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Congress Unveils Funding Ahead of the Holidays | Legislative Update

Tuesday, December 17th, 2024

This week, Congress has begun to take up a long-awaited funding extension. New leadership has been named elsewhere for the House Education and the Workforce Committee while the Administration shares STEM and rural education resources. 

Lawmakers Propose Funding Extension

As shared previously, Congress has remained in session over the last few weeks, working to organize itself for the 119th Congress and attend to a wide array of end-of-the-year agenda items. Top on this list is determining a path forward on federal fiscal year 2025 (FY25) funding before current legislation is set to expire this Friday, December 20. Earlier today, lawmakers announced that they had reached an agreement on another three-month continuing resolution (CR), which will extend federal funding at current FY24 levels through mid-March of next year. The CR would provide lawmakers with additional time to determine full-year funding for FY25 in the next Congress when Republicans will have control of both the House and Senate. 

Notably, the CR includes a number of additional pieces of pending legislation and other assorted proposals. Advance CTE continues to analyze this legislation for other important components and will share additional details as they become available. The CR is expected to be considered on an accelerated timeline this week and is widely expected to pass ahead of the December 20 deadline.

Walberg to Chair House Committee on Education and Workforce

Last week, the House Republican Steering Committee met to determine new leadership for the House Education and the Workforce (E&W) Committee. Longtime E&W Chair Virginia Foxx (R-NC) has been term-limited in the new 119th Congress under House Republican Conference rules. Both Reps. Tim Walberg (R-MI) and Burgess Owens (R-UT) have been vying for the E&W Chair role since Foxx’s announcement earlier this year. Ultimately, the steering committee selected Rep. Walberg for this critical role overseeing education and workforce development policy. “We have a unique opportunity to make substantive reforms to empower parents, incentivize workforce training, improve government efficiency, and unburden American innovators and job creators. The American people have given us a mandate to enact meaningful change and ensure future generations will succeed,” Walberg, a longtime committee member, said after the announcement. 

White House Publishes STEM Education Strategy

Last week, the Committee on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) under the National Science and Technology Council shared a new resource aimed at helping to grow STEM education and talent over the next five years. The vision for the resource, the Federal Strategic Plan for Advancing STEM Education and Cultivating STEM Talent, is to inspire and cultivate a diverse STEM workforce and ensure equitable access to STEM opportunities for all Americans. The plan emphasizes multi-sector partnerships, ensuring access, opportunity, transparency and accountability. Through the outlined principle of STEM training and workforce development, the strategy references Career Technical Education (CTE) and local community colleges as a direct means of building the STEM workforce needed for the future.

ED Guidance on Rural Teaching Shortages

Last week, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) released a report as part of the initiative to support a stronger educator workforce titled “Raise the Bar: Supporting Rural Communities.” The report remarks on the vitality of rural schools to their communities that face consistent educator shortages and highlights specific state examples of practical solutions to build local talent, increase compensation, and enhance working conditions. Registered teacher apprenticeship opportunities and “Grow Your Own” programs are key ways CTE can support local candidates in filling teaching roles. ED encourages using federal funds through Title I and II, the Rural Education Achievement Program (REAP), Career and Technical Education State Grants, and other funding streams to support rural schools with essential funding to support learners. 

Labor Grants for Youth Job Training for High-Demand Careers

Last week, the Department of Labor (DOL) announced that grants were awarded to organizations across 31 states to provide training and employment services to expand access to Registered Apprenticeship Programs (RAPs). The awards are intended to prepare younger workers for quality jobs in high-demand careers through pre-apprenticeships. The YouthBuild Program, supported by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), aims to engage young learners aged 16 to 24 who are not enrolled in school or employed in the workforce. The program divides learners’ time between classroom instruction to earn a high school diploma or equivalent degree and work-based training to prepare for careers. It also provides support services like childcare, transportation assistance, and the provision of work attire and personal protective equipment. Read more about the YouthBuild Program here.

