CTE Policy Watch: A blog for CTE advocates

Ask Your Representative: 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. 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!

Ask Your Members of Congress to Join the CTE Caucus!

You can help ensure the continued strength of the congressional CTE Caucuses by encouraging your Members of Congress to join their caucus if they have not already done so! 

Congressional caucuses are groups of Members of Congress that come together to pursue shared goals or interests. The CTE Caucus highlights the importance of CTE in preparing a well-educated and skilled workforce throughout Congress. The CTE Caucus is a great opportunity for Members of Congress to show their support for CTE students, educators and business partners in their states and districts.  

The House CTE Caucus was launched in 2007 by former Congressmen Brain Baird (D-WA) and Phil English (R-PA) in the U.S. House of Representatives. It is now chaired by Congressmen Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-PA) and Jim Langevin (D-RI), and serves to raise awareness of and support for the CTE community and lead on legislation related to these issues. 

In February 2014, Sens. Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Rob Portman (R-OH) partnered to launch the Senate CTE Caucus. Those two senators are now joined by Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Todd Young (R-IN) as co-chairs.  

To find out if your Members of Congress have joined the Caucus, you can review House and Senate membership lists.  

If your members are not on the list, please ask them to join! To join the Senate CTE Caucus, or for more information, Members' offices can contact Karishma Merchant ([email protected]) in Sen. Kaine’s office or Nancy Martinez ([email protected]) in Sen. Young’s office. To join the House CTE Caucus, or for more information, House members can contact Nick Rockwell ([email protected]) in Rep. Thompson’s office or Nick Pennington ([email protected]) in Rep. Langevin’s office. Copies of the House CTE Caucus and Senate CTE caucus membership recruitment letters can be found here, and can be shared with your Members of Congress. 

ACTE’s Action Center can help you send messages to your Members of Congress encouraging them to join the CTE Caucus - follow these links for the House and Senate to send a message today!

ACTE and Advance CTE Hold Capitol Hill Briefing with CTE Caucus Co-Chairs

On Tuesday, February 15, ACTE and Advance CTE hosted a Capitol Hill webinar briefing with career and technical education student organizations (CTSOs) and congressional CTE Caucus co-chairs Rep. Jim Langevin (D-RI) and Sen. Todd Young (R-IN), bringing together policymakers, CTE stakeholders and CTSO representatives for a learner-focused conversation on the value of CTE. 

Rep. Langevin welcomed the webinar attendees and offered remarks from his perspective as a policymaker and co-chair of the House CTE Caucus. “Employers report that many of the top jobs that they need to fill require some form of technical skill, highlighting the importance of a well-prepared workforce and that’s where all of these young people come in... I believe that education is most effective when aligned with industry needs.” 

Sen. Young reiterated his pride in serving as a co-chair of the Senate CTE Caucus and the importance of CTE in the current economic climate. “Our nation’s economy is facing a serious skills gap,” Young said. “In my home state of Indiana, 3 out of 5 jobs require skills training that amounts to more than a high school degree, but less than a traditional four-year degree at the college or university level. CTE programs are essential, and ensure that skilled jobs are actually filled in key Indiana industries.” 

Moderator and Advance CTE Executive Director Kimberly Green then introduced student panelists Gowri Rangu, Zac Spohn, Kartik Tyagi and Maria Deddens. 

Rangu, of Longview, Texas, observed that “through CTSOs, you have so much power as an individual to use your voice and influence change.” Rangu currently serves as the First Vice President of the Technology Student Association (TSA). 

Spohn, attending Minnesota State University and representing DECA, noted that “DECA was the first time I was in a classroom where what I was being taught was applicable to what I wanted to do with my life and career.” 

Tyagi, a UNC Chapel Hill student and International President-elect of the Health Occupations Students Association (HOSA), added that “my CTSO has provided me with mentors and opportunities to expand my professional network. These individuals are some of the biggest cheerleaders on my career journey and help to shape who I am today.” Tyagi also discussed the importance of obtaining professional certifications, including his own experience earning his pharmacy technician certificate. 

For Deddens, of St. Leon, Indiana, CTSOs are a family affair and serve her community. “After witnessing my sister in the role as a state CTSO officer [for FCCLA] and applying her skills in the real world, I wanted to take the step to go into a CTSO and make a difference and a change within my community.” 

Each of the students spoke about the need for equitable access to CTE programs that can help create a more accessible and affordable future as learners explore their career paths and interests.  

Rangu summed up the experiences of each of the panelists by reminding the audience of policymakers and CTE stakeholders that they need to continue investing in CTE. “You’re not investing in an organization, you’re investing in the future.”

Ask Your Members of Congress: Cosponsor the House and Senate CTE Month Resolutions!

