Last week in Washington was another quiet one as Congress wrapped up the second week of its Easter and Passover recess. Both chambers will return next week, where there could be action on additional aid to Ukraine and COVID-19 pandemic aid including restaurant relief. In addition, the appropriations season is shifting into high gear, and a hearing is scheduled in the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies where Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona will be testifying. As we prepare for Congress’s return to Washington, here are a few short news and notes: 

• Department of Education Announces Student Loan Program Changes: The Department of Education has announced changes to federal student loan programs, including account adjustments for long-term forbearance through the income-driven repayment (IDR) program and Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF). You can read more about the changes in the provided link.

• Secretary of Labor Walsh, Secretary of Energy Granholm Discuss Apprenticeship Opportunities: Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh and Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm visited LA Incubator in Los Angeles, California, this week to discuss apprenticeship opportunities and business innovation with employers, students and other stakeholders.

• Spring 2022 Legislative Preview: After two weeks of recess, Congress returns to a busy legislative schedule on Monday, April 25. Now more than ever, it is critical for ACTE members to ensure that CTE stakeholders’ voices are heard by Congress. There is so much at stake – from critical funding needs to expanding postsecondary opportunities and more – we need all of you to help us make this one of our best legislative years yet. Read the full preview here. 

After two weeks of recess, Congress returns to a busy legislative schedule on Monday, April 25. The first big item on the agenda related to CTE is the annual budget and appropriations process. The fiscal year (FY) 2023 appropriations process kicked off on March 28 when President Biden released his budget request. Thanks to the delayed passage of the FY 2022 budget, this process started much later than normal, putting pressure on Congress to speed up the timeline in FY 2023. 

In the coming weeks, the House of Representatives will be taking into consideration the needs of stakeholders in the FY 2023 budget. On Thursday, April 28, Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona will testify in front of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies. He will also testify in front of the Senate’s equivalent committee later in May. The committees will also seek testimony from select education stakeholders, while personal offices will continue advocating for their own budget priorities prior to the release of the first House drafts of the appropriations bills.  

Given the disappointing proposal for Perkins funding in the President’s request, it is critical that we keep pressure on Congress to make substantial investments in CTE now. Visit the ACTE Action Center to make your voice be heard by your respective legislators.  

In addition to appropriations, the House and Senate will be negotiating their respective versions of a blockbuster bill aimed to increase U.S. global competitiveness in the hopes that they can pass it before the August recess. Earlier in April, the House and Senate named over 100 conferees to participate in the bipartisan, bicameral negotiation of the bill aimed to make the United States more globally competitive in areas like semiconductor manufacturing, STEM and more. The House’s version of this bill, the America COMPETES Act, included some top ACTE priorities, including the expansion of Pell eligibility to short-term programs (similar to the JOBS Act) and provisions to support Department of Education data collection on student-level postsecondary outcomes (the College Transparency Act). These negotiations will provide us with the best opportunity yet to make these longstanding priorities law.  

Lastly, the House may consider a floor vote on the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act reauthorization that was passed through the House Education and Labor Committee along party lines in early April. Should it get a vote, it is expected to pass the House as well. However, it is very unlikely to be considered by the Senate. 

Now more than ever, it is critical for ACTE members to ensure that CTE stakeholders’ voices are heard by Congress. There is so much at stake – from critical funding needs to expanding postsecondary opportunities and more – we need all of you to help us make this one of our best legislative years yet. If you are looking for more ways to advocate for CTE on the federal level, please reach out to ACTE’s Manager of Government Relations, Zach Curtis (zcurtis@acteonline.org) or ACTE’s Media Relations and Advocacy Associate, Jori Houck (jhouck@acteonline.org). 

Registered Apprenticeships in 2020: In February, the U.S. Department of Labor released new statistics on Registered Apprenticeship programs during Fiscal Year (FY) 2020. The following highlight key points from the data:

• In FY 2020, there were over 630,000 apprentices, 26,000 Registered Apprenticeship programs and 82,000 graduates of the Registered Apprenticeship system.
• Since 2011, the number of new apprentices grew by 70%, and new apprenticeship programs grew by 73% since 2009.
• Virginia had the most Registered Apprenticeship programs overall while New Hampshire had the most newly registered programs in FY 2020. Additionally, California had the largest number of overall apprentices, new apprentices and graduates.
• Electrician, carpenter and construction craft laborers were among the occupations with the highest number of apprentices.

