After Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) was finally elected Speaker of the House early Saturday morning, the new Republican majority in the House turned to other organizing activities necessary for the 118th Congress. First, Republicans approved a rules package that will govern the House of Representatives this Congress. These rules included the concessions that Speaker McCarthy made in order to receive enough votes from conservative Republicans. The rules package, which passed along party lines, makes many significant changes to House procedure, including:  

• A single Member can now call a “motion to vacate,” which calls a vote to oust the Speaker of the House.  
• All bills must be limited to a single subject with tight restrictions on overriding this requirement, which could make it harder to combine bills or attach smaller bills to larger legislation.  

Agreements made by Republicans outside the rules package could threaten education funding, including the Perkins Basic State Grant, in fiscal year (FY) 2024. Speaker McCarthy promised to write FY 2024 appropriations bills at no more than the overall FY 2022 funding level, with most negotiators noting that these cuts will come from non-defense spending rather than defense discretionary funding. If this does occur, this would mean a total of $130 billion, or 8%, would be cut from the federal budget, endangering all education and workforce programs.   

In addition, Republican leaders have also moved forward on selecting committee leaders for the 118th Congress. On January 9, Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC) was selected by the Republican Steering Committee to lead the now-renamed House Education and Workforce Committee. Foxx, who has served both as ranking member and chair of the committee, was selected over Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI), who also formally ran for the position.  

Rep. Foxx says that she will heavily focus on oversight over President Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan and China’s influence on college campuses. Foxx will also continue her work on reforming the student loan system, as proposed in the REAL Reforms Act which was introduced last year. Further, she has vowed to advance legislation that would require public disclosure of school curricula, budgets and spending, mandate parental access to teachers and school boards, regulate issues pertaining to transgender students and counteract teachers’ unions.  

The Republican Steering Committee also selected Rep. Roger Williams (R-TX) to become chairman of the House Small Business Committee, which significantly focused on CTE in the 117th Congress. Williams has worked on CTE legislation during his career, including advancing the Supporting Small Business and Career and Technical Education Act, which passed the House last year. ACTE publicly endorsed this bill.  

For any questions regarding legislation in the 118th Congress or suggestions for federal policy solutions to CTE issues, please contact ACTE’s Government Relations Manager, Zach Curtis (zcurts@acteonlien.org).  

As we begin the new year, the bulk of the focus has been on the vote for Speaker of the House. The swearing-in progress for House Members and other proceedings of the 118th Congress in the House were temporarily halted until Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) was finally elected speaker early Saturday morning.

The U.S. Senate did return to Washington on January 3 to swear in its new members, but Senate now remains out of session until January 23. As we await more news from Washington, here are some key updates:

• Election Watch: Introducing the New Senators-elect: In the 118th Congress, seven new senators-elect will take office. While we will learn more about their education and workforce development priorities as the 118th Congress kicks off, several of the senators-elect have discussed CTE-related issues and priorities in their campaigns. To help CTE advocates prepare to meet these new senators, here is a preview of their public statements and/or plans for education as they begin their service.

• Reflecting on the Accomplishments of Senator Portman and Representative Langevin: Former Congressional CTE Caucus co-chairs Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) and Rep. Jim Langevin (D-RI) have departed from their offices to begin their well-earned retirement. The two public servants have dedicated large parts of their career to advancing the needs of CTE learners, educators and systems, earning them each an ACTE Lifetime Achievement Award this year. Learn more about their accomplishments here.

• 2022 Year-in-Review Legislative Update: As the new 118th Congress organizes, ACTE’s Public Policy team looks back at 2022 and the final year of the 117th Congress with a summary of CTE-related federal policy activities in 2022, and a preview of what to expect in 2023. Read the update here.

• Military Spouse Licensing Relief Act Signed into Law: The Military Spouse Licensing Relief Act – endorsed by ACTE – was included in H.R. 7939, the Veterans Auto and Education Improvement Act of 2022. This bill passed both chambers and was signed into law in December 2022. This is a significant victory for CTE teachers and military families. Read ACTE’s statement endorsing the bill here.

• Committee Leadership Update: Sen. Bernie Sanders has been informally announced as the new Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, and it is still expected that Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) will serve as Ranking Member of the HELP Committee.

In the 118th Congress, seven new senators-elect will take office. While we will learn more about their education and workforce development priorities as the 118th Congress kicks off, several of the senators-elect have discussed CTE-related issues and priorities in their campaigns. To help CTE advocates prepare to meet these new senators, here is a preview of their public statements and/or plans for education as they begin their service. 

