CTE Policy Watch: A blog for CTE advocates

Congress Averts Shutdown

Over the weekend, Congress passed a stopgap funding bill to avert a government shutdown. The Continuing Resolution (CR), which President Joe Biden signed late Saturday evening, will keep the federal government funded at current levels until November 17. 

After several failed attempts at a more partisan approach that would have significantly cut funding, Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) made the proposal early on Saturday, and it eventually passed the House on a 335-91 vote. The Senate took up the CR a few house later and passed the measure 88-9.  

The CR keeps funding levels at Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 levels, a significant victory given some of the other proposals over the past week. The package also includes $16 billion in federal disaster assistance, which meets the president’s full request. However, it does not include any aid to Ukraine, which was a top priority for President Biden and many Members of Congress from both parties. Additional aid is expected to be considered in separate bills.  

Over the next several weeks, Congressional leaders will use this additional time to continue trying to pass additional FY 24 appropriations bills. Leaders in both the House and the Senate will need to come to an agreement, and we will continue advocating for the highest funding level possible for CTE! 

Senate Moves Forward on CR

On September 26, the Senate moved forward on a bipartisan continuing resolution (CR) that would keep the government open when the current federal fiscal year ends on September 30. The vote puts the Senate on a path to pass the CR later this week. 

The Senate legislation will fund the government until November 17. According to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), funding will continue at the same levels as fiscal year 2023. The CR will also provide approximately $6.15 billion in funding for Ukraine and $5.99 billion in disaster relief. The legislation will also temporarily extend the expiring authority of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and a few other expiring programs 

If the CR passes the Senate, it will then move to the House where it faces an uphill battle. Many House Republicans came out against the bill citing its lack of border protection policy. Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) indicated on Tuesday evening that he would seek a meeting with President Joe Biden to try to work out a deal that would keep the government open while also including language on border protection, and the House may try to vote on their own CR later in the week. However, both the House and Senate must pass the same bill and send it to the President to be signed into law to avoid a government shutdown. Most Washington insiders are not optimistic at this point that this can occur, so agencies are starting to prepare for a potential shutdown. We will have more on that potential and new developments as the week unfolds! 

Update on FY24 Appropriations

Both chambers of Congress will be back in session this week after spending the month of August in recess. With only a few weeks left until government funding runs out, lawmakers face a hectic September as they work to avoid a government shutdown. Congress will either need to pass all 12 appropriations bills or a continuing resolution to keep the government open past September 30. 

House GOP appropriators have drafted a slate of spending bills that are tens of billions of dollars below the bipartisan agreement reached in May to raise the debt ceiling, and the House Appropriations Committee has approved 10 out of the 12 FY24 appropriations bills along entirely partisan lines. Notably, one of the bills that has not been approved is the Labor-HHS-Education spending bill, which proposes deep cuts to the Departments of Education and Labor while level-funding Perkins.  

On the other side of the Capitol, the Senate is working in a bipartisan fashion, which has allowed all 12 spending bills to be passed by the Senate Appropriations Committee, with some bills adopted unanimously. Senate Appropriations Committee members approved their version of the Labor-HHS-Education spending bill on a bipartisan vote. This bill proposes a $40 million increase to the Perkins Basic State Grant. 

Both the House and the Senate have a long way to go before the full chambers vote on their own versions of each bill – let alone reconcile the vast spending differences in each chamber before the legislation lands on the president’s desk. Senate lawmakers are aiming to move a three-bill appropriations package this week that will consist of Military Construction-VA, Agriculture, and Transportation-Housing and Urban Development measures.  

Your advocacy will be critical to attempt to maintain the higher level for Perkins included in the Senate bill, as well as the Senate funding levels for programs across the education and workforce spectrum. Ask your lawmakers to show their support!   

Applications Available for Perkins Innovation and Modernization Grant Program

The Department of Education’s Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education (OCTAE) has posted a notice inviting applications for new FY 2023 awards from the Perkins Innovation and Modernization Grant Program for their Career-Connected High Schools program. Approximately $24 million is available for these competitive grants from funding allocated to the Perkins Act’s National Programs line item in the FY 2023 appropriations bill. 