Odds & Ends

Rob Young, Communications & Advocacy Associate

Steve Voytek, Policy Advisor

By Rob Young in Public Policy
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Lawmakers Return for Final Stretch of 118th Congress | Legislative Update

Friday, December 6th, 2024

This week, Congress returned for continued work during the lame duck session while a recent workforce development agreement is considered by lawmakers. Elsewhere, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) opened the public comment period on the Department of Education’s (ED) recently proposed information collection requests, ED issued guidance for supporting the educator workforce, and the Department of Labor (DOL) withdrew a proposed rulemaking on apprenticeships.

Congress Returns for Lame Duck Session

Following the Thanksgiving holiday recess period, lawmakers in both chambers returned to Capitol Hill this week for the final stretch of the 118th Congress. Lawmakers are widely expected to address a number of “must pass” legislative items, including and especially the pressing need to determine a pathway forward for fiscal year 2025 (FY25) appropriations before current funding expires later this month. As a reminder, current FY24 funding levels were extended earlier this fall through December 20 for all federal programs, including the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act (Perkins V). Lawmakers are likely to pass another short-term extension, known as a continuing resolution, through the early part of next year. 

This means resolving final FY25 appropriations for federal programs, like those authorized by Perkins V and others falling under the purview of the U.S. Department of Education (ED) and Labor (DOL), will be determined by the new, Republican-controlled Congress next year. As these efforts continue to progress, Advance CTE is continuing to advocate for strengthened federal investments in Perkins V’s state grant program and other critical sources of federal support for Career Technical Education (CTE). 

WIOA Agreement Under Consideration 

Just before Thanksgiving, the leaders of the House Education and the Workforce Committee and the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee announced that they had reached a bicameral and bipartisan agreement to reauthorize the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). If enacted, the legislation would codify the Strengthening Community College Training Grant Program and the Workforce Data Quality Initiative– two key priorities for Advance CTE. In addition, the legislation would make improvements to the sharing of one-stop center infrastructure costs while also updating youth formula funding to serve learners more effectively. The legislation is currently being considered by the Senate via a “hotline” process, which requires the agreement of the full Senate. Advance CTE is monitoring these efforts closely and continuing to analyze the bill for additional areas of alignment with the organization’s board-approved WIOA recommendations. Read a summary of the bill here.

Comment Period Continues for ED’s Perkins Regulatory Proposal

At the beginning of the week, the U.S. Department of Education’s (ED) proposed information collection requests (ICRs) impacting the Perkins V state plan guide and consolidated annual report were moved for review to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). After the first comment window, ED was responsible for reviewing comments submitted by public stakeholders and considering the impact of the ICRs on the burden on state CTE systems. Given ED’s extremely quick processing and review of comments from last month, it remains unclear if the agency has thoughtfully assessed the impact of this proposal prior to advancing it for a new 30-day review period by OMB. Submission of comments for the State Plan Guide and the Consolidated Annual Report (CAR) Guide as part of the OMB review process are due by January 2, 2025. Advance CTE encourages state leaders and other CTE leaders to communicate concerns to OMB regarding the accuracy of ED’s estimates regarding the proposal’s burden on state and local CTE systems.

ED Releases Non-Regulatory Guidance Resources

This week, the Department of Education (ED) released two non-regulatory guidance resources. The first is guidance on strategically using Title II, Part A funds under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) to support educator recruitment, retention, professional learning, and improved student outcomes. Otherwise known as Supporting Effective Instruction State Grants, they can be used at the discretion of state and local education agencies for any means identified to increase student achievement. The guidance references policy levers that education agencies could pull including expanding pathways into the profession and combining funds with other grants from the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Perkins V. 

The second resource is guidance from ED for state and local education agencies and institutions of higher education to support the development of a diverse educator workforce. The guidance references the importance of a diverse educator workforce in improving student outcomes, addressing teacher shortages, and fostering equity in education. In the resource, ED cites the investment in Grow Your Own programs as an important pathway into the educational workforce. Delaware’s Teacher Academy Career Pathway program is upheld as an example of engaging secondary learners in meaningful teaching training through a program of study that offers college credits and work-based learning opportunities to grow the educator workforce in their state.

