CTE Policy Watch: A blog for CTE advocates

DC Digest: September 13-20

Last week, the remaining House Committees finished their work on portions of the Build Back Better Act, also known as the budget reconciliation package, and the Senate returned to Washington only to consider pending nominations. You can read more about the progress and next steps for the Build Back Better Act below, and here are other news and notes from Washington: 

• Next Steps for Build Back Better Act: The next legislative step is for the House Budget Committee to compile each piece of the bill into one larger bill and send it to the House Rules Committee, where it will continue to move through the legislative process. At this stage, the reconciliation process will likely move to closed-door negotiations between key Democrats and leadership in the House and Senate to come up with a package that can garner enough Democratic votes to pass each chamber. Further markups and activity may also take place in the Senate, making this a critical time for you to contact your Members of Congress and urge them to include the robust funding levels for CTE and workforce development in the Build Back Better Act, as well as include CTE programs, including at area CTE centers. in any free postsecondary education proposals. 
   
• ACTE Joins Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) in Applauding Committee Passage of the Build Back Better Act: Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) applauded the House Education and Labor Committee passing its portion of the Build Back Better Act, which includes $4 billion in dedicated funding for CTE programs, and nearly $80 billion total in funding for workforce development programs. ACTE joined Rep. Krishnamoorthi’s press statement celebrating the robust funding levels for CTE and workforce development programs, and is calling on the Senate to maintain or exceed these levels in the Build Back Better Act.

• James Kvaal Confirmed as Under Secretary of Education: The Senate has confirmed James Kvaal to be Under Secretary of Education in the U.S. Department of Education, where his focus will be on higher education priorities for the Biden Administration.

DC Digest: September 6-12

House Committees spent the last week in Washington marking up portions of the $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation package, the Build Back Better Act, while the Senate and full House remained in recess. The House Education and Labor Committee held its portion of the bill’s markup on September 9 and 10. The bill contains $4 billion for CTE to be distributed through existing Perkins V funding streams, in addition to a significant number of other investments in programs or initiatives that could benefit CTE programs, students and institutions. You can read more below! As this bill moves forward, it is important that CTE stakeholders continue to keep up the pressure on Members of Congress to include important investments in education and workforce development in the budget reconciliation bill, and to ensure all CTE programs are included! As we wait for more details on the timing of further movement on this bill and other issues, here is the latest from Washington:

 

• House Education and Labor Committee Marks Up Portion of Budget Reconciliation Package: The Committee’s portion of the bill contains a total of $761 billion in new funding, and in a significant victory, $4 billion for CTE programs through the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act (Perkins V)! ACTE has sent a letter to Chairman Bobby Scott (D-VA) of the House Education and Labor Committee expressing support for the CTE funding, but concern over the exclusion of area CTE centers in another part of the bill focused on free community college. We are actively working with Congress to support these critical institutions. Read more on CTE Policy Watch. 

 

• Department of Education Announces Funding for School Districts Facing Withheld Funding: The Department of Education has announced a grant program, Project SAFE, to support school districts that have funds withheld by states, or that incur financial penalties, for implementing COVID-19 mitigation strategies. The program will use funding within the Department of Education from the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Title IV, Part F, School Safety National Activities program. School districts would be able to apply for grants to restore funding withheld by state leaders when a school district implemented mitigation strategies. 

 

• Department of Education Announces Rethink Adult Ed Pre-Apprenticeship Challenge Winners: The Department of Education has announced the grand-prize winner and four runners-up in the Rethink Adult Ed Challenge, a $750,000 competition to advance pre-apprenticeships. Nearly 100 adult education providers created high-quality designs for programs that better prepare learners for success in their apprenticeships. 

