Twitter icon
Facebook icon
LinkedIn icon
YouTube icon



Posts Tagged ‘FY2025’

Congress Begins August Recess Period | Legislative Update

Friday, August 9th, 2024

This week, Congress began its annual August recess while new developments in the presidential elections continue to shape the race. Elsewhere, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) has announced that the application form for postsecondary financial aid has been delayed while the agency solicits new applications for disconnected youth initiatives. 

Lawmakers Head Back Home

After a flurry of activity over the last few weeks, lawmakers in both the House and the Senate began their annual August recess in recent days heading back to home states and districts. Just before leaving Capitol Hill for the month, the Senate Appropriations Committee advanced a 2025 federal fiscal year (FY25) funding measure which would, if enacted, provide a critically needed $35 million increase for the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act’s (Perkins V) state grant program. The proposal largely takes a different approach than the House for FY25 and would provide larger funding allocations for ED and the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) along with the various programs these agencies administer and oversee.

Despite this recent progress, both the House and Senate versions of FY25 funding legislation continue to differ significantly. With FY25 set to begin October 1 of this year, lawmakers will need to determine a pathway for federal funding beyond this date– a topic that is likely to be the priority for Congress when it returns in early September. As these efforts continue to take shape, Advance CTE will be advocating for a strong investment in Perkins V’s State Grant program as well as other critical funding streams in support of Career Technical Education (CTE) opportunities.  

Vice President Harris Taps Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as Running Mate

This week, at a rally in Philadelphia, PA, Vice President Kamala Harris formally introduced Governor Tim Walz (MN) as her running mate, joining her on the top of the Democratic Party ticket for this November’s presidential election. The announcement comes after Harris reportedly narrowed down the field of potential candidates to a group of three. 

Walz, a former teacher from a family of teachers, signed the Free School Meals for Kids bill into law which provides Minnesota public K-12 learners to have access to school-provided breakfast and lunch. During his tenure as Governor, Minnesota also approved a last-dollar financial aid assistance program for students in households making less than $80,000 to cover tuition costs at state institutions. During his time in Congress Walz primarily focused on issues related to agriculture and veterans affairs and co-sponsored a number of pieces of legislation in support of wider education and workforce development efforts. 

U.S. Department of Education Announces Release Schedule For 2025-26 FAFSA Form

After garnering feedback from stakeholders from students, families, and higher education professionals, ED announced this week a new schedule and process for the 2025-26 FAFSA Form launch. This form will be accessible, on a limited basis for testing, on October 1 with a full public release slated to be accessible to all students on or before December 1, 2024. 

Feedback has contributed to the department’s development of a new roadmap that is intended to support users with a more streamlined process and accompanying tools to help them complete the form before the following financial aid school year. More information will be shared in the coming weeks. 

Performance Partnership Pilots for Disconnected Youth Application Announced

This week, ED published a preliminary glimpse at the application process for the selection of Performance Partnership Pilots for disconnected youth (P3). The notice, set to be published early next week, establishes timelines for applications according to the upcoming publish date on the Federal Register. Congress has authorized the pilot since 2014 to allow ED and other agencies to waive certain requirements to access funding streams, like Perkins V and other federal legislation, to better support disconnected youth populations. Recipients of the funds can blend them with other federal resources to better coordinate services for this population of young people, estimated to be around 4.7 million people who are neither working nor in school across the country. Applications for these funding flexibilities will be due within the next two months following the formal publication of this announcement. 

Rob Young, Communications & Advocacy Associate

Steve Voytek, Policy Advisor 

By Layla Alagic in Public Policy
Tags: , , , , , , ,

Senate Advances FY25 Funding Proposal | Legislative Update

Friday, August 2nd, 2024

This week, the Senate remained in session for a final work period ahead of Congress’ annual August recess and prioritized efforts on federal funding for the upcoming fiscal year. Elsewhere, the Senate has advanced new online safety proposals.

Congress Inches Towards August Recess Amid Appropriations Work

This week the Senate remained in session for a few days of final work ahead of its annual August recess period. Lawmakers in the House recessed early last week and both chambers are expected to return to Capitol Hill in early September. As shared previously, the House has passed nearly half of the annual federal fiscal year 2025 (FY25) appropriations measures that compose the federal budget. The Labor-HHS-ED funding bill, which provides federal resources for the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act (Perkins V) and other critical education and workforce development programs, was recently advanced by the House Appropriations Committee along party lines, but it has not yet been considered by the full House. It remains unclear if the House will attempt to advance this measure along with several other pending funding bills in September when lawmakers return from recess. As a reminder, the next federal fiscal year is set to begin on October 1.