Measuring Youth Apprenticeship Quality: The Partnership to Advance Youth Apprenticeship (PAYA), an initiative of New America, released a youth apprenticeship assessment tool to assist youth apprenticeship stakeholders in determining their programs’ quality and areas of improvement. Guided by each of PAYA’s five principles of quality youth apprenticeships, users reflect on program data to assess strengths and program improvement opportunities related to partnerships, program design and pathway components.

Work-Based Learning Participant Outcomes: A recent study conducted by Strada Education Network reports the benefits of work-based learning on income and post-graduation success. Using nationally representative surveys from 2016 and 2021, researchers studied bachelor’s degree recipients ages 21 to 65 who participated in work-based learning and those who did not. The following summarizes the study’s key findings:

• Participating in any type of work-based learning during one’s undergraduate education predicted a significant increase in annual personal income and a higher satisfaction with the career and education experience.
• Completing a paid internship was associated with an increase of $3,096 in annual wages one year after graduation, while other work-based learning experiences such as unpaid internships, practicums and cooperative learning were not associated with immediate increases in post-graduation earnings.
• Students of color, first-generation students and federal Pell Grant recipients were least likely to have held a paid internship. When looking at field of study, engineering, computer and information sciences, and business students were most likely to have held a paid internship.

Collecting Work-Based Learning Data: This February, the Education Development Center (EDC) released a toolkit to assist district and school leaders in collecting data on student participation in work-based learning. Informed by lessons learned from a multi-year EDC study and using a work-based learning continuum developed by the Linked Learning initiative, this toolkit walks leaders through the process of identifying work-based learning data collection goals, implementing collection processes and using data to improve work-based learning programs. Additionally, the toolkit features guidance for researchers who plan to collect or analyze work-based learning data.

Last week was a quiet week around Washington, as Congress took the first week of their two-week recess for Easter and Passover. Many lawmakers are attending events in their states and districts during this recess period, in addition to overseas congressional delegation (CODEL) trips as a part of the response to the invasion of Ukraine. Congress will remain in recess until April 25. Once they return, potential action items include additional COVID-19 spending and the innovation bill (America COMPETES/USICA). As we await Congress’s return to Washington, here are a few news and notes:

• Ask Your Representative to Support Robust Funding for Perkins in FY 2023: As the Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 appropriations process gets under way, House CTE Caucus chairmen Reps. Jim Langevin (D-RI) and Glenn "GT" Thompson (R-PA) are leading a “Dear Colleague” letter to be sent to the Chair and Ranking Member of the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee requesting robust funding for the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act (Perkins) in the FY 2023 Labor, Health, and Human Services appropriations bill. Read more about the letter here. The deadline for sign-ons is COB on Friday, April 22, 2022.

• Secretaries Walsh and Raimondo, Austrian Minister Schramböck Sign Memorandum of Understanding to Expand Registered Apprenticeship Programs: Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh, Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo and Austrian Minister for Digital and Economic Affairs Dr. Margarete Schramböck signed a memorandum of understanding to expand registered apprenticeships among Austrian companies and Austrian-invested companies in the U.S. The MOU will promote the exchange of ideas and best practices for expanding apprenticeship programs in both countries. The U.S. currently has similar MOUs with Germany and Switzerland to establish new apprenticeship programs, increase awareness of opportunities and create career pathways. Read the full MOU here.

• Departments of Education, Labor Release Equity Action Plans: The Departments of Education and Labor have released their inaugural equity action plans to help advance racial equity and support for underserved communities through the federal government. The detailed action plan for the Department of Education can be found here. The detailed action plan for the Department of Labor can be found here. You can also read more on the Equity Action Plans on the CTE Policy Watch blog.
• HHS Announces Community Health Worker Training Program: On April 15, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced a new grant, funded by the American Rescue Plan Act, to help increase the number of community health workers. The Community Health Worker Training Program will provide $226.5 million for education and on-the-job training to prepare 13,000 new workers. More information on the grant and application materials can be found at  https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=336498, and applications are due June 14. 

On April 14, the Department of Education and the Department of Labor released their inaugural equity action plans, which are designed to support marginalized, vulnerable and underserved communities. The equity action plans are in response to one of President Biden's Executive Orders and part of a broader effort by the Biden Administration across dozens of federal agencies to address systemic barriers for historically underserved communities.