DOL Withdraws Apprenticeship Rule 

Over the Thanksgiving holiday, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) formally withdrew a proposed rulemaking on National Apprenticeship System. Proposed nearly a year ago, the rule would have created a new apprenticeship model called “Career and Technical Education Apprenticeships,” which Advance CTE and others raised concerns about during the comment period. The withdrawal of this rule means that existing apprenticeship regulations governing Registered Apprenticeship Programs will stay in effect for the time being.

Rob Young, Communications & Advocacy Associate

Steve Voytek, Policy Advisor

By Rob Young in Public Policy
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ED Extends Comment Period for Perkins ICR | Legislative Update

Friday, October 11th, 2024

This week, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) announced that it would extend the deadline for one of the components of a recent regulatory proposal impacting the implementation of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act (Perkins V) in response to a formal request made by Advance CTE and partners. Elsewhere, Congress has remained on recess ahead of the upcoming November elections while the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) makes preparations for National Apprenticeship Week and announces new grant opportunities.

ED Modifies Comment Deadline for Perkins V ICR

This morning, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) announced that it would extend the public comment period for a recently proposed Information Collection Request (ICR) with significant implications for the implementation of Perkins V. The two-week comment period extension will apply to feedback responses to proposed changes to Perkins V’s Consolidated Annual Report (CAR) while the existing deadline for comments related to the State Plan Guide component of this ICR remain unchanged and are still due November 12, 2024. This announcement comes in response to Advance CTE and the Association for Career and Technical Education’s (ACTE) formal request for an extension made in recent weeks. In addition, ED’s Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education (OCTAE) hosted two town halls last week, providing further details regarding these proposed ICRs. Notably, ED confirmed during these events that every state and territory would be required to undergo a new comprehensive planning process required by Perkins V regardless of whether a state submits a new or amended state plan by program year 2026.

Congress Remains on Recess Amid Storm Damage

Capitol Hill remains in recess this week as the November elections draw closer. Over the last few weeks, severe storms have significantly impacted several states. Due to these circumstances, there has been increasing pressure for Congress to potentially reconvene, prior to the upcoming elections, to provide supplemental emergency funding for states impacted by these weather events. A bipartisan group of Senators recently sent a letter highlighting this need, and similar efforts are underway in the House. 

Despite this mounting pressure, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has thus far resisted calls to reconvene. The need to provide funding in response to these latest hurricanes is widely expected to impact future negotiations for long-term funding for federal programs, like Perkins V’s state grant program, for the current 2025 federal fiscal year (FY25). As a reminder, current funding—recently extended by a continuing resolution (CR) passed by Congress late last month—is set to expire on December 20, 2024. Advance CTE will continue to advocate for a robust investment in CTE via Perkins V as the FY25 process progresses.

Department of Labor Continued Federal Support for Apprenticeship Programs

This week, the Department of Labor shared details for the 10th annual National Apprenticeship Week (NAW), a week dedicated to celebrating 10 Years of Engagement, Expansion, and Innovation of impacting lives through apprenticeship programs. Spanning the week of November 17th through 23rd, the 2024 celebration features daily themes with ways to get involved listed on Labor’s NAW Fact Sheet. Advance CTE looks forward to celebrating Career Technical Education’s critical role and connection to apprenticeships later this fall.

DOL also shared a list of resources for outreach to businesses to support apprenticeship investment and implementation. A related list has links to federal, state, and industry-specific resources for outreach anywhere on the continuum of strategic partnership. The Department also conducted a series of Industry Focus Calls throughout the summer to support state grantees in expanding Registered Apprenticeship Programs (RAPs) to meet employers’ needs. The 2024 calls shared best practices and successes for launching RAPs in education, the public sector, green energy, and mental and behavioral healthcare. The calls and resources dating back to 2019 can be accessed here.

Earlier this fall, the Biden-Harris administration issued an executive order related to Investing in America and Investing in American Workers that highlights the importance of prioritizing federally funded projects that prioritize workforce development efforts, including the availability of career pathways and RAPs.