In the Senate, the Appropriations Committee formally considered its own FY25 Labor-HHS-ED proposal which proposes a $35 million increase for Perkins V’s state grant program. However, the measure also proposes an additional $10 million for the U.S. Department of Education’s “Career Connected High School” initiative– a newly created competitive grant program that Advance CTE and partners have continued to raise significant concerns about. More broadly, the Senate’s vision for FY25 funding for education and workforce development programs diverges considerably from the House’s and proposes to largely maintain and in some instances increase federal funding for many existing initiatives administered and overseen by the U.S. Departments of Education (ED) and Labor (DOL). 

As Congress continues this work, Advance CTE will be advocating for a robust investment in Perkins V’s state grant program along with other critical programs that increase access to CTE opportunities for learners of all ages. 

Senate Advances Children Online Safety Bills

Earlier this week the Senate formally considered the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) and the Children and Teens Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA 2.0)—two pieces of legislation broadly aimed at providing stronger oversight and related protections for young people online. These bills were advanced by the full Senate on an overwhelming bipartisan basis (91-3). The proposals are intended to strengthen existing federal privacy requirements for youth while clarifying how and in what ways consent can be provided for related data collections. In addition, the legislation would create stronger requirements for social media companies to be more transparent and afford stronger protections for young people using these platforms. This includes limiting the ability of social media companies to target advertisements toward young people. Despite the broad bipartisan Senate support for both measures, it remains unclear at this time whether the House will consider the legislation when lawmakers return in September. 

Steve Voytek, Policy Advisor 

By Layla Alagic in Public Policy
Tags: , , , , , ,

Presidential Election Comes Into Focus, Congress Continues Work on Funding | Legislative Update

Friday, July 26th, 2024

Over the last two weeks, lawmakers have continued to work on federal funding legislation for the next fiscal year while the ongoing Presidential campaign comes into sharper focus. Elsewhere, Congress and federal agencies have been considering learner privacy legislation and efforts to increase learner internet connectivity. 

FY25 Appropriations Continue to Take Shape

This week both the House and the Senate remained in session. In the House, Republican leadership attempted to advance several federal fiscal year 2025 (FY25) appropriations measures through the full chamber. While lawmakers narrowly passed five of the annual dozen appropriations measures by late Thursday this week, these efforts have largely stalled due to inadequate support within the House Republican conference for the remaining funding bills. The Labor-HHS-ED appropriations bill—the funding measure that provides funding for the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education (CTE) Act (Perkins V)—is among the measures with an uncertain future and although House leadership has indicated they will revisit this issue following the Congress’ upcoming August recess period.

As a reminder, the House FY25 Labor-HHS-ED funding measure proposes a $10 million increase for Perkins V’s state grant program and requests the U.S. Department of Education clarify its intent to regulate the federal investment in CTE later this year. However, the proposal also envisions significant funding reductions for many other workforce and education programs. Advance CTE and partners recently issued a statement regarding this proposal. The House has now adjourned a week early to begin the August recess period and lawmakers are expected to return to Capitol Hill in early September.

Meanwhile in the Senate, lawmakers have established topline spending caps for each of the dozen appropriations bills that compose the federal budget, including the FY25 Labor-HHS-ED funding measure. Importantly, this topline cap is higher than the House’s, indicating that the Senate is likely to take a different direction for workforce and education funding in the upcoming fiscal year. Next week, the Senate appropriations committee will formally consider and markup its FY25 proposal for Perkins V funding and other critical education and workforce development programs. 

As these efforts continue to take shape, Advance CTE will continue to advocate for robust investments in Perkins V’s state grant program.  

President Biden Ends Campaign and Endorses Vice President Harris

Over the past weekend, President Joe Biden formally announced that he was ending his Presidential campaign. Shortly after this announcement, he endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris. Throughout the week many leaders in the Democratic Party have followed suit and announced their support of her candidacy. Prior to becoming Vice President in the current administration, Harris served as the U.S. Senator from California where she advocated for public K-12 education, teacher pay, and increased access to and support for postsecondary education and job training. 