Senator-elect Katie Britt (R-AL) 

Sen.-elect Britt is replacing retiring Appropriations Committee leader and Alabama political stalwart Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL). Most recently, Sen.-elect Britt served as president and CEO of Alabama’s business council. On her campaign website, she mentions that “One of the biggest keys to a 21st century economy is a 21st century workforce. It’s been reported that by 2025, we will need 500,000 new highly skilled workers to meet the demands of our ever-growing industry needs. While we are currently off the pace, I will work tirelessly to help meet this ambitious goal. The students of today need to know about the opportunities available to them outside of a traditional college degree that will allow them to land high-paying, modern jobs that will support their families long into the future.” 

Senator-elect Ted Budd (R-NC) 

Sen.-elect Ted Budd, who currently represents North Carolina’s 13th Congressional District, is replacing outgoing Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee Ranking Member Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC). While Budd did not specifically refer to CTE in his formal campaign priorities, he has noted that he “supports school choice and opportunity scholarships to give all students a chance to match their skills and interests with an education that best prepares them for the job market — whether that’s college or not.” 

Senator-elect John Fetterman (D-PA) 

Sen.-elect Fetterman is set to take over for retiring Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA). Currently, he is Pennsylvania’s lieutenant governor. On his campaign website, Fetterman specifically called out CTE as a top education priority: “There are too few opportunities for the many young people who don’t think college is the right option for them. If we want to prepare the next generation for a highly competitive world, we need to get serious about what education in the 21st century looks like I will also work to increase investments in career and technical programs to prepare young adults for successful and in-demand careers in critical industries.” 

Senator-elect Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) 

Currently, Sen.-elect Mullin is a member of the House of Representatives, representing Oklahoma’s 2nd Congressional District. He is replacing longtime Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK). Mullin has not made any specific statements regarding CTE in his public campaign platform. 

Senator-elect Eric Schmitt (R-MO) 

Sen.-elect Eric Schmitt is currently Missouri’s Attorney General. Schmitt will be replacing retiring appropriations leader Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO). Schmitt has not made any specific statements regarding CTE in his public campaign platform. 

Senator-elect J.D. Vance (R-OH) 

Sen.-elect J.D. Vance is an author, entrepreneur and former U.S. Marine who is a newcomer to federal elected office. Vance did not mention CTE on his campaign website. He is replacing outgoing Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH), a co-founder and co-chair of the Senate CTE Caucus. 

Senator-elect Peter Welch (D-VT)  

Sen.-elect Peter Welch has represented Vermont in Congress since 2007. Currently, he is the Chief Deputy Whip of the House Democratic Caucus and a member of the Democratic Steering and Policy Committee. Welch is replacing retiring appropriations leader Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT). On his campaign website, Welch notes some of his previous education-related priorities as a member of the House of Representatives, including debt-free college and making public community and four-year colleges more accessible.

On December 20, congressional leaders announced that a bipartisan, bicameral deal had been reached on fiscal year (FY) 2023 funding and released the corresponding appropriations omnibus package. The Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies portion was given a 7.1% overall increase from FY 2022, including a $50M increase for the Perkins Basic State Grant program. This increase for CTE state grants is slightly more than proposed in the original House draft bill and a significant improvement over the President’s budget request, making it yet another year of modest yet critical growth in investment in CTE.  

In addition to the Basic State Grant, this bill would give $25M in additional funds to Perkins Innovation and Modernization Grants (Section 114(e) of Perkins V). This program provides competitive grants to spur innovation in CTE, and additional funds were included to support the Administration’s proposal for “Career-Connected High Schools”. This Biden-Harris Administration initiative supports dual enrollment, career counseling, industry-recognized credential attainment and work-based learning opportunities.  

Further, this bill would give increases to the following programs related to CTE:  

Department of Education 

• $850M increase for ESSA Title I grants to local education agencies 
• $100M increase for ESSA Title IV-A Student Support and Academic Enrichment State Grants
• $11M increase for Teacher Quality Partnership grants 
• $500 increase to the maximum Pell Grant award ($7,395 total) 
• $25M increase for Adult Education 

Department of Labor 

• $50M increase for Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) state grants 
• $50M increase for registered apprenticeships 
• $15M increase for Strengthening Community College Training Grants  

House Democrats are expected to pass this bill along party lines; however, the Senate will need to secure at least 10 Republican votes this week in order to send it to President Biden for his signature. It is expected that these votes will occur before the current continuing resolution (CR) expires on December 23. ACTE will keep you abreast of the bill’s passage or any other developments. If you have questions or concerns, please reach out to ACTE’s Government Relations Manager, Zach Curtis (zcurtis@acteonline.org). 

UPDATE: On December 29, President Biden signed the omnibus package into law following passage by the House and Senate.

When the 117th Congress comes to a close, Congressional CTE Caucus co-chairs Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) and Rep. Jim Langevin (D-RI) will depart from their offices one final time to begin their well-earned retirement. The two public servants have dedicated large parts of their career to advancing the needs of CTE learners, educators and systems, earning them each an ACTE Lifetime Achievement Award this year. 