Department of Labor Grants Available for Work-Based Learning for Underserved Youth

The Department of Labor announced a fifth round of Workforce Pathways for Youth grants, authorized under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), available for out-of-school organizations that engage underserved youth ages 14 to 21. The grants are intended to help organizations introduce career-related services, work-based learning opportunities, and occupational skills training. Applications are open until December 3rd, 2024, and eligibility requirements are listed on the application page. Read more about Workforce Pathways for Youth, previous program recipients, and other resources here.

Rob Young, Communications & Advocacy Associate

Steve Voytek, Policy Advisor 

By Rob Young in Public Policy
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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
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WIOA Reauthorization Comes into Focus | Legislative Update

Friday, June 21st, 2024

Over the last two weeks, lawmakers have formally considered the reauthorization of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) while Congress continues to move forward on funding proposals with implications for the Career Technical Education (CTE) community for the upcoming fiscal year. 

Senate Considers WIOA Reauthorization

On Wednesday, June 12, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee held a hearing to examine issues related to the reauthorization of WIOA. The hearing featured testimony from a slate of five witnesses, including experts on youth apprenticeship, workforce development, and employer representatives. Witnesses highlighted the broader goals of the public workforce system, how WIOA is intended to operate, and the need to better resource workforce development efforts to meet these objectives. The issue of reforming the federal Pell Grant program to allow for shorter-term, high-quality CTE programs was a key theme throughout the hearing. Recently lawmakers in the House unsuccessfully tried to advance legislation on this issue in the National Defense Authorization Act. The Senate is widely expected to formally consider separate legislation later this summer. 

In addition, the hearing examined a wide range of issues including the need to more effectively connect programs authorized by WIOA with K-12 education systems as a way to identify youth before they become disconnected from education or work. Senators and witnesses also discussed ways to better incorporate youth apprenticeship programs in high schools and the importance of supportive services and work experience for populations served by WIOA. The Senate HELP Committee is expected to release a discussion draft for WIOA reauthorization in the near future. Advance CTE will provide further analysis and recommendations regarding this proposal when it becomes available. 

View an archived webcast of the hearing, including witness testimony

House Lawmakers Continue to Advance FY25 Funding Proposals

The House has been on a recess period this week while the Senate convened for part of the week around the June 19 federal holiday. Before recessing, the House advanced the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA)—legislation that sets the policy direction for defense spending for the coming fiscal year. The House narrowly passed the NDAA, largely along party lines due to the inclusion of several contentious amendments by a margin of 217-199. When House lawmakers return next week, they are expected to begin formal consideration of the fiscal year 2025 (FY25) Labor-HHS-ED funding bill—legislation that provides funding for the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act (Perkins V) and other key education and workforce development investments. It is widely expected that this legislation will propose significant cuts, as lawmakers did last year, for many programs within this portion of the federal budget. 

More recently, Senate appropriations leaders announced that they will begin the process of considering, marking up, and advancing their own FY25 education funding bill next month. It is widely expected that the Senate will take a much more moderate approach for FY25 funding, although leaders have continued to share concerns regarding the caps currently in place that limit funding available for domestic programs, including for CTE. 

Title IX Rule Blocked

As shared previously, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) recently published new Title IX regulations intended to strengthen protections against sex discrimination. The new rules are scheduled to take effect August 1, 2024 and codify new protections for LGBTQ students, staff, and others against discrimination, including based on one’s sexual orientation or gender identity. Additionally, the regulations will allow school districts to use a more uniform grievance process to address all forms of reported discrimination. However, in recent weeks two separate federal courts have temporarily blocked this rule in several states amid a flurry of lawsuits from Republican-led states objecting to the new rule. Further litigation on this issue is expected and a final resolution remains unclear. 

ED Issues Guidance on Correctional Education

Last month, the U.S. Department of Education’s (ED) Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education (OCTAE) issued a Dear Colleague letter calling for greater investments in education within correctional settings. The guidance urges states to use a greater share of Perkins V and Adult Education and Family Literacy Act funding for justice-involved populations. The letter argues that greater investment on this issue can help reduce recidivism rates and promote safer communities by helping to facilitate more seamless reentry for these populations. 