 

• Department of Education Approves Additional ARP-ESSER Funds: The Department of Education has announced that it has approved ARP-ESSER plans for Idaho, North Carolina, Maine and Nevada. ARP-ESSER funds are utilized to sustain the safe operation of schools and expand opportunities for students impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

 

• Department of Labor Announces Funding to Expand Registered Apprenticeships in Critical Industries: The Department of Labor has announced the availability of funds to award up to four new contracts to Industry Intermediaries to launch, promote and expand registered apprenticeship models in critical industries impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. Industry Intermediaries are organizations within an industry or sub-sector serving as liaisons to employers, other industry partners and the department’s Office of Apprenticeship to determine skill needs and workforce trends and work with employers to increase apprenticeship opportunities, particularly in the care economy sector, electric power, supply chains, and transportation and logistics. You can learn more about the funding opportunity here. 

 

• Department of Labor Announces Funding to Expand Job Opportunities for Women in Apprenticeships and Nontraditional Occupations: The Department of Labor has announced $3.3 million in grant funding to help recruit, train and retain more women in quality preapprenticeships, registered apprenticeship programs and nontraditional occupations. Grants were awarded to organizations in California, Mississippi, New York, Texas and Wisconsin.

DC Digest: August 30-September 5

Members of the House and Senate will soon begin to return from their August recess with an eye toward crafting pieces of a $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation package. The House and Senate committees that received reconciliation instructions in the budget resolution, including the House Education and Labor Committee and the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, are working with an informal deadline of September 15 to complete their work. This is a critical time for CTE, as lawmakers will be making key funding decisions during the reconciliation process. You can contact your representatives and senators and ask them to ensure CTE and workforce development are prioritized in the budget reconciliation package. 

 

• Congressmen Krishnamoorthi and Langevin Introduce Resolution Supporting CTE: Congressmen Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) and Jim Langevin (D-RI) introduced a House resolution calling for doubling federal funding for CTE through the budget reconciliation process. ACTE has endorsed this resolution, and ACTE Executive Director LeAnn Wilson is quoted in the press release. ACTE urges Members of Congress to recognize and take advantage of this unique opportunity to support CTE programs at a critical time for our nation’s students and economy. 

 

• ACTE Sends Letter to House and Senate Committee Leadership to Support Area CTE Centers: ACTE, along with Advance CTE, sent a letter to the bipartisan leadership of the House Education and Labor Committee and the Senate HELP Committee to ensure that area CTE centers (ATCs) are not inadvertently overlooked as eligible institutions in any free college proposal offered in the budget reconciliation package, or any other postsecondary programs included in that package designed to support students as they obtain postsecondary credentials. 

 

• Department of Education Releases Resource to Address Lost Instruction Time: The Department of Education has released a new resource, “Strategies for Using American Rescue Plan Funding to Address the Impact of Lost Instructional Time,” to help support educators as they implement, refine, and work to continuously improve their strategies for supporting students.

DC Digest: August 23-29

This week in Washington, the Senate remained in recess, while the House returned to complete passage of several bills, including the budget resolution described in more detail below. The budget resolution provides instructions for House committees to begin drafting pieces of a larger $3.5 trillion package as part of a “budget reconciliation” process. The Senate adopted the budget resolution earlier this month. With a busy fall ahead for Congress and CTE, ACTE’s August Advocacy campaign is taking advantage of activity on Capitol Hill to help you make the most of virtual and in-person events with your federal policymakers—if you haven’t had a chance to complete one of the activities this month, you still have time! In other news this week: 

• House Adopts Fiscal Year 2022 Budget Resolution: On August 24, the House adopted the Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 budget resolution on a party-line vote. The resolution officially begins the reconciliation process, paving the way for the Democrats’ $3.5 trillion Build Back Better plan to be passed by a simple majority. The Senate previously adopted the budget resolution on a party-line vote earlier this month. For more on the next steps for the budget reconciliation process, visit CTE Policy Watch. 
   
• Secretary Cardona and Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) Promote CTE During School Visit: On August 26, Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona and Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) visited Northeast Wisconsin Technical College (NWTC) to highlight college affordability, the importance of workforce development and President Biden’s Build Back Better plan. 
   