Former President Trump Names J.D. Vance as VP Candidate

Last week Congressional Republicans headed to Milwaukee, Wisconsin for the party’s national convention. During the event, former President Donald Trump announced that he selected Ohio Senator J.D. Vance (R-OH) as his running mate. Vance was first elected to the Senate in 2022 and rose to prominence with the publication of a book entitled Hillbilly Elegy. During his time in the Senate, Vance has a limited record on education issues but has co-sponsored several pieces of legislation prohibiting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies in schools as well as proposing to allow bipartisan Safer Communities Act funding to be used for hunting, archery, and gun shooting programs. He has also supported bans on cell phone use in classrooms. 

FCC To Allow Hotspots for E-Rate

Last week the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted in favor of a new order authorizing the use of E-Rate program funding for Wi-Fi hot spots and wireless internet access services. The 3-2 vote largely broke along party lines, with two Republican Commissioners arguing that the order goes beyond the FCC’s existing statutory authority. The order is aligned with FCC Chair Rosenworcel’s “Learn Without Limits” initiative which broadly calls for more innovative uses of E-Rate resources to increase access to the internet while allocating additional funding for several pilot projects including Wi-Fi on buses.

Senate Considers Learner Privacy Legislation

This week, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) announced that the Senate would take a procedural step to advance two pieces of federal data privacy legislation intended to protect children online. This includes the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) and the Children and Teens Online Protection Act (COPPA 2.0). Both measures appear to have bipartisan support and would strengthen protections for youth online. Yesterday, the Senate advanced these measures by a wide margin and is set to further consider them next week. 

ED To Enforce Title IX Rule Next Month

This week the U.S. Department of Education’s (ED) Office of Civil Rights (OCR) announced that it intends to enforce recently updated Title IX regulations set to go into effect August 1 of this year. As a reminder, the regulations would establish a more uniform grievance process for schools and institutions adjudicating allegations of discrimination or misconduct. The rule also codifies new protections for LGBTQ+ learners, staff, and others against discrimination, including discrimination based on one’s gender identity. However, 26 State Attorney Generals have sued to block the rule and lawmakers in the House recently voted in favor of repealing the new regulation. These efforts have led to several court injunctions, blocking the rule from going into effect in many of these same states. In anticipation of beginning to enforce the new regulation where it is currently permitted to do so, OCR has published several new resources to support states and schools to comply with these new requirements. 

Read more on the amendments

DOL Announces New Round of Community College Training Grants 

This month, the U.S. Department of Labor announced the availability of new funding through a fifth round of Strengthening Community College Training Grants (SCCTG)– a program authorized by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) that provides resources for community colleges to develop and provide robust training opportunities for learners. Applications for this funding are due September 24, 2024. Advance CTE is strongly supportive of the SCCTG program and is currently advocating for its codification in WIOA as discussions continue regarding reauthorization of this legislation. 

Read more about the round of grants

Steve Voytek, Policy Advisor 

By Layla Alagic in Public Policy
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

FY25 Funding Continues to Take Shape

Friday, July 12th, 2024

Lawmakers in both chambers returned to Capitol Hill this week following an extended July 4th recess period. In the House, the Appropriations Committee advanced a new funding measure proposing a funding increase for Career Technical Education (CTE) while proposing significant cuts to many other education and workforce development programs. 

House Appropriations Committee Advances FY25 Funding Proposal

The House Appropriations Committee moved forward this week with formal consideration of its federal fiscal year 2025 (FY25) Labor-HHS-ED appropriations bill. The legislation proposes a $10 million increase for the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act (Perkins V). A related committee report also highlights the existing limitations Perkins V places on federal regulations and requests that the U.S. Department of Education (ED) explain why new regulations for Perkins V are needed at this time and the scope of these forthcoming new rules. In recent weeks, ED has indicated that these rules would now be issued in November of this year rather than in August. Advance CTE remains significantly concerned regarding this issue given the significant disruptions new Perkins V implementation rules would cause at this time. 

Despite these positive aspects of the House’s FY25 funding proposal, the legislation also envisions significant funding reductions for a wide range of education and workforce development programs. Advance CTE and the Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) issued a statement earlier this week in response to the proposal outlining concerns with these other elements of the legislation. Meanwhile, FY25 funding efforts in the Senate are beginning to get underway and are expected to take a different direction than the House’s vision for FY25 funding for education and workforce development. As these efforts continue to take shape, Advance CTE will continue to advocate for a strengthened investment in CTE via Perkins V’s state grant program. 