The new grant program seeks to identify, promote and implement innovative strategies to strengthen and modernize CTE programs. Its funding will be awarded to projects that demonstrate efforts to increase students’ access to career-connected high schools, which the Department defines as those that offer systematic postsecondary counseling and career advising, dual or concurrent enrollment, work-based learning, and programs that offer opportunities to earn an industry-recognized credential.   

To be considered for a grant, an applicant must meet the following absolute priorities:

1. Be able to describe current implementation of career-connected learning components and lay out a five-year plan for increasing the number of students who participate in postsecondary education and career navigation systems, dual or concurrent enrollment, work-based learning and industry recognized credentials. 
2. Demonstrate how the proposed project would support underserved students and close equity gaps.

25% of the available grant funding will be set aside for education within rural communities. The notice also lists competitive preferences that can increase the strength of an application, including submitting applications as a partnership and serving students from families with low incomes. 

Applications must be submitted by October 13, 2023, through Grants.gov to be considered. Further information to assist in completing the application will be available on the Perkins Collaborative Resource Network.

ACTION ALERT: Ask Your Members of Congress to Support the Senate’s FY 2024 Education Funding Bill!

On July 27, the Senate Appropriations Committee considered and approved its Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill on a bi-partisan basis, which contains a $40 million increase to the Perkins Basic State Grant program, and provides significantly more resources to education and workforce development programs than the House version of the bill does.

The appropriations process will continue once Congress returns in September, and we want to let Members of Congress know that we support the Senate bill and its higher funding levels! Your advocacy will be critical throughout August to share this message!

ACTION NEEDED: CLICK HERE to urge your Members of Congress to support the Senate’s $40 million increase for Perkins and overall higher funding levels! 

You can 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.

Senate Appropriations Committee Proposes $40 Million Increase for Perkins State Grants

On July 27, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved its FY 24 Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS), and Education Appropriations bill on an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote of 26-2. Despite the tight budget caps enforced by the debt limit deal, the bill contained an additional $40 million for the Perkins Basic State Grant program! This is a huge step in a year where funding increases will be very hard to secure. Overall, the bill provides significantly more resources to education and workforce development programs than the House bill, including a very small net increase for education funding over last year (approximately .2% or $147 million).

The Senate bill does not eliminate any education programs, although most programs are frozen at their FY 23 levels and a few have minor cuts. In addition to Perkins, other programs receiving increases include Title I, IDEA, Pell grants, Head Start, student aid administration, Student Success and Academic Enrichment Grants (ESEA Title IV), and Teacher Quality Partnerships. Most workforce programs were also level funded, with a small increase for apprenticeships.

The Senate has now approved all 12 of its appropriations bills at the Committee level on a bipartisan basis, and the bills next head to the full Senate. The House has approved all but two bills (one of which is the Labor, HHS, and Education bill) at the Committee level, and one bill has passed the full House; however, all House bills are partisan. Action is now paused in both chambers for the August recess.

Next steps for the appropriations process are uncertain, as some House members are asking for even more cuts than their Labor, HHS and Education bill initially included – and the Senate and White House will not agree to those cuts. Your advocacy will be critical to attempt to maintain the higher level for Perkins included in the Senate bill, as well as the Senate funding levels for programs across the education and workforce spectrum!

ACTION ALERT: Ask Your Members of Congress to Oppose Cuts to Education and Workforce Programs in FY 2024!

On July 14, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies approved its Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 appropriations bill on a party-line vote. In some good news for CTE, the Perkins Basic State Grant is level funded in this bill. However, the bill reduces overall education funding, including rescissions to some funding that would become available to programs this fall and significant cuts to or complete eliminations of dozens of education and workforce programs, such as WIOA Youth and Adult programs, federal work-study, ESSA Title I and II and more.

The proposed cuts to major education and workforce development programs are deeply concerning, and will harm the ability of CTE programs to support learners and provide access to broader career and postsecondary opportunities. Education and workforce programs work hand-in-hand to develop a skilled workforce – CTE programs cannot be successful without the support of the entire system.

As the bill moves forward in the House and the Senate begins work on its bill as well, 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 about the impact of proposed cuts to education and workforce programs in the FY 2024 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education appropriations bill! 

You can 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.