• Whiteboard Advisors Discusses Short-Term Credentials: Whiteboard Advisors hosted a webinar on short-term credential programs, in which speakers emphasized the demand to expand Pell Grants for learners who are seeking to advance their careers with short-term credentials. For more details, you can watch the full webinar recording here. 
   

• FCC Announces Second Window to Apply for Emergency Broadband Connectivity Fund: The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has announced the opening of a second window to apply for the Emergency Broadband Connectivity Fund program, which provides broadband internet access and internet-enabled devices to schools, school staff and library patrons to help facilitate remote learning. The second application filing window will be open from September 28 to October 13. 
   
• Department of Education Ends Dual Enrollment Experimental Sites Initiative: The Department of Education has announced the end of its initiative to extend Pell Grant funds to dual-enrollment students, notifying participating institutions that it will close at the end of the 2021-2022 financial aid cycle on June 30, 2022. A report will be submitted to Congress by the end of the year to analyze data collected in the program and formulate policy recommendations related to future efforts to expand Pell grants to dual enrollment students. 
   
• Department of Education Approves Additional ARP-ESSER Funds: The Department of Education has announced its approval of additional plans for ARP-ESSER funding for the Northern Mariana Islands, Illinois, Connecticut, Louisiana, Minnesota and Alaska. ARP-ESSER funds are used to safely reopen and sustain operation of schools, as well as support students impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. 
   
• Department of Labor Awards Funding for Training and Employment Services: The Department of Labor announced the first $22 million of a total of $90 million in funding to help organizations provide training and employment services for job seekers in historically marginalized communities as the economy recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic. You can apply for the remainder of the funding through August 31. 
   
• Department of Labor Announces Grant Funding to Improve Outcomes for Public Workforce: The Department of Labor announced up to $3.5 million in grant funding to establish a centralized resource for sharing proven practices and technical assistance tools to strengthen and improve outcomes for the public workforce system. You can learn more and apply for the funding here.

DC Digest: August 16-22

Congress was in recess this past week, but the House will return briefly on August 23 to consider the budget resolution and potentially the bipartisan infrastructure package on the floor before returning to their districts for a few more weeks. Both chambers will return to Washington in September. In the meantime, as the August congressional recess continues, ACTE’s August Advocacy campaign is featuring a guide to attending or hosting events with your policymakers! If you haven’t had a chance to complete other August Advocacy tasks, they are pinned to the top of the blog! Here are some other important news and notes from Washington as the back-to-school season gets under way. 

 

• Department of Labor Announces Grant Funding for Displaced Workers: The Department of Labor announced the availability of $90 million in grants to provide reemployment opportunities for displaced workers, historically marginalized communities or groups and those unemployed for an extended period or who have exhausted unemployment insurance or other pandemic unemployment insurance programs. You may apply for the grant funding through August 31. 

 

• Departments of Education and Labor Promote Postsecondary Education for Unemployed Americans: The Departments of Education and Labor have launched an initiative to help connect millions of unemployed Americans to postsecondary education, especially those displaced from their employment during the pandemic. The Departments of Education and Labor will alert institutions of higher education and state workforce agencies about ways to help unemployment insurance (UI) beneficiaries access postsecondary education opportunities. The Department of Education created a landing page that states can share with UI beneficiaries to help identify offerings at colleges that are also eligible training providers under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). 

  

• Department of Education Forgives Student Loan Debt for Disabled Borrowers: The Department of Education has announced that over 323,000 borrowers who have a total and permanent disability (TPD) will receive more than $5.8 billion in automatic student loan discharges. The change will apply to borrowers who are identified through an existing data match with the Social Security Administration (SSA). 

 

• Advance CTE and ACTE Release Learner Voice Toolkit: Advance CTE and ACTE recently collaborated with a working group of CTE learners, educators and advocates to develop With Learners, Not for Learners: A Toolkit for Elevating Learner Voice in CTE. This toolkit provides state and local CTE leaders with actionable resources, guidance and tools to ensure CTE learner voices are elevated and heard for the improvement of CTE policies and practices. See the full toolkit here. 