Lawmakers Request Teacher Shortage Information from ED

This week, a group of Democratic House lawmakers led by Rep. Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Education requesting information about ongoing efforts to collect more robust data on teacher shortages in critical areas such as CTE. The letter led by Krishnamoorthi argues that “With better, more robust data, we can begin to help address root causes and underlying issues that are causing shortages in these critical areas of the educational continuum.” 

Read the full letter

House Hosts Education Showcase

Just before the July 4th recess period, the House Education and the Workforce Committee held an “Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Education” event to highlight how this emerging technology can improve learning and education more generally. The showcase featured exhibits from a number of companies with AI solutions, including Microsoft, IBM, Google, and others. “This showcase will give participants the opportunity to highlight the first-hand uses and benefits of incorporating AI into education to prepare the next generation for success in the 21st century economy,” Chair Foxx said ahead of the event. House CTE Caucus Co-chair Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) also provided remarks at the event highlighting the potential for AI to spur further innovation in CTE. 

Chair Foxx Issues ED Regulatory Oversight Letter 

This week, House Education and Workforce Committee Chair Virginia Foxx (R-NC), along with House Committee On Oversight and Accountability Chair James Comer (R-KY) issued a letter to several federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of Education, requesting information regarding the plans to enforce existing regulations and promulgate new rules in the future. The letter comes following a landmark Supreme Court ruling which is widely expected to significantly limit the ability for federal agencies to issue new federal regulations.

GAO Publishes New Report on K-12 Student Arrest Rates

This week the Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued a new report that examined data from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights (OCR) regarding K-12 student arrest and police referral rates. These data were examined based on learners’ race, ethnicity, gender, and disability status. It found that Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, Black, and American Indian/Alaska Native learners were arrested at rates 2-3 times higher than their White counterparts. These disparities grew larger when factoring in disability status. The report recommends that these data be further disaggregated to support a better understanding of the intersection of K-12 schools and police interactions. 

Read the full report

OET Publishes AI Guidance

Earlier this week, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Education Technology (OET) published long anticipated guidance for education technology companies for developing AI solutions for educational purposes. The guide comes in response to President Biden’s October 30, 2023 Executive Order on the Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence, which Advance CTE shared last fall. The guidance provides recommendations for the thoughtful and safe use of AI for effectively designing and implementing AI tools in education, including the potential use of AI to support learners navigating education and career pathways. 

Steve Voytek, Policy Advisor 

By Layla Alagic in Public Policy
Tags: , , , , , , , ,

House Lays Out Next Steps for FY25 | Legislative Update

Friday, May 24th, 2024

Over the last two weeks, lawmakers in the House laid out next steps for the the federal appropriations process while Congressional leaders elsewhere made announcements related to artificial intelligence (AI) and workforce development. Elsewhere, lawmakers are considering a new Farm Bill proposal while a new cohort of Presidential Scholars was recently announced. 

House Lays Out Roadmap for FY25 Appropriations

House Appropriations Committee Chair Tom Cole (R-OK) announced in recent weeks preliminary allocation totals for each of the 12 individual appropriations bills that compose the federal budget for the upcoming 2025 federal fiscal year (FY25). Known as 302(b) allocations, these topline funding totals are used by appropriations leaders on the committee to craft FY25 funding legislation later this year. This includes the Labor-HHS-ED funding bill which provides support for the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act (Perkins V) among other education and workforce development programs. The proposed 302(b) allocation for the Labor-HHS-ED funding bill is significantly lower than the total provided for this component of the federal budget in FY24. This means that the House Appropriations Committee is likely to propose significant cuts to domestic programs falling under this legislation as the Committee put forward last year.

In addition, Chair Cole released a tentative schedule to consider each of the dozen appropriations bills. The Labor-HHS-ED measure is expected to be considered at the subcommittee level on June 27 and by the full Appropriations Committee on July 10. This week the full House Appropriations Committee approved these 302(b) allocations on a party line vote 32-21. Similar announcements are still forthcoming in the Senate. As these efforts take shape, Advance CTE will continue to advocate for the significant funding needs of the Career Technical Education (CTE) community and other key education and workforce priorities this year.  

