CTE community than the Administration’s request and ensures that CTE can continue to serve as a critical part of our economic recovery and meet urgent workforce needs. 

The current list of signers already includes: Brown, Sherrod; Cantwell, Maria; Cardin, Ben; Carper, Thomas; Casey, Bob; Cortez Masto, Catherine; King, Angus; Markey, Edward J.; Menendez, Robert; Merkley, Jeff; Murphy, Christopher; Ossoff, Jon; Reed, Jack; Schatz, Brian; Van Hollen, Chris; Warnock, Raphael G.; Whitehouse, Sheldon; Wyden, Ron. 

 ACTION NEEDED:  

• CLICK HERE to ask your senator to sign the “Dear Colleague” letter supporting robust funding for Perkins CTE in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education appropriations bill if they are not already on the list! The deadline for sign-ons is COB on Friday, May 20, 2022. 

You can send a message directly using the ACTE Action Center. Additionally, if you have a direct contact in your senator's office, such as from a meeting with a staff member during NPS or at another time, we urge you to call or email directly. You can also call the U.S. Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121, and an operator will connect you to your requested Senate office. Please contact your senator today!

Ask Your Representative: Support Robust Funding for Perkins in FY 2023!

As the Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 appropriations process gets under way, House CTE Caucus chairmen Reps. Jim Langevin (D-RI) and Glenn "GT" Thompson (R-PA) are leading a “Dear Colleague” letter to be sent to the Chair and Ranking Member of the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee requesting robust funding for the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act (Perkins) in the FY 2023 Labor, Health, and Human Services appropriations bill. Committee members view these “Dear Colleague” letters as a critical part of the process because they show the breadth of support a specific program has, making this letter’s success critical. These representatives have begun circulating their letter and are seeking additional House members to sign on. 

The president’s original budget request for FY 23 was disappointing, but only represents a starting point in what will be months of negotiation in Congress. Your advocacy these past few years has been critical to securing increases in Perkins funding; we need your help again to secure an increase for Perkins that is more reflective of the needs of the CTE community than the Administration’s request and ensures that CTE can continue to serve as a critical part of our economic recovery and meet urgent workforce needs. 

ACTION NEEDED:  

• CLICK HERE to ask your representative to sign the “Dear Colleague” letter  supporting robust funding for Perkins CTE in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education appropriations bill. The deadline for sign-ons is COB on Friday, April 22, 2022. 

You can send a message directly using the ACTE Action Center. Additionally, if you have a direct contact in your representative's office, such as from a meeting with a staff member during NPS or at another time, we urge you to call or email directly. You can also call the U.S. Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121, and an operator will connect you to your requested House office. Please contact your representative today!

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

The co-chairs of the House and Senate CTE Caucus, Reps. Jim Langevin (D-RI) and Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-PA), and Sens. Tim Kaine (D-VA), Todd Young (R-IN), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Rob Portman (R-OH) have introduced resolutions in both chambers honoring February as CTE Month! 

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

The House and Senate resolutions raise awareness about the many benefits associated with high-quality CTE programs. Your advocacy makes a difference and encourages representatives and senators to cosponsor the resolutions, so please contact your Members of Congress today!