 

• The Brookings Institution Discusses the Future of Early Childhood Education: The Brookings Institution hosted a webinar to discuss the future of early childhood education, in which speakers highlighted the need for the Biden Administration to advance the sector’s workforce by creating pathways to earn credentials and degrees. For more details, you can watch the full webinar recording here. 

 

• Cece Hohman Joins ACTE’s Public Policy Team: Cece Hohman has joined ACTE’s public policy team as a Research and Policy Associate to inform ACTE membership about CTE data and research to inform relevant policies and best practices.

DC Digest: August 9-15

While the House was in recess, the Senate remained in Washington this week to pass a budget resolution and complete final passage of the bipartisan infrastructure package on the floor before adjourning for its August break. Overall, it was a quieter week for CTE-related policy. Both chambers will remain in recess next week. In the meantime, ACTE’s August Advocacy continues with Week 3’s task – writing an op-ed or sending a letter to the editor to members of the media to express the importance of strong federal investments in CTE, especially as students will be heading back to school. 

 

• President Biden Nominates Dr. Amy Loyd to Serve as OCTAE Assistant Secretary: President Biden has announced that he will nominate Dr. Amy Loyd to officially serve as Assistant Secretary for the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education (OCTAE), a position that she has held in an acting capacity since April 2021. You can read ACTE’s full statement supporting Dr. Loyd’s nomination here, and read more on CTE Policy Watch.  

 

• Department of Education Approves Additional ARP-ESSER Funds: The Department of Education has announced its approval of ARP-ESSER plans for Alabama, Indiana, Kentucky, New Jersey and South Carolina. ARP-ESSER funds are used to help reopen and sustain the safe operation of schools and support students impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

 

• Senate Democrats Approve Budget Resolution for Reconciliation Package: Senate Democrats released and then passed their fiscal year (FY) 2022 budget resolution, setting the stage for a $3.5 trillion “budget reconciliation” package that would implement major changes to social programs, climate policy and other domestic policies. The reconciliation instructions include $726.4 billion for the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, the biggest allotment to any committee. Read more on CTE Policy Watch. 

 

• Senate Passes Bipartisan Infrastructure Package: After months of negotiations, the Senate voted 69-30 to pass a sweeping bipartisan infrastructure proposal. While this bill did not include the investments in workforce development to support infrastructure development originally proposed in the Administration’s American Jobs Plan, the measure contained some education-related provisions. Read more on CTE Policy Watch.

DC Digest: August 2-8

With the House in recess and the Senate primarily focused on appropriations bill markups and moving a bipartisan infrastructure package on the floor, it was a quieter week for CTE-related policy. The Senate plans to leave Washington for August recess within the next week, and ACTE has launched an August advocacy toolkit to help CTE advocates make the most of the congressional recess and emphasize the importance of strong federal investments in CTE! Visit ACTE’s August Advocacy page all month long for the tools and tips you need to connect with your federal policymakers and help give CTE a voice at the table! 

 

• ACTE Kicks Off August Advocacy Effort: As Congress continues to work on a multitude of legislative vehicles – including President Biden’s Fiscal Year 2022 budget request, a bipartisan infrastructure package and a potential budget reconciliation package, ACTE needs your help to ensure CTE has a seat at the table! For our first advocacy task of the month, send a fully-customizable letter to your federal policymakers using ACTE’s Action Center.

• ACTE Promotes Letter to Congressional Leadership on Workforce Investments: ACTE has joined a letter to congressional leaders emphasizing the importance of a $100 billion investment in workforce development, consistent with proposals in the American Jobs Plan. State associations or other state or national organizations interested in signing on to the letter may do so by close of business on August 19, 2021.