Senate Releases New AI Roadmap

A bipartisan group of Senators led by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Senator Mike Rounds (R-SD), Senator Martin Heinrich (D-NM), and Senator Todd Young (R-IN), released a long-anticipated report regarding AI. The report or “roadmap” lays out a vision for future federal policymaking efforts, including a set of recommendations for Congress and the Biden administration to consider as AI technologies continue to mature and expand in their use. The report covers several policy areas including workforce development, encouraging the development of career pathways that lead to opportunities in AI. The roadmap also recommends that policymakers consider new regulatory frameworks to mitigate the potential negative impacts AI technologies may have on incumbent workers and ways to promote worker skills training opportunities in this area. Broadly, the report calls on the federal government to invest at least $32 billion on an annual basis to support the further development of AI technologies, promote wider innovation, and ensure wider equitable adoption and use of these emerging technologies.

View the AI Roadmap

Department of Commerce Unveils Workforce Policy Agenda

Recently the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) announced a Department Administrative Order (DAO) that establishes a workforce policy agenda for the agency. The agenda is intended to assist DOC in the ongoing implementation of several broad federal investments including the CHIPS and Science Act which contains several workforce development components to support the legislation’s broader aims of developing a more robust advanced manufacturing and semiconductor capacity here in the United States. The DAO lays out a set of principles to guide workforce development investments as well as wider Biden administration goals of developing quality employment opportunities for a broader cross-section of Americans.

Read the DAO

House Examines HHS FY25 Budget

Last week, the House Education and the Workforce Committee held a hearing to examine the policies and priorities of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The hearing featured testimony from HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra who spoke to the Biden administration’s recent federal fiscal year 2025 (FY25) budget request. Secretary Becerra responded to a wide range of questions including the importance of policies and investments supporting access to quality childcare as well as wider healthcare workforce needs.

View an archived webcast of the hearing, including the Secretary’s written testimony and related opening statements from lawmakers

CTE Presidential Scholars Announced

This week the U.S. Department of Education (ED) and the White House Commission on Presidential Scholars announced the 60th cohort of U.S. Presidential Scholars—an initiative that annually recognizes 161 high school seniors for academic, career and technical and artistic achievements. The selection process takes into consideration a number of criteria including transcripts and test scores. Each year, this program features 20 CTE scholars for their outstanding achievements and recognizes related accomplishments.

View the full list of scholars 

House Agriculture Committee Plans Vote on Federal Nutrition Programs

The House Agriculture Committee considered the 2024 Farm Bill this week, a $1.5 trillion legislative package that includes significant changes to federal agriculture and school nutrition programs. The legislation, unveiled by Committee Chairman G.T. Thompson (R-PA) earlier this week, includes major components of the Creating Access to Rural Employment and Education for Resilience and Success (CAREERS) Act (H.R. 7015)—legislation that Advance CTE supported and endorsed earlier this year. Advance CTE has expressed support for the inclusion of the CAREERS Act among other aspects of the proposal. The committee considered the legislation yesterday and approved measure by a margin of 33-21. 

DOL Unveils New AI and Worker Well-Being Principles

This week, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) released a set of principles on AI and worker well-being. The principles were developed in response to an earlier Executive Order (EO) from President Biden on AI last year and are intended to support workforce development professionals and employers in the deployment, development, and subsequent use of AI and related technologies. The principles focus particularly on mitigating potential negative impacts on workers of AI while balancing the need for innovation and economic growth.

Read the principles 

Steve Voytek, policy advisor

By Layla Alagic in Public Policy
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

House Examines ED’s Policies and Priorities | Legislative Update

Friday, May 10th, 2024

This week the lawmakers in the House hosted the U.S. Secretary of Education (ED) to testify regarding the agency’s policies and priorities for the coming year. In addition, the Senate examined the U.S. Department of Labor’s budget request for the upcoming fiscal year while ED issues new guidance regarding school and institution’s civil rights obligations. 

Cardona Questioned on Perkins Regulations

On Tuesday, May 7, the House Education and Workforce Committee held a hearing focused on oversight of the U.S. Department of Education (ED) and its wider policies and priorities. The more than four hour hearing featured testimony from U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona who responded to a wide range of questions and topics from lawmakers on the panel. These included a particular focus on ED’s ongoing challenges in implementing a newly revamped Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and newly finalized Title IX regulations which are set to go into effect later this summer.

