This year, amid growing concern over teacher shortages across the country, Congress increased its focus on the educator pipeline through hearings and legislation. However, with personnel changes in the House and Senate and new education committee leaders, the 118th Congress will offer a different political dynamic that will impact how the federal government may respond to national teacher shortages.  

During the 117th Congress, ACTE endorsed two bills that would alleviate shortages by providing K-12 teachers with improved financial benefits. The RAISE Act (H.R. 7660 / S. 4125) would provide all K-12 teachers with a federal income tax reimbursement between $1,000 and $15,000 annually, scaled by the level of school poverty. This bill was able to accrue 29 co-sponsors in the House and 7 in the Senate, all of which are members of the Democratic Party. The Loan Forgiveness for Educators Act (H.R. / S. 4867), which gained 17 co-sponsors in the House and 15 in the Senate, would reform the Teacher Loan Forgiveness (TLF) program to include all teachers in low-income schools, shorten forgiveness to five years of teaching, and expand the forgiveness to graduate and parent-held student loans. Both bills will need to find some bipartisan support once they are re-introduced in the next Congress. 

In 15 states, the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO) have created a financial penalty for CTE teachers who have accrued Social Security benefits during their time in industry. The Social Security Fairness Act (H.R. 82 / S.1302), which would repeal both WEP and GPO, accrued an impressive 305 House co-sponsors and 42 Senate co-sponsors during this Congress. While the bill has not had an opportunity to receive a floor vote, its broad bipartisan support puts it in a strong position to be re-considered in the next Congress – regardless of committee control.  

Further, both the House and Senate Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related appropriations bill reports for fiscal year 2023 included language that would direct the federal government to improve its data collection on CTE teacher shortages. Should Congress not pass an appropriations omnibus before the end of the calendar year, it will be up to the new Congress to include this language in any final appropriations package that is passed, and this will remain an important issue to address.  

With HEA due for reauthorization, the new House and Senate education committees may also undergo debate on how and whether to address teacher shortages through that process. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), who will take over as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, will likely have a much different approach to HEA reauthorization than the Republican candidates to chair the House Education and Labor Committee, making some sort of compromise very uncertain.  

If you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions for how the new Congress could address teacher shortages, please contact ACTE’s Government Relations Manager, Zach Curtis (zcurtis@acteonline.org).  

Much of the attention in Washington this week was on the FY 23 appropriations process, which is yet to be resolved (see more below). In addition to appropriations work, the House passed the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which is now awaiting Senate approval. Congress also passed and President Biden later signed legislation codifying federal recognition of same-sex marriage.

The 118th Congress will begin right after the new year, on January 3. To prepare for the start of the new Congress, ACTE will be sharing more information on the impact of the election on CTE, including information on committee leadership, new Members of Congress and other resources relevant to CTE stakeholders. In the meantime, here are some updates from Washington:

• Discussions Continue on FY 23 Appropriations Bills: Congress has yet to agree on non-defense spending levels for fiscal year 2023, meaning that lawmakers will need to pass a short-term extension of government funding before expiration of government funding on December 16. The short-term extension, known as a “continuing resolution,” would temporarily fund the government at fiscal year 2022 levels until a larger framework for fiscal year 2023 is agreed upon. Timing on a final agreement is still unclear, and a resolution may not arrive until after the congressional holiday recess, or perhaps at the very beginning of the 118th Congress in January. There was some positive news over the weekend about the negotiations, and bipartisan, bicameral conversations continue.

• Department of Education Hosts National STEM Coordinating Conference: The Department of Education hosted the YOU Belong in STEM National Coordinating Conference in Washington, DC, as a kickoff to the “Raise the Bar: STEM Excellence for All Students” initiative. ACTE’s Public Policy Department was in attendance and participated in the conference. You can read more about the conference and initiative here.

• Department of Labor Youth Systems Building Academy Announcement: The Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration (ETA) is inviting workforce communities to nominate themselves to be a part of the Youth Systems Building Academy (YSBA), which will provide local workforce systems and their community partners with training and technical assistance to explore, design, test, implement or scale system-level approaches to engage and support young people in the workforce. Applications are due before Friday, January 13, 2023, at 5:00PM (ET). You can find more information at the link here.

• JOBS Act Letter to Capitol Hill: ACTE joined coalition partners to send a letter to appropriations leaders on Capitol Hill urging them to include language similar to the JOBS Act in any fiscal year 2023 omnibus funding package.