• Senators Introduce Legislation to Support Dual and Concurrent Enrollment Programs: Senators Gary Peters (D-MI), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Tim Kaine (D-VA) and John Boozman (R-AR) reintroduced legislation to expand opportunities for high school students to obtain college credit and make higher education more accessible and affordable. The Making Education Affordable and Accessible Act (MEAA) would help improve high school and college graduation rates by expanding the use of existing grants to institutions of higher education to support dual or concurrent enrollment initiatives and early college high school programs. ACTE has endorsed this legislation.

• Department of Education Extends Student Loan Repayment Pause: The Department of Education announced that January 31, 2022, will be the final extension of the pause on federal student loan repayment, interest and collections. Repayment and interest accrual had been paused because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Department of Education Releases Return to School Resources: The Department of Education has released a “Return to School Roadmap” to help students, staff, schools and communities safely return to in-person school activities and emerge from the pandemic stronger than before. The roadmap is designed as a toolkit to sustain safe, healthy learning environments all school year.

• Department of Education Approves Additional ARP-ESSER Plans: The Department of Education has announced its approval of ARP-ESSER plans for Hawaii, Montana, New York and Pennsylvania. The ARP-ESSER funds are designed to help reopen and sustain the safe operation of schools and expand opportunity for students most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Department of Education Creates Student Loan Committee: The Department of Education has created a negotiated rulemaking committee to examine several federal student loan programs, including the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program and repayment options. A subcommittee will also examine the extension of Pell Grant eligibility to incarcerated students.

• Department of Education Awards Funds to Develop Native American Educators: The Department of Education has released $10 million in funding to help recruit and train Native American educators. The grants address a significant gap in the number of qualified Native American individuals in education-related professions that serve Native students.

DC Digest July 26-August 1

This week in Washington was relatively quiet for CTE-related policy. The long-awaited framework of a bipartisan infrastructure deal was released late last week, and floor consideration has begun. Both the House and Senate were in session for the entire week, but the House now heads out for an extended recess, until September 20. The Senate will be in session a bit longer before adjourning for their August recess. ACTE has several advocacy tasks lined up for our members to participate in over the congressional recess, but in the meantime, here is what you need to stay on top of the latest news!

 

• CDC Releases Updated Mask Guidance for K-12 Schools: The CDC has released updated guidelines that recommend all individuals in K-12 schools wear masks, regardless of vaccination status, in light of higher national case numbers and the increased transmissibility of the Delta COVID-19 variant. 

 

• House Passes Package of Appropriations Bills: On July 29, the House passed H.R. 4502, a seven-bill package that includes the Fiscal Year 2022 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies funding bill. For more information on the funding levels provided in the bill, visit CTE Policy Watch. 

 

• Policymakers Announce Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework: On July 28, a bipartisan negotiating group in the U.S. Senate announced that they had struck a deal with the White House to bring a $550 billion infrastructure bill to the Senate for consideration, including a $65 billion investment to provide broadband access to every American. The bill then cleared two different procedural votes in the Senate to move toward debate, and the full text of the bill was released over the weekend.  

 

• Department of Education Releases Funds to Support Students Experiencing Homelessness: The Department of Education has released $600 million in American Rescue Plan funds to help support students experiencing homelessness. States and school districts can use the funding to ensure students can fully participate in school activities. 

 

• Department of Education Releases Funds to Support Under-resourced Postsecondary  Institutions: The Department of Education has released $3.2 billion in additional emergency grants under the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF). The funds will be used to help support students who attend HBCUs, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs) and Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs). 

 

• House Education and Labor Committee Holds Hearing on Pell Grants: On July 29, the Higher Education and Workforce Investment Subcommittee of the House Education and Labor Committee hosted a hearing titled, “Keeping the Pell Grant Promise: Increasing Enrollment, Supporting Success.” The committee members and witnesses discussed the impact of the Pell Grant program on college affordability, as well as ways to improve the Pell Grant program to better serve students. Later in the week, the Department of Education also announced it will expand the Second Chance Pell experiment for justice-involved individuals for the 2022-23 award year.  