In addition, Rep. “GT” Thompson (R-PA) questioned Cardona regarding ED’s plans to issue new regulations for the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act (Perkins V) and highlighted the significant negative disruption this would have on states and Perkins recipients nearly six years after the law’s passage as communities collectively begin a new four-year planning cycle for the legislation. Thompson questioned Cardona as to whether programs funded by Perkins V are actively responding to the needs of the labor market and whether the law’s implementation, more broadly, has been successful. Significantly, Cardona responded yes to both of these questions and went on to say that he believes, “…that the evolution of Perkins to include CTE is where we need to go and it has been successful to get states to look at it differently.” 

When questioned further regarding the need for additional regulations for Perkins V, Cardona indicated that the planned proposed rules would be intended to broaden opportunities for learners to engage in “earn to learn” programs but did not specify a clear rationale for issuing new rules on the topic at this time nor did he provide further detail regarding what these regulations are likely to entail. Advance CTE has continued to raise significant concerns regarding these forthcoming regulations and has questioned why they are specifically necessary at this point in the law’s implementation. 

View an archived webcast of the hearing, including Cardona’s written testimony and related opening statements from lawmakers

Senate Examines DOL’s FY25 Budget Request

Yesterday, May 9, the Senate Appropriations Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Labor-HHS-ED) Subcommittee held a hearing to examine and consider President Biden’s budget request for the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) for the upcoming 2025 federal fiscal year (FY25). The hearing featured testimony and perspectives from Acting U.S. Secretary of Labor Julie Su regarding aspects of the agency’s FY25 budget request. The hearing examined a broad range of issues, including recent regulatory changes proposed or otherwise finalized by DOL, and highlighted the importance of workforce development investments.

View a full recording of the hearing including Su’s testimony

ED Issues New Guidance on Civil Rights Obligations

On Tuesday, May 7, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) issued a new Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) outlining school leaders’ responsibilities under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The DCL provides detailed scenarios and guidelines for identifying acts that could be considered discriminatory, including vandalism, protests, and verbal harassment. The guidance letter clarifies the legal requirements schools and institutions must adhere to in order to remain compliant with federal laws and emphasizes that non-compliance could lead ED to withhold federal funding. The guidance comes amid reported increases in antisemitic and other identity-based incidents on college campuses and within K-12 schools over the past several months.

View more information from ED on the guidance

Steve Voytek, Policy Advisor 

By Layla Alagic in Public Policy
Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

House Passes WIOA Bill as ED Promotes FY25 Budget | Legislative Update

Friday, April 12th, 2024

This week lawmakers reconvened following a spring recess period to address a number of pressing issues. In addition, lawmakers in the House advanced legislation to reauthorize federal workforce development legislation while the U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona testified before lawmakers regarding the Biden administration’s most recent budget request for the upcoming fiscal year. 

Secretary Cardona Testifies on FY25 Budget Request

This week the House Appropriations Subcommittee for Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education (Labor-HHS-ED)—the entity responsible for determining funding for the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act (Perkins V) and other critical education and workforce development legislation—held a hearing to examine the Biden administration’s federal fiscal year 2025 (FY25) budget request for the U.S. Department of Education (ED). 

The hearing featured testimony from U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona who focused his remarks on the broad aims of ED’s FY25 budget request. Lawmakers discussed a broad array of topics at the hearing, including forthcoming Title IX regulations that are expected to be released by ED later this year and ongoing efforts to enforce civil rights protections for students. Lawmakers discussed other elements of the FY25 ED budget, including proposed increases in funding for newly proposed programs contained in the budget request. An archived webcast of the hearing, including testimony, can be accessed here. 

House Republicans Elect Rep. Cole to Lead Appropriations Committee

Current House Appropriations Committee Chair Kay Granger (R-TX) announced last month that she planned to step down from this leadership role. Since then, longtime House Appropriations leader Representative Tom Cole (R-OK) was heavily favored to succeed Granger in this critical post. This week, the House Republican Steering Committee met and recommended Cole for this role and the full House Republican conference voted to ratify him as chairman. The move is expected to likely shift additional appropriations leaders on the committee in the future. In addition, Cole has stepped down as Chair of the House Rules Committee, with Rep. Burgess (R-TX) set to succeed him on this important committee. 