House Subcommittee Appropriators Approve FY24 Education Funding Bill

Yesterday, the House Appropriations Committee released its Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations bill, including funding for education and workforce development programs. The bill was approved by the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies earlier today on a party-line vote. Unfortunately, because House leaders chose to develop appropriations bills at a much lower funding level than agreed to in the debt limit deal, this bill makes significant cuts across education and workforce programs. There are approximately 60 programs completely eliminated and another 50 programs with proposed reductions. Overall, the bill reduces funding 29% below the FY 2023 enacted level, and also includes recissions to prior funding.

In a small victory for CTE, the legislation “maintains career and technical training grants,” suggesting that the Perkins Basic State Grant should be level funded at FY 2023 levels.

However, while we appreciate the legislation’s recognition of sustaining current levels of federal investment in CTE via Perkins, we are extremely concerned about proposed cuts to other major education and workforce development programs elsewhere in the legislation. You can view our statement about the bill here.

Below are just a few of the funding cuts included in the bill that are most relevant:

Education Cuts/Eliminations

• 80% cut for Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Title I state grants to local education agencies
  • Note: Rescinds $8.7 billion of advance funding for Title I grants to states that would become available in Fall 2023 and could be used for the upcoming program year
• Eliminates funding for Magnet School program
• Eliminates funding for Teacher Quality Partnerships
• Eliminates funding for Federal Work-study Program
• Eliminates funding for ESSA Title II – Supporting Effective Instruction State Grants

Department of Labor Cuts/Eliminations

• Eliminates funding for Department of Labor WIOA Youth and cuts Adult training programs
• Eliminates funding for the Women’s Bureau
• Eliminates funding for Job Corps program
• Cuts Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) by $95 million

The bill now advances to consideration by the full House Appropriations Committee. We are still awaiting the date of the full committee markup, and we will continue to provide updates as the bill moves along in the appropriations process. Be on the lookout for an Action Alert next week to get involved and let Congress know that these massive cuts will have a negative impact on the broader education and workforce system, including CTE programs. You can view the full text of the bill here.

Update on FY24 Appropriations

With the enactment of the Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRA), appropriators in the House and Senate are now working on their respective appropriations bills that will make up the federal budget for FY24. This year’s appropriations process was expected to feature spending caps that were imposed by the FRA, which after adjustments hold non-defense spending roughly flat in FY 2024 and increase it by 1% in 2025.  

However, the House has chosen to use much lower caps for discretionary spending. In the House, legislators have proposed a topline number for the Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS), and Education appropriations bill of $147.1 billion, or a 29 percent cut. The Senate is sticking much closer to the FRA deal and approved its individual bill allocations this week. In the Senate, $195.23 billion will be available for the Labor, HHS, and Education bill, which is only a 5.9 percent cut from FY23.  

Markups of some appropriations bills have begun in both the House and Senate, with the Senate Appropriations Committee most recently approving bills for both the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies bills. The House Appropriations Committee has approved these bills, as well as Homeland Security and the Legislative Branch, and House Subcommittees have also considered the Energy-Water Bill and Financial Services. You can view the status of all 12 appropriations bills here. A date to mark up the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies bill has not been announced, so we do not yet know how these lower funding levels could affect Perkins funding or CTE programs.  

As legislators consider these bills, ACTE is closely monitoring developments in the appropriations process. We will keep you updated so that you can continue to advocate for the highest possible levels of CTE spending. Don’t forget to contact your House members in particular about protecting Perkins funding! Please let us know if you have any questions! 

ACTION ALERT: Ask Your Representative: Support Perkins in FY 2024 Appropriations!

Earlier this week, House leaders announced that instead of allocating the amount of funding agreed to in the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 for FY 2024 appropriations bills, which would have essentially provided level funding to domestic programs, they would write appropriations bills to the lower FY 2022 level requested by the most conservative House members.

While we are still awaiting the official topline funding level for the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education appropriations bill, early reports estimate that the bill could be cut by almost 30%. The impact on Perkins funding and CTE programs could be significant. As the House starts to consider their appropriations bills, we need to generate as much support for CTE as possible to ensure the highest possible level of funding for Perkins within these tight caps.

ACTION NEEDED: CLICK HERE to ask your representative to support robust funding for Perkins CTE in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 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 representative’s office, such as from a meeting with a staff member during NPS earlier this month 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!