Sen. Portman, alongside his colleague Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA), co-founded the Senate CTE Caucus in 2014. As caucus co-chair, he led several bipartisan efforts to expand opportunities in CTE and address the growing national skills gap. Most notably, Sen. Portman has been a leading co-sponsor of the JOBS Act – legislation that would allow the Pell grant to be used for high-quality short-term workforce training programs – since 2015. Since that time, the bill has grown from 2 co-sponsors to 52, making it one of the most widely supported bipartisan education bills. The Senator also successfully included the Educating Tomorrow’s Workforce Act of 2017 into the reauthorization of Perkins V. His efforts on these issues, as well as his support of apprenticeships and CTE prison re-entry programs, have made a lasting impact for educators, learners, and the economy.  

Rep. Langevin spent 11 years as the co-chair of the House CTE Caucus alongside his colleague, Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-PA). During his tenure, he became well known as an advocate for CTE funding, career counseling and cybersecurity careers. Langevin co-led the annual bipartisan letter to the House Committee on Appropriations requesting robust funding for the Perkins Basic State grant. Further, he was an original co-sponsor of the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act, commonly known as Perkins V, which modernized CTE systems. Most recently, he re-introduced bipartisan legislation that would invest funds in CTE to develop the cybersecurity workforce. Rep. Langevin’s contributions will last long beyond his time in Congress.  

ACTE warmly thanks both Rep. Langevin and Sen. Portman for their dedication to CTE and congratulates them on their fantastic careers. Their leadership will be sorely missed, but we will work to ensure that their legacies continue in the 118th Congress. 

Last week in Washington, the focus was still on negotiating a funding package in order to avert a government shutdown as Congress heads out of town for the holidays. In addition to appropriations work, Congress passed the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), and President Biden later signed the bill into law. Other focuses last week included statehood for Puerto Rico, immigration and tax provisions.

The 118th Congress will begin right after the new year, on January 3. In the meantime, here are some updates from Washington:

• FY23 Appropriations Update: On December 15, Congress passed a one-week extension of government funding until December 23, which is the new deadline for completing an omnibus funding package for FY23. The next steps for lawmakers and appropriations staff members will be to introduce legislative text of the omnibus agreement, which is expected on December 19, followed by formal Senate and House approval of the package by the December 23 deadline.

• Introducing Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici, New Co-Chair of House CTE Caucus: On December 16, Reps. Jim Langevin (D-RI) and Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-PA) announced that Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) will become the new co-chair of the bipartisan House CTE Caucus! She will be taking the place of Rep. Langevin, who is retiring after 22 years in Congress, 11 of which he spent leading the caucus. Read press releases from ACTE and Rep. Langevin here. Learn more about the Congressional CTE Caucus here.

• A Deep Dive into Perkins V Enrollment and Performance Data: In October, the U.S. Department of Education released data from states’ Consolidated Annual Report (CAR) submissions for program year 2020-21 – the first year that states reported performance data under Perkins V. The dataset includes CTE participant numbers, CTE concentrator numbers and CTE concentrator performance on Perkins accountability indicators, including the secondary program quality indicators new under Perkins V. Read more here.

• Election Watch: Teacher Shortage Legislation in the 118th Congress: 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. Read more here.

• OCTAE Releases Perkins Secondary Program Quality Guide: OCTAE has released a comprehensive resource guide titled “Collecting and Analyzing Data for the Secondary Program Quality Indicators in the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006” to support state secondary and postsecondary education agency administrators and data analysts in addressing the accountability provisions within Perkins V. ACTE Senior Director of Public Policy Alisha Hyslop contributed to the guide, and you can view it here.

On December 16, Reps. Jim Langevin (D-RI) and Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-PA) announced that Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) will become the new co-chair of the bipartisan House CTE Caucus! She will be taking the place of Rep. Langevin, who is retiring after 22 years in Congress, 11 of which he spent leading the caucus.  

Rep. Bonamici serves Oregon’s 1st congressional district, which includes parts of Portland, Portland’s western suburbs, and rural communities stretching to Oregon’s Pacific Coast. Bonamici has been a stalwart of the House Committee on Education & Labor during her career. Since she entered Congress in 2012, she has served as the chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Human Services, a member of the Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Investments, and led bipartisan negotiations of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). The Congresswoman also currently serves as a senior member of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology and is the founder and co-chair of the bipartisan Congressional STEAM Caucus, which promotes the integration of arts and design with STEM.  

Before earning her bachelor’s degree and law degree from the University of Oregon, Rep. Bonamici began her postsecondary education at Lane Community College in Eugene, OR. She has focused her work in Congress on making postsecondary education more affordable, providing workers with in-demand skills, and promoting equity in education funding.  

ACTE looks forward to deepening its relationship with Rep. Bonamici and her staff as we work together to provide more opportunities in CTE for learners across the country. Please join us in congratulating her on becoming the new co-chair of the bipartisan House CTE Caucus by clicking here to sign a card!