House Passes WIOA Reauthorization Proposal

Earlier this week lawmakers in the House formally considered H.R. 6655—legislation that would reauthorize the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). Advance CTE and partners provided feedback on this proposal but did not endorse the legislation when it was passed by the House Education and Workforce Committee late last year. Lawmakers considered the legislation under suspension of the rules, meaning there was limited time for debate or wider efforts to dramatically change the legislation following its advancement last December. House lawmakers ultimately passed the legislation on a wide bipartisan margin, 378-26.  

Despite the passage of this legislation, the future for H.R. 6655 remains uncertain. Senate leaders on the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, including Chair Sanders (D-VT) and Ranking Member Cassidy (R-LA), are currently working to negotiate a separate legislative proposal to reauthorize WIOA potentially later this spring. As these efforts continue to take shape, Advance CTE will continue to advocate for the organization’s WIOA recommendations to improve future federal workforce development legislation as it continues through the wider legislative process. 

Steve Voytek, Policy Advisor 

By Layla Alagic in Public Policy
Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

President Biden Publishes FY25 Budget Request

Friday, March 15th, 2024

This week President Biden formally released his annual budget request to Congress. Elsewhere lawmakers in the Senate explore youth apprenticeship programs. 

Biden Administration Sends FY25 Budget Request to Congress

On Monday, March 11, The Biden administration formally sent its fiscal year 2025 budget (FY25) request to Congress this week. The president asked for $82.4 billion for the U.S. Department of Education (ED)—roughly 4% over FY23 enacted funding levels or about $3.1 billion. Of note for the Career Technical Education (CTE) community, this request proposes a $40 million increase for the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act’s (Perkins V) basic state grant program. Advance CTE and the Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) released a press statement after the publication of this budget applauding this aspect of the proposal, especially in light of the tight fiscal constraints. The budget is also seeking $32 million in additional funding to expand ED’s ongoing “Career Connected High School” competitive grant initiative– a component of the budget that Advance CTE has continued to raise concerns about. In addition, the ED portion of this FY25 budget is proposing greater investments in career-relevant dual and concurrent enrollment programs.

Elsewhere, the FY25 budget proposal includes a more modest request for the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), asking Congress for $13.9 billion overall, a roughly 2.3% increase over current funding levels. This part of the budget includes a new $8 billion “Career Training Fund” which would be funded on a mandatory basis over the next 10 years. Per the budget, this fund would provide “…up to $10,000 per worker to support the cost of high-quality, evidence-based training with additional funding for wrap-around supports.” More details regarding this aspect of the proposal are still forthcoming.

The release of the President’s FY25 budget request formally begins the wider federal budget and appropriations process. However, as Advance CTE has previously shared, Congress is still working to finalize full-year FY24 funding, including for Perkins V and other education and workforce development programs. Lawmakers must complete this process by March 22 or pass legislation extending appropriations on another short-term basis. Most recently this week, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) published a new analysis of the potential impact an across-the-board sequester cut (required by last year’s debt ceiling deal if full-year FY24 funding is not enacted by April 30 this year) would have on non-defense discretionary (NDD) programs like workforce development and education. The CBO is now estimating that this provision would have no impact on NDD programs, reducing a key point of leverage for some factions within Congress to oppose a full-year funding deal. 

As these efforts continue to take shape, Advance CTE and partners will continue to advocate for a strong investment in Perkins V as part of both FY24 and FY25 appropriations cycles. 

Senate Explores Youth Apprenticeship

On Tuesday, March 12, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee’s Subcommittee on Employment and Workplace Safety held a hearing entitled, “Youth Apprenticeships: Building Partnerships, Strengthening Career Pathways.” The hearing featured testimony from several youth apprenticeship partners and examined how these programs are currently being implemented across the nation. Broadly, the hearing highlighted how youth apprenticeships and related pathways programs, including CTE, can provide learners with multiple options from K-12 education into postsecondary education and careers. Witnesses and Senators discussed strategies and approaches to expand these opportunities for more learners and ways to ensure program quality. In particular, Subcommittee Chairman John Hickenlooper (D-CO) and Subcommittee Ranking Member Mike Braun (R-IN) highlighted bipartisan legislation they recently co-sponsored that would broaden access to and funding for youth apprenticeship programs. A video webcast of the hearing and related testimony can be viewed on the Senate HELP webpage.

Steve Voytek, Policy Advisor 

By Layla Alagic in Public Policy
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

 

Series

Archives

1