Specific to workforce development, the Department of Labor plans to focus on:

• developing government apprenticeships to provide pathways to federal service
• collaborating with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HCBUs), other educational institutions serving diverse populations, national advocacy organizations and other local community partners to help promote registered apprenticeship opportunities
• launching an internal apprenticeship program, investing in industry and sector-based high road training partnerships that focus on equity and job quality
• expanding the scope of apprenticeship data collected in the Registered Apprenticeship Partners Information Management Data System (RAPIDS)
• implementing State Apprenticeship Expansion, Equity, and Innovation (SAEEI) grants that bolster states' efforts to expand programming and recruitment strategies to attract a diverse workforce
• investing in high road training partnerships (HRTPs) that bring together workers, labor and other worker organizations, employers and training providers to collaborate in developing industry and sector-based workforce solutions that focus on equity and job quality

The Department of Education plans to:

• advance college access and college completion by investing in HBCUs, TCCUs, MSIs, community colleges, and other under-resourced public institutions
• support schools to raise college completion rates for underserved students
• ensure that state educational agencies (SEAs) and local educational agencies (LEAs) use ARP-ESSER funding to meet students’ social, emotional, mental health, academic and other needs

You can read the full equity action plan for the Department of Education here, as well as the full equity action plan for the Department of Labor here.

In the fiscal year (FY) 2022 omnibus appropriations bill, Congress re-introduced the usage of earmarks, also known as “congressionally directed spending” or “community project funding”. This allows Members of Congress to guarantee funding for specific projects or grantees that would benefit their state or district. You can find an overview of CTE-related FY22 earmarks here.

Each Member office can submit project funding requests from constituents to be reviewed by the appropriations committee, allowing CTE programs the opportunity to submit proposals to their Members of Congress. Recently, the Senate Appropriations Committee released earmark request guidelines for FY23 (click here for ACTE’s summary of House Appropriations Committee guidance).

Most relevant to CTE-related earmark requests, the Senate Appropriations Committee is considering proposals for the following agencies and accounts under the Departments of Education and Labor:

• Employment and Training Administration
• Rehabilitation Services Administration: Demonstration and Training Programs
• Elementary and Secondary Education: Fund for the Improvement of Education
• Higher Education Programs: Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education

The deadline for Member offices to submit earmark requests related to these agencies and accounts is May 25^th. However, since offices typically set their own deadlines before this date, you should reach out to your Senator as soon as possible to submit proposals.

The Senate Appropriations Committee will not consider proposals that include funding for for-profit entities, multi-year funding and those in which the Senator or their family members have a financial interest. Unlike request guidelines in the House, Senators have no request or funding limits, however, the total funding of earmarks still cannot exceed over 1% of overall discretionary funding.

For individuals seeking more guidance related to earmark requests, America Forward released an earmark toolkit and will also hold an Earmark Office Hour on Wednesday, April 20 from 2-3 p.m. EST to answer questions about the submission process.

Additionally, if you have a project that might be eligible under these guidelines and need any assistance with requests or do not know how to get in touch with your elected officials, please email Zach Curtis, Manager of Government Relations (zcurtis@acteonline.org) and Alisha Hyslop, Senior Director of Public Policy (ahyslop@acteonline.org).  

As the Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 appropriations process gets under way, House CTE Caucus chairmen Reps. Jim Langevin (D-RI) and Glenn "GT" Thompson (R-PA) are leading a “Dear Colleague” letter to be sent to the Chair and Ranking Member of the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee requesting robust funding for the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act (Perkins) in the FY 2023 Labor, Health, and Human Services appropriations bill. Committee members view these “Dear Colleague” letters as a critical part of the process because they show the breadth of support a specific program has, making this letter’s success critical. These representatives have begun circulating their letter and are seeking additional House members to sign on. 

The president’s original budget request for FY 23 was disappointing, but only represents a starting point in what will be months of negotiation in Congress. Your advocacy these past few years has been critical to securing increases in Perkins funding; we need your help again to secure an increase for Perkins that is more reflective of the needs of the CTE community than the Administration’s request and ensures that CTE can continue to serve as a critical part of our economic recovery and meet urgent workforce needs. 

ACTION NEEDED:  

• CLICK HERE to ask your representative to sign the “Dear Colleague” letter  supporting robust funding for Perkins CTE in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education appropriations bill. The deadline for sign-ons is COB on Friday, April 22, 2022. 

You can send a message directly using the ACTE Action Center. Additionally, if you have a direct contact in your representative's office, such as from a meeting with a staff member during NPS or at another time, we urge you to call or email directly. You can also call the U.S. Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121, and an operator will connect you to your requested House office. Please contact your representative today!