 

• ACTE Mourns Former Senator Mike Enzi (R-WY): ACTE released a statement on the passing of longtime CTE advocate and former Wyoming senator Mike Enzi, and extended thoughts and condolences to his family and loved ones.

DC Digest: July 19-25

In Washington this week, Congress remained in session to continue appropriations bill markups, consider pending nominees and hold committee hearings. Negotiations continue on a bipartisan infrastructure package, although no deal has been reached. The remainder of the summer promises to be a busy time for CTE-related policy, but in the meantime, here are the biggest headlines of the week. 

• ACTE Supports Letter to Congressional Leaders on Workforce Investments: Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) and Steven Horsford (D-NV), along with 101 House members, sent a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) to request that at least $100 billion in new spending for workforce development be included in the upcoming reconciliation package. Thank you to all the ACTE members that responded to our legislative alert and contacted your representatives to ask that they join the letter to congressional leadership. 
   
• House Education and Labor Committee Holds Press Conference on Workforce Development Funding: On July 22, the House Education and Labor Committee held a press conference featuring Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh, Deputy Secretary of Education Cindy Marten, Education and Labor Committee Chairman Bobby Scott (D-VA), Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), manufacturing business owner Traci Tapani of Wyoming Machine and National Skills Coalition Executive Director Andy Van Kleunen to express the urgent need to include the $100 billion investment in workforce development laid out in President Biden’s American Jobs Plan proposal as a part of the upcoming reconciliation package.

• House Committee Holds Hearing on the Direct Care Workforce: On July 20, the Health, Employment, Labor and Pensions Subcommittee and the Higher Education and Workforce Investment Subcommittee of the House Education and Labor Committee, held a joint subcommittee hearing on making investments in the direct care workforce. Zulma Torres, a home health aide from Waterbury, Connecticut, described in detail to the subcommittee members the challenges that direct care workers face, including low pay and long hours. In addition to those difficulties, the direct care sector lacks training opportunities and career pathways that would ensure quality care and provide the chance for professional advancement, as highlighted by the witnesses and subcommittee members. 
   
• House Announces Plans to Consider Labor-HHS-Education Spending Bill: The House Appropriations Committee has announced that the full House is expected to consider the Fiscal Year 2022 Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and related agencies funding bill this week. For a complete recap of the bill’s CTE-related funding levels, visit CTE Policy Watch. 
   
• Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) Leads Letter to Senate Leadership on the Educator Workforce: Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA), Senate CTE Caucus co-chair, led 13 senators in sending a letter to Senate leadership urging investments in the educator workforce in any upcoming infrastructure legislation. The letter requests investments that will create a well-prepared, diverse, supported and stable educator workforce.

• Sens. Ed Markey (D-MA) and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), and Rep. Grace Meng (D-NY) Introduce Legislation to Close the Homework Gap: Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA), Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MA) and Rep. Grace Meng (D-NY) introduced the Securing Universal Communications Connectivity to Ensure Students Succeed (SUCCESS) Act, legislation that will help bolster the FCC’s Emergency Connectivity Fund created under the American Rescue Plan. Schools and libraries would receive $40 billion over 5 years to provide internet access and internet-enabled devices to students, staff and library patrons. ACTE has endorsed this legislation.

• Committee for Education Funding (CEF) Hosts Advocacy Day: On July 21, CEF hosted a Day of Advocacy on Capitol Hill to call on Congress to support greater federal investments in education. ACTE participated in meetings with lawmakers as a part of CEF’s advocacy efforts. Additionally, CEF participated in a social media campaign, #HearOurEdStories, to highlight the impact of greater education investments, which was joined by multiple House members and organizations. CEF requests that advocates contact their Members of Congress and urge them to support increased funding for education. 
   