Read the letter from OCTAE 

Steve Voytek, policy advisor 

By Layla Alagic in Public Policy
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House Moves Forward on FY25 Proposals | Legislative Update

Friday, June 7th, 2024

Congress returned to Capitol Hill this week for a new work period this month. Lawmakers in the House have been focusing attention this week on appropriations legislation for the upcoming fiscal year while the Senate continues to consider updates to federal investments in workforce development. 

House Advances FY25 Funding Measures

Both chambers of Congress returned to Capitol Hill this week, with lawmakers in the House focusing much of their attention advancing federal fiscal year 2025 (FY25) funding measures for a subset of the dozen individual spending bills that compose the entire federal budget. Nearly half of these spending measures have been marked up by appropriations leaders and are expected to be considered by the full appropriations committee and House chamber in the near future. As a reminder, Labor-HHS-ED funding bill—legislation that provides funding for the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education (CTE) Act (Perkins V) and other education and workforce development priorities—is slated to be considered at the end of June. As these efforts continue to take shape, Advance CTE will continue to advocate for a robust investment in CTE via Perkins V’s state grant program. 

NCES Releases Condition of Education Report

Late last week, the U.S. Department of Education’s (ED) National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) published its “Condition of Education” report– an annual publication highlighting a wide range of data and emerging trends from early education, K-12, and postsecondary levels. The annual report examines key developments in education over time throughout the education continuum. This year’s report highlighted CTE and found that students pursuing CTE courses were more likely to go to postsecondary education or training and earn credentials of value in shorter periods of time. In addition, the report highlighted significant challenges in CTE regarding shortages of qualified teachers with 31% of respondents indicating difficulties in filling open positions for these programs. 

Read the full report 

Senate to Hold WIOA Hearing Next Week

Next week the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee is scheduled to hold a hearing titled “The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act: Supporting Efforts to Meet the Needs of Youth, Workers, and Employers.” The hearing is expected to focus on potential updates to the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) as HELP Committee leaders continue to discuss the prospects of reauthorizing the primary federal investment in workforce development.

Read more information about the hearing 

House Agriculture Committee Votes on Federal Nutrition Programs

The House Agriculture Committee held a nearly 12 hour markup recently to consider the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2024—legislation that would reauthorize the nation’s Farm Bill for another five year period. The measure 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 endorsed earlier this year. The $1.5 trillion legislative package was advanced by the committee on a slight bipartisan basis by a margin of 33-21, with four Democrats crossing party lines to vote in favor of the proposal. The bill is expected to be further considered by the House, as the Senate considers its own proposal led by Senate Agriculture Chair Debbie Stabenow (D-MI). The current Farm Bill authorization expires this October.

Steve Voytek, Policy Advisor 

By Stacy Whitehouse in Public Policy
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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
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Congress Remains on Recess After Finalizing FY24 | Legislative Update

Friday, April 5th, 2024

This week lawmakers remained on spring recess and are expected to return next week for a busy two-week work period. Elsewhere, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) announced a delay in anticipated postsecondary regulations impacting career education programs. 

Lawmakers Include Focus on Appropriations and WIOA in Next Work Period 

Congress is on recess this week, but legislators are scheduled to return to Washington, D.C. for a two-week work period on April 8. Broadly, Advance CTE expects Congress to focus its efforts this month on the recent bridge collapse in Baltimore, Maryland and an international aid package. In addition, lawmakers in the House are expected to consider H.R. 6655—legislation that would reauthorize the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). As a reminder, leaders on the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee are continuing to separately negotiate their own version of WIOA reauthorization with a current target date for action around Memorial Day later this year. 

As wider Senate and House floor discussions evolve, the Appropriations committees are beginning to formally start the federal fiscal year 2025 (FY25) appropriations process. This normally entails bringing the leaders of federal agencies to Capitol Hill to testify regarding their Department’s annual budget requests. Advance CTE expects an initial appropriations hearing in the House to take place sometime next week and will be monitoring these efforts closely as the organization works to strengthen the federal investment in Career Technical Education (CTE) via the Carl D. Perkins CTE Act’s (Perkins V) basic state grant program. 