• Department of Education Releases Updated ESSER and GEER FAQs: On December 7, the Department of Education released updated guidance in the form of new “frequently asked questions” related to spending under the COVID-relief focused Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief and Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Programs.

Lawmakers return from the Thanksgiving recess with a packed agenda to complete before adjourning for the year. There are less than two weeks until government funding expires on December 16, but discussions on fiscal year 2023 appropriations bills are proceeding slowly.  

In addition to appropriations, the House plans to vote on a version of the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) during the coming week, among other priorities such as immigration and green card reform. The House will also hold a vote to codify the federal government’s recognition of same-sex marriage.

The 118th Congress will begin right after the new year, on January 3. To prepare for the start of the new Congress, ACTE will be sharing more information on the impact of the election on CTE, including information on committee leadership, new Members of Congress and other resources relevant to CTE stakeholders. In the meantime, here are some updates from Washington:

• Student Loan Repayment Pause Extended: Following announcement of the Supreme Court’s plans to consider the Biden Administration’s federal student loan debt relief program, the Biden Administration extended the payment pause on all federal student loans until 60 days after the Department of Education is permitted to implement the program or the litigation is resolved. If the program has not been implemented and the litigation has not been resolved by June 30, 2023, payments will resume 60 days after that. Read more about the extension here.

• Fiscal Year 2023 Appropriations Update: Government funding talks for fiscal year 2023 appear to be locked in a standstill, with appropriations leaders in both parties at odds over the total amount of non-defense spending to be included in the omnibus spending package, which will have a significant impact on the funding available for education and workforce development programs. ACTE continues to monitor the appropriations process and will urge Congress to support the maximum investment possible in the Perkins Basic State Grant. ACTE’s coalition partner, the Committee for Education Funding, also sent a letter to Capitol Hill urging swift resolution of the funding impasse and the largest possible investment in education programs.

• Department of Labor Announces Grant Opportunity to Support Pre-Apprenticeship: The Department of Labor has announced $90 million in YouthBuild Program grants to support pre-apprenticeships in high-demand industries including construction, health care, information technology and hospitality. Applications for funding will close on February 7, 2023. For more details and a complete list of eligible applicants, visit the link here.

• Republicans Claim Narrow House Control: In late November, Republicans were declared winners in enough midterm races to reach 218 seats in the House of Representatives, the minimum number needed to flip the chamber to their control in the 118th Congress. Read more about this development here.

During the past year, the JOBS Act – a bipartisan bill to expand the Pell grant to cover high-quality, shorter-term workforce training programs – expanded its coalition of congressional supporters, inching closer toward potentially becoming law. The bill now has a striking 52 bipartisan co-sponsors in the Senate, and in February, language similar to the JOBS Act passed the House via an amendment in the America COMPETES Act. While this progress is encouraging, the bill faces new challenges in the 118th Congress.  

The current JOBS Act has a lead Democrat and Republican co-sponsor in both the House and Senate; however, three of these four Members of Congress will not be returning next year. Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) and Rep. Anthony Gonzalez (R-OH) have both announced their retirements, while Rep. Andy Levin (D-MI) lost re-election after redistricting put him into a tough primary battle with Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI). Heading into the 118th Congress, the remaining co-sponsor, Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA), must seek out new champions to take their places while maintaining the bipartisan coalition that has been built over the past several years.  

The JOBS Act has also attracted a competing bill to expand Pell grants to short-term programs. The REAL Reforms Act, a Higher Education Act reform proposal introduced this year by Reps. Virginia Foxx (R-NC) and Elise Stefanik (R-NY), would also expand the Pell grant to short-term programs, including for-profit institutions. While ACTE does not oppose this bill, it is a partisan bill that does not currently contain the broad coalition that the JOBS Act has built over nearly a decade of negotiations.  

As we approach the 118th Congress, it is critical that your voices be heard in support of short-term Pell expansion – your advocacy is especially critical if you have newly elected representatives, or Members of Congress who are not currently co-sponsors of the JOBS Act (you can find Senate co-sponsors here and House co-sponsors here). The JOBS Act remains the most viable, bipartisan legislation related to short-term Pell grants that has the support to potentially become law in the next Congress. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact ACTE’s Government Relations Manager, Zach Curtis (zcurtis@acteonline.org).  

