This week in Washington, Congress was focused on moving several pending nominations and moving forward with the FY 24 appropriations process. The House Appropriations Committee held markups of several appropriations bills and approved overall committee allocations, while Senate appropriations leaders have begun preparing a few bills for full committee markup next week. However, no information has been provided on the timing of either the subcommittee or full committee markup of the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies appropriations bills in either chamber. In the meantime, here are the most important things to note:

• Ask Your Representative: Support Perkins in FY 2024 Appropriations: The official topline funding level for the House’s FY 2024 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education appropriations bill is $147.1B, which could result in an almost 30% cut to the bill. The impact on Perkins funding and CTE programs could be significant. As the House starts to consider their appropriations bills, we need to generate support for CTE to ensure the highest possible level of funding for Perkins within these tight caps. ACTION NEEDED: CLICK HERE to ask your representative to support robust funding for Perkins CTE in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education appropriations bill!

• College Transparency Act Reintroduced by Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA): On June 14, Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, reintroduced 1972, the College Transparency Act (CTA), legislation that would reform postsecondary data reporting ensure students have better information on student success and outcomes as they compare higher education options. ACTE has been a long-time supporter of the CTA. You can view a fact sheet on the CTA here.

• Department of Education and Civic Nation Launch Campaign for Access to Affordable High-Speed Internet: The Department of Education and Civic Nation have launched Online for All, a digital equity campaign working to close the digital divide by focusing on internet access, affordability and equity for students and families. Learn more about the campaign and how you can obtain affordable internet access here.

• House Education and Workforce Committee Holds Hearing on Postsecondary Education: On June 14, the Higher Education and Workforce Development Subcommittee of the House Education and Workforce Committee held a hearing entitled “Postsecondary Innovation: Preparing Today’s Students for Tomorrow’s Opportunities.” The hearing primarily focused on higher education issues. You can watch the full hearing here.

• Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Holds Hearing on Infrastructure Implementation: On June 15, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee held a hearing with testimony from Administrator Shailen Bhatt of the Federal Highway Administration. The hearing addressed the I-95 bridge collapse, road safety, project grant applications and electric vehicles.

• OCTAE to Host Webinar on Integrated Education and Training in Corrections: The Office of Career, Technical and Adult Education (OCTAE) and ADVANCE Integrated Education and Training (IET) will host a live webinar on Connecting Jail-Based IET Programs to Career Pathways on July 11, 2023, from 3:30 – 4:30 pm ET. Register at this link.