However, these efforts may be delayed somewhat as the Republican Steering Committee is expected to meet early next week to discuss who will lead the House Appropriations Committee, following an announcement late last month from current Appropriations Committee Chair Kay Granger (R-TX) that she would step down from this role. At present, longtime appropriations leader Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK) appears to be heavily favored to be recommended for this leadership position following public support from several other House Republican appropriations leaders. However, Rep. Aderholt (R-AL), currently the chair of the appropriations subcommittee responsible for workforce funding, has circulated a Dear Colleague letter indicating that he is seeking broader changes to the appropriations process. “Instead of hastily selecting a new Appropriations chair, I believe that now is the time to focus on correcting the process and developing our theory of government on how we will manage our responsibilities,” he wrote in part.

As these efforts continue to take shape, Advance CTE will be engaging with both the WIOA reauthorization and appropriations processes closely during this upcoming work period. 

Gainful Employment Regulations Delayed

Late last week, the U.S. Department of Education issued a Dear Colleague letter delaying the implementation of reporting requirements for forthcoming Gainful Employment (GE) and Financial Value Transparency (FVT) regulations. While most of the new rules for GE and FVT will go into effect July 1 of this year, postsecondary institutions and covered programs will now have until October 1 of this year to begin reporting the necessary data to ED to begin implementation of these new regulatory frameworks. As a reminder, GE rules apply to certain postsecondary career education programs and determine their eligibility for federal student financial aid from Title IV of the Higher Education Act (HEA) based on programs’ ability to meet certain performance standards related to graduates’ earnings and ability to pay back student loans.

While GE rules apply to only a subset of postsecondary institutions and programs and include related sanctions in the form of losing Title IV eligibility, new FVT rules will apply to a much broader segment of the higher education sector without related penalties for low-performance. Advance CTE examined these rules in more detail last year when a final rule was published by ED. 

This delay comes after a bipartisan group of Senators sent a letter to ED encouraging a delay of these new rules as ED continues to struggle with the implementation of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) forms. In addition to the delay in reporting requirements, ED has also indicated that it will be issuing additional guidance for GE and FVT implementation sometime this month. More information on these announcements can be found here and here. 

Steve Voytek, Policy Advisor 

By Stacy Whitehouse in Public Policy
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Preparing for CTE’s Next Era: Celebrations from Advance CTE’s 2023 Annual Report

Monday, March 25th, 2024

Director of Membership Engagement and Professional Learning Dr. Stephanie Perkins shares Advance CTE’s progress in fully supporting members and elevating CTE in policy and practice in state and federal and policy. 

Career Technical Education (CTE) continues to be a leading state and federal policy solution to both bridge and address transformations in learning and work. CTE’s next era requires maximizing its quality and innovation to remain a go-to experience that can reach and support every learner and community. As the oldest national association of State CTE Directors and related professionals, Advance CTE has continued to grow and adapt to meet the needs of our members and advance the work of CTE Without Limit for the CTE community. 

Our newly released 2023 Annual Report highlights that progress and preparation for CTE’s Next Era for both our organization and our members. 

Keep reading to see five ways Advance CTE continues to support our members while challenging the field by leading on equity, influencing federal policy, building community and knowledge, and providing impactful tools and resources.

Supporting CTE Leaders and Learners

As our members work to ensure that all learners have access to high-quality, equitable CTE, we strive to meet each state where they are in this journey. In 2023, our focus for supporting CTE leaders and learners focused on continuing our high-quality member experiences, building diverse CTE leadership and workforce pipelines, and elevating learner voice. Our members continue to see value in their membership and look for a variety of ways to engage.

 

Engaging and Connecting Members

Bringing together our members in person and virtually provides the opportunity to share best practices and lessons learned to address common challenges and improve outcomes for CTE learners. In Spring of 2023 we gathered over 200 CTE leaders to discuss opportunities, challenges, and shared solutions around various topics of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act (Perkins V) in preparation for state plan revisions. Our members were very satisfied with the structure of these meetings, finding it a very useful space to work with their state teams on Perkins processes and gather ideas from their peers. In event evaluation, 100 percent of responding attendees reported that meetings were an “extremely valuable” or “valuable” use of their time. 