Basic Needs Challenges: In October, the Community College Survey of Student Engagement released a publication that describes the prevalence of housing and food insecurity faced by community and technical college students. Researchers surveyed over 82,000 students in 2021 to reveal the following key findings from the report:

• About 29% of respondents are food insecure and 14% are housing insecure.
• Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander students and students with dependent children were more likely to face food or housing insecurity compared to their peers.
• Students who were food or housing insecure reported higher levels of academic engagement, which indicates that these students may be working harder despite having less resources.
• Less than half of students receive food assistance from their college, and one-fifth of students receive utilities or housing assistance from their college.

The report also includes examples of how community and technical colleges from various states provide housing and food assistance. Some practices include creating a housing unit exclusively for students with dependent children, establishing partnerships with local food banks and providing one-stop education centers that offer wraparound support services.

The Landscape of Part-time Students: A brief published by Complete College America reviews new data from the National Center for Education Statistics’ Outcomes Survey to summarize the state of part-time postsecondary students. Researchers examined outcomes for both part-time and full-time students from the survey’s 2011-12 cohort and shared the following:

• About 60% of students who enroll in two-year institutions are part time, compared to 11% at public four-year institutions.
• At two-year institutions, Pell students were 27 percentage points less likely to be enrolled part-time than non-Pell students. Additionally, part-time students who receive Pell grants have a slightly higher completion rate than non-Pell part-time students.
• Only 21% of students who start part time at community colleges complete their education in eight years, 14 percentage points lower than full-time students.

The Community College Experience for Black Students: Recently, the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies released a report that discusses the characteristics and educational and economic outcomes of Black community college students. This report aims to highlight the barriers faced by Black students in community colleges. The authors pulled data from a variety of sources to summarize the following key findings:

• From 2010 to 2020, Black students’ community college enrollment declined by 44%. During the COVID-19 pandemic, from fall 2019 to fall 2020, enrollment fell by 18% for all Black students.
• Black students experience the lowest three-year graduation rate (28%) compared to their peers of other races.
• On average, Black community college graduates earn $20,000 less per year than their peers and borrow money to pay for college at a higher rate than white, Hispanic and Asian students.

The report offers recommendations to policymakers and education leaders to make community college outcomes more equitable for Black students, including improving access to basic needs supports and child care, strengthening transfer pathways, disaggregating outcomes by race and ethnicity, and providing tuition-free options.

Adult Learner Mobility: This summer, LightCast released a report that examines the postsecondary outcomes of adult learners, specifically their upward mobility, which is defined by the authors as having a salary after returning to postsecondary education that is both higher than their baseline salary and above $35,000 per year. Researchers studied 270,000 adult learners who had not previously completed a bachelor’s degree to find the following:

• Adults who return to postsecondary education are 22% more likely to achieve upward mobility and have a 140% larger increase in average annual salary than those who do not return.
• Adult learners who enrolled in public institutions experience greater upward mobility than those in private or for-profit institutions.
• Many of the majors that provided the most upward mobility were CTE and STEM related, including engineering, architecture, mathematics, and computer and information sciences.
• Associate degrees in certain CTE fields, such as health care, granted more upward mobility than bachelor’s degrees in fields like business or psychology.

Postsecondary Education in Prisons: Recently, the Vera Institute of Justice released a guidebook that details considerations for peer reviewers and accreditors of postsecondary education programs in prisons. The FAFSA Simplification Act recently enabled postsecondary institutions to expand their programming further to incarcerated individuals. The guidebook discusses the impact of this change; how postsecondary institutions can ensure they meet standards of academic quality when serving incarcerated students; and how institutions should comply with federal regulations necessary to maintain Pell eligibility.

Last week, Republicans were declared winners in enough midterm races to reach 218 seats in the House of Representatives, the minimum number needed to flip the chamberto their control in the 118th Congress. As of November 21, there are just five races left to call, with four of the five leaning Republican. No matter the outcome of the remaining races, House Republicans will have an extremely narrow margin to pass legislation without bi-partisan support.  

While Republicans gained many fewer House seats than originally predicted, the results of these midterm elections will give them control of committee leadership for the next two years, including the House Committee on Education & Labor. Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC), the current ranking member of the committee, is seeking a waiver from leadership that is required to be the chairwoman for a second term. Rep. Foxx chaired the committee from 2017 to 2019. If she does not earn this waiver, it is rumored that the new Committee leader may instead be Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN) or Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI). For the Democrats, it is expected that current committee chairman Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA) will serve as ranking member. 

The House Appropriations Committee is less likely to see any major changes, with it widely expected that the current ranking member, Rep. Kay Granger (R-TX), and current chairwoman, Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) will merely switch roles. The subcommittee responsible for the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies bill may see a change, though. Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) will likely stay on as ranking member; however, Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK) would have to give up the chairmanship if he does not receive a waiver from leadership or if he chooses a different committee assignment.  

