On July 30, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions held a markup for several pieces of legislation, including a bill that would limit the Department of Education’s (ED) ability to enter into certain interagency agreements (IAAs).
S.5046, introduced by Sens. Tim Kaine (D-VA), Susan Collins (R-ME) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), would prohibit ED’s ability to transfer the following offices to different agencies:
- The Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services
- The Office of Postsecondary Education
- The Office of Elementary and Secondary Education
- The Office of Indian Education
Notably, the Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education (OCTAE) was not included in the initial version of the proposed bill. However, Senators have the opportunity to offer amendments to legislation during committee markups. First, Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) offered an amendment that would include every office impacted by an IAA, including OCTAE. That amendment failed narrowly in a 12-11 party-line vote.
Sen. Murray later offered an amendment that would require the Secretary of Education to give Congress reports detailing the costs and estimated administrative obligations for each IAA. That passed by voice vote with two votes against.
Lastly, Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) also filed a CTE-specific amendment that would add OCTAE individually to the list of offices in the bill that would prohibit the transfer. However, that amendment, along with several others, was not formally considered during the markup.
Ultimately, the bill advanced out of the HELP Committee in a 13-9 vote with Sens. Collins and Murkowski joining all the Democrats to advance the measure. While the underlying bill is an important first step toward addressing the IAAs generally, ACTE remains deeply concerned about the transfer of Perkins administration to the Department of Labor. We will continue to share these concerns with Congress as the bill moves forward in hopes of having OCTAE added at another point in the process.
In addition to the IAA bill, the HELP Committee considered several other pieces of legislation, including advancing the nomination of Keith Sonderling to be the next Secretary of Labor. The committee voted along party-lines to advance his nomination, setting up a full confirmation vote by the Senate.
Members also considered the College Transparency Act during the markup. ACTE has long supported this bill. The College Transparency Act would create a secure, privacy-protected data system that helps students compare programs based on outcomes like completion, employment, and earnings so they can make more informed decisions. This bill advanced in a 21-1 vote.
If you have any questions, please contact ACTE’s Government Relations Manager, Jimmy Koch.
