Congress remained mainly focused on summer recess activities this week. Both the House and Senate will return to Washington on September 2 to resume appropriations work as the end of the fiscal year approaches next month. Floor activity was limited to pro forma sessions, but members still introduced legislation in areas including workforce development, small business incentives and education access. In the Administration, the Departments of Labor (DOL), Commerce and Education (ED) published a new workforce strategy earlier this week with plans to advance skills development. See below for more updates from the past week:  

• Rep. Glenn Thompson (R-PA) and Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) Introduce Counseling for Career Choice Act: Rep. Thompson and Rep. Bonamici introduced a bill to amend Every Student Succeeds Act, which would allow Title IV-A Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants to expand funding eligibility to career counseling and exploration to expand resource support for CTE programs. ACTE endorsed this legislation.  

• DOL, Commerce, and ED Issue Report on Workforce Development: On August 12, the three agencies jointly released “America’s Talent Strategy: Building the Workforce for the Golden Age,” a federal strategy aimed at enhancing the country’s approach to career readiness training. It includes five different focus areas to meet modern day workforce demands. You can read more about it in this blog post.  

• Federal Judge Rules Against ED’s Anti-DEI Requirements: On August 14, a federal judge ruled against ED’s February 14 guidance memo, requiring educational institutions to certify compliance with ED’s interpretation of the anti-discrimination law to receive federal funding, ruling that the ED cannot enforce the restrictions without proper legislation or rulemaking.  

• ACTE and Partners Request Clarity on Serving Undocumented Learners: ACTE, along with Advance CTE, AACC and ACCT, sent a letter to ED seeking answers to critical questions regarding their recent notice of interpretation of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) provisions related to benefits for undocumented learners. 

• ED Announces Career Z Challenge Recipients: ED wrapped up the final phase of the Career Z Challenge, recognizing student-centered work-based learning (WBL) in high school programs. Each recipient received a portion of $1.5 million to expand WBL initiatives. Each of the winners showcased strong partnerships, student impact, and sustainability within WBL. The Department of Education recognized the following institutions: Atlanta College and Career Academy (GA), Kirkwood Community College (IA), YouthForce NOLA (LA), Grand Forks Public Schools (ND), Future Focused Education (NM), South Bronx Community Charter High School (NY), Educational Service Center of Central Ohio (OH), Lorain County Joint Vocational School (OH) and Roanoke City Public Schools (VA).  

• Secretary of Education Conducts School Tour: In conjunction with the beginning of the school year, Secretary of Education Linda McMahon is kicking off a 50-state tour titled “Returning Education to the States.” The tour has already included stops at several community colleges.  

• Rep. Josh Harder (D-CA) and Rep. Jen Kiggans (R-VA) Introduce Apprenticeships for Small Businesses Act of 2025: Rep. Harder and Rep. Kiggans introduced a bill to create a refundable tax credit for small businesses that hire CTE students and trainees. Each participating business would be eligible for up to $10,000 in tax credits.