Following Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) announcement that she will be stepping down from leadership, the Democratic party will have a new look heading into the next Congress. Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD) and Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-SC), the current number two and three House Democrats, will also step down from their posts. It is expected that Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) will become the minority leader in her place, with Rep. Katherine Clark (D-MA) and Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-CA) running for the number two and three spots. The Republican leadership will likely see less change, yet that has not been without some contention. Current House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) won nomination from his party to be House speaker; however, 31 members voted against him. He will need most of them to vote for him to receive a majority of the House of Representatives in January and be elected speaker. 

When the 118th Congress is sworn in this January, the new leadership will have to navigate a divided legislature, partisan division, and distinct intra-party policy differences. This may make passing legislation difficult, so your advocacy for CTE policy is as important as ever. ACTE will keep you abreast of advocacy opportunities through the CTE Policy Watch blog and the ACTE Action Center. For any questions, please contact ACTE’s Government Relations Manager, Zach Curtis (zcurtis@acteonline.org).  

Congress returned to Washington last week for the first time since the mid-term elections. Lawmakers in both parties held several leadership elections, but formal announcements for party leadership are still forthcoming. Appropriations leaders also reportedly aim to have a fiscal year 2023 appropriations framework completed by Thanksgiving, but there has been no budget framework publicly released and we expect negotiations on the appropriations bills to continue into December. ACTE continues to urge Congress to support a $200 million increase to the Perkins Basic State Grant for fiscal year 2023. In addition to appropriations work, the Senate also advanced legislation to codify the right to same-sex marriage during the week, provide retirement benefits to first responders and support access to communication services for domestic violence survivors.

The 118th Congress will begin right after the new year, on January 3. To prepare for the start of the new Congress, check your inbox or the link here. Stay tuned during the coming weeks, as ACTE will share more information on the impact of the election on CTE, including information on committee leadership, new Members of Congress and other resources relevant to CTE stakeholders. In the meantime, here are some updates from Washington:

• Department of Education Launches Work-Based Learning Grant: As part of a broader effort, known as the “Raise the Bar: Unlocking Career Success Initiative announced by the Department of Education, in partnership with the Departments of Commerce and Labor, a new work-based learning (WBL) program will be launched next year. $5.6 million from Perkins national activities funding will be allocated for a new program to expand WBL opportunities for students. The Department will launch a competitive grant opportunity, the “Career Z Challenge: Expanding Work-Based Learning Opportunities,” in Spring 2023. Read more about the program here.

• Department of Education Releases New Guidance on ARP-ESSER Funding: Also as part of the Raising the Bar Initiative, the Department of Education has released new guidance on how federal COVID-relief funds can be used to develop and expand CTE programs, including registered apprenticeships. You can view the guidance here.

• Federal Student Loan Forgiveness Update: On November 14, the U.S. 8^th Circuit Court of Appeals issued an injunction against the Biden Administration’s federal student loan forgiveness program. The Administration plans to appeal to the Supreme Court for further review. Read more about the next steps here.

• Department of Labor Announces Effort to Prepare Students at Job Corps Centers for Registered Apprenticeship Programs: The Department of Labor will encourage Job Corps centers throughout the country to emphasize pre-apprenticeship programs in green energy, health care, information technology and other high-growth industry sectors. Job Corps students will spend approximately one year in a pre-apprenticeship program. Read more about the initiative here.

• Senate CTE Caucus Holds Briefing on Women in Apprenticeship: On November 15, the Senate CTE Caucus, alongside the Swiss and Austrian Embassies, held a Capitol Hill briefing on Women in Apprenticeship to highlight both National Apprenticeship Week and the Austrian and Swiss apprenticeship models. Read more about the briefing here.

• Potential Committee Leadership in the Senate: While we are awaiting the formal announcement of their appointments, we have a clearer picture of those who will be chairing and serving as Ranking Members for the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee and Senate Appropriations Committee. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) is expected to become Chairman of the HELP Committee, with Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) as the likely Ranking Member. Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) will take the gavel of the Appropriations Committee with Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) as the likely Ranking Member.

• National Apprenticeship Week Celebrated: November 14 kicked off National Apprenticeship Week nationwide as workforce development stakeholders, advocates and more joined together to celebrate the benefits of registered apprenticeship programs. Read more about National Apprenticeship Week here.