• Department of Education Releases Additional ARP-ESSER Funds: The Department of Education has announced its approval of 10 additional American Rescue Plan (ARP) Elementary and Secondary Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund state plans. These plans detail how states are using and plan to use ARP-ESSER funds to safely reopen schools and expand educational opportunities for students disproportionately impacted by the pandemic.  
    
• Department of Education Releases Updated Title IX Guidance: The Department of Education has released updated guidance to help institutions comply with changes made to Title IX in 2020. The document released by the department addresses how an institution should determine whether to investigate off-campus conduct, the types of allowable evidence for a decision-maker to use and the appropriate length of time that an institution should take to investigate a complaint. 
   
• Economic Development Administration Announces Good Jobs Challenge: The U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA), a bureau of the Department of Commerce, announced the Good Jobs Challenge, a $500 million program to help get Americans back to work by strengthening in-demand skills and job training partnerships between employers and workers. You may apply here for the grant funding.

DC Digest: July 12-18

Congress returned to Washington last week to mark up appropriations bills, hold several committee hearings and consider pending nominations. In addition, Senate Democrats announced an initial framework for a budget reconciliation package worth $3.5 trillion, although there are still many unknowns about how details of this package will be fleshed out over the next few months. We made one last push for a focus on workforce development funding in the negotiations last week, thank you to those who reached out to Members of Congress! This bill is in addition to the bipartisan infrastructure package that was announced several weeks ago and that the Senate could begin voting on as early as later this week. While we wait for forthcoming news on these spending packages, catch up on the latest in CTE-related news from Washington. 

• House Appropriations Committee Approves Labor-HHS-Education Bill: On July 15, the full House Appropriations Committee marked up and approved by voice vote the Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies funding bill. The bill provides a $50 million increase to the Perkins Basic State Grant as well as a new $100 competitive grant program focused on CTE innovation. Now that it has been favorably reported out of the committee, the bill will need to be approved by the full House. Prior to the Committee action, ACTE joined with Advance CTE to send a letter to committee leaders with our thoughts on the bill. For more details on the legislation, you can read the CTE Policy Watch recap and read the full report of the bill.

 

• Committee for Education Funding (CEF) Holds Education Budget Briefing: On July 13, the Committee for Education Funding (CEF) released its Fiscal Year 2022 budget book titled, “Education Matters: Investing in America’s Future,” and held a panel discussion about the need for increased education funding. Four panelists participated, each with a wealth of knowledge to share from across the educational spectrum, including Craig Statucki, the Director of Career Readiness, Adult Learning and Education Options for the Nevada Department of Education, who recently served as the Executive Director of Nevada’s Association for Career and Technical Education.

 

• Secretary of Labor Walsh Testifies Before Senate Appropriations Subcommittee: On July 14, Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh testified before the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Subcommittee of the Senate Appropriations Committee to discuss President Biden’s Fiscal Year 2022 budget request for the Department of Labor. Secretary Walsh and several senators on the committee highlighted the importance of apprenticeships, as well as the need to improve access to them.

 

• Department of Education Announces Temporary Changes to Student Aid Process: The Department of Education recently announced that it will focus federal student aid verification on identity theft and fraud for the 2021–22 college application cycle. Richard Cordray of Federal Student Aid (FSA) said this plan will address immediate student needs, protect the integrity of the Pell Grant program and reduce barriers to access for underserved students. This announcement comes amidst reports that FAFSA completion decreased significantly again this year among high school graduates.

 

• Department of Education Approves Additional ARP-ESSER Funds: The Department of Education has approved plans for South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Arkansas, Rhode Island and the District of Columbia to utilize their ARP-ESSER funds to support safe school reopenings and expand opportunities for students impacted by the pandemic. The funds were made available to states through the passage of the American Rescue Plan.

 

• Education Groups Launch Effort to Double Pell Grant: A coalition of 24 education associations, organizations and advocacy groups recently launched an effort to double the maximum Pell Grant award to $13,000 per year. Approximately 7 million low and middle-income students across the country are awarded Pell Grants.