Additionally, we provided direct support and engagement to 44 states through our technical assistance efforts and workgroups. These spaces allowed for innovations and resources that benefit the entire CTE community. 

Leading National Conversations

In 2023, we continued to drive innovation in CTE policy and practice and position CTE as an essential strategy to meet education, workforce, and economic needs. Seventy-seven percent of Advance CTE’s recommendations for modernizing of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act reauthorization were reflected in a proposed reauthorization last fall. We also continued to build more CTE champions on Capitol Hill, where support for the CTE Month resolution has doubled since 2021.  

Additional Resources

Advance CTE’s Annual Report is just one of the ways for our members to understand the impact this work has on the CTE community. We encourage you to continue to engage with us in various ways by staying up to date with future events found on the membership portal. Additionally, we have several tools for members to find resources through: 

On behalf of the entire Advance CTE team, we look forward to engaging with you in the future!

Dr. Stephanie Perkins, Director of Membership Engagement and Professional Learning

By Stacy Whitehouse in Publications
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Congress Unveils FY24 Funding Package

Friday, March 22nd, 2024

This week lawmakers released a long-anticipated full-year funding proposal for the remainder of the federal budget, including for the U.S. Departments of Education (ED) and Labor (DOL). Elsewhere the Senate confirmed new DOL leadership overseeing the implementation of workforce development activities. 

Lawmakers Propose Slight Increase in Perkins State Grant Funding

As Advance CTE has shared previously, Congress has been delayed for nearly six months in finalizing and passing full-year funding for the current 2024 federal fiscal year (FY24), including for the U.S. Departments of Education (ED) and Labor (DOL), ahead of a March 22 deadline later today. Early yesterday morning, Congressional leaders unveiled the text of this long-awaited full-year FY24 funding package, also known as a minibus. 

Notably for the CTE community, the package proposes a $10 million increase for the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act’s (Perkins V) basic state grant program––a key priority for Advance CTE throughout the FY24 process. The full-year FY24 funding package would provide $79.1 billion for ED’s budget and $13.7 billion for DOL’s budget, both of which are slightly below FY23 enacted levels. Due to tight budgetary constraints required by last year’s debt limit agreement, known as the Fiscal Responsibility Act, many education and workforce development programs are set to receive funding at roughly the same levels as FY23 or have slight reductions in funding support.

The FY24 package also includes a $20 million reduction in Perkins V’s national activities account––an area of the budget that ED has used previously to fund a newly created competitive grant program known as “Career Connected High Schools” (CCHS). Advance CTE and partners have previously shared concerns regarding this program and have called for greater resources to be dedicated to Perkins V’s state grant program to strengthen this foundational federal investment made in CTE. Beyond these aspects of the FY24 minibus, the funding package does provide significant new funding for childcare and early childhood education initiatives, as well as slight increases to Title I-A formula funding authorized by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). 

Congress must work quickly today to vote on this FY24 funding package ahead of the aforementioned March 22 deadline at midnight this evening. Lawmakers in the House cleared the minibus by a 286-134 margin and it now goes on to the Senate for consideration and approval. Depending on how expeditiously Senators are able to take up this legislation today, a short lapse in appropriations still remains possible. Advance CTE is monitoring this process closely and will provide more information to the CTE community as these efforts move forward.

ETA Assistant Secretary Confirmed

Yesterday, March 21, the full Senate voted to confirm Jose Javier Rodriguez to lead DOL’s Employment and Training Administration (ETA) by a margin of 50-48. Rodriquez was first nominated by President Biden much earlier in the administration but his candidacy had been delayed in the Senate due to previous opposition from Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Bob Menedez (D-NJ). Yesterday’s confirmation vote marks the first time that ETA, DOL’s subagency which administers and oversees the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), will have a Senate-confirmed leader in this position during the Biden administration.  

Steve Voytek, Policy Advisor 

By Layla Alagic in Public Policy
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