The co-chairs of the House and Senate CTE Caucus, Reps. Jim Langevin (D-RI) and Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-PA), and Sens. Tim Kaine (D-VA), Todd Young (R-IN), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Rob Portman (R-OH) have introduced resolutions in both chambers honoring February as CTE Month! 

CLICK HERE to ask your Members of Congress to cosponsor this year’s CTE Month resolutions. 

The House and Senate resolutions raise awareness about the many benefits associated with high-quality CTE programs. Your advocacy makes a difference and encourages representatives and senators to cosponsor the resolutions, so please contact your Members of Congress today!

Sen. Todd Young (R-IN) Speaks with Punchbowl News on Economic Competitiveness

On Tuesday morning, Sen. Todd Young (R-IN), Senate CTE Caucus Co-Chair, spoke with Punchbowl News to discuss the bipartisan U.S. Innovation and Competition Act (USICA), S. 1260, which the House plans to consider in the next few weeks. 

Asked what should be done to address workforce shortages in high-tech fields, Sen. Young noted the need to skill, reskill and upskill workers to remain globally competitive.  

“Skilling and reskilling needs to be informed by the needs of the market,” Young said. “We need investments in our people – workforce training – for the modern economy.” 

Young added that he expects the USICA to be considered by the House, then the bill will go to conference or back to the Senate pending any changes made by the House to the Senate-passed bill. The goal is to have the bill completed by Memorial Day. 

Over the summer when the Senate was debating USICA, Sens. Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Rob Portman (R-OH) introduced an amendment that would have expanded Pell Grants to short-term CTE programs. The amendment was modeled after the JOBS Act, a bipartisan bill that had been introduced and championed by these senators over the past few years. While the amendment was not ultimately adopted during the Senate process, as the bill moves to the House, we will continue advocacy efforts on this issue.

Senate HELP Subcommittee Holds Hearing on Apprenticeships

On September 22, the Employment and Workplace Safety Subcommittee of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee held a hearing to discuss ways to improve access to and awareness of apprenticeships.

Two co-chairs of the Senate CTE Caucus, Sens. Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Rob Portman (R-OH), attended the hearing as off-committee members. Sen. Portman celebrated the CTE Caucus during the hearing, called for more senators to join, and emphasized the role that apprenticeships play in skilling and reskilling Ohio workers as the economy rapidly changes and businesses seek qualified workers to fill positions. Sen. Kaine discussed efforts to expand access to short-term Pell Grants to high-quality CTE programs, but he reiterated that these efforts are not yet finished!

In response to a question from Sen. Mike Braun (R-IN), Leah Curry of Toyota Indiana Manufacturing noted that students should not be pigeonholed into groups – those who belong in four-year degree programs and those who belong in apprenticeships and CTE programs. Curry noted that skills are for life, and they can be built upon to achieve industry-recognized credentials. Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Chairman of the Subcommittee, noted that he himself is a former small business owner and understands that apprenticeships lead to good-paying, high demand jobs.

You can watch the full hearing on the Senate HELP Committee’s website.

Hearings for Education Secretary and Labor Secretary Nominees

Last week, the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) committee held two separate committee hearings related to Executive Branch nominees, including for the U.S. Secretary of Education nominee Miguel Cardona and the U.S. Secretary of Labor nominee Marty Walsh. 

On Wednesday during Dr. Cardona’s opening testimony, he made equity and access a key theme of his speech and the priority of his tenure as Secretary of Education. Dr. Cardona highlighted the importance of providing students with pathways to college and career readiness, and promised that all learners will have the opportunity to seek postsecondary opportunities, specifically highlighting the need to provide more support to community colleges.

Throughout the hearing, several committee members emphasized the importance of CTE, and Dr. Cardona himself stated he is a proud CTE graduate of Wilcox Technical High School in Meriden, Connecticut. Senate CTE Caucus Co-Chair Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) emphasized the importance of offering CTE in middle school, as well as the need for CTE in secondary and postsecondary education, especially during a time of economic downturn. CTE Caucus Co-Chair Tim Kaine (D-VA) brought up expanding Pell grants for short-term CTE programs, and several members discussed the need to get rid of the stigma surrounding CTE, which Dr. Cardona agreed. 

On Thursday, the Senate HELP Committee held another hearing for Marty Walsh, the U.S. Secretary of Labor nominee. During Mr. Walsh’s opening remarks, he spoke about his experience helping to create Building Pathways, a pre-apprenticeship training program, as well as his work with expanding workplace training, and the importance of building more partnerships and collaborative opportunities like those while he is the Secretary. He emphasized the need for pathernships between the Labor, Commerce, and Education Departments, and with the postsecondary system to increase access to job training. During this hearing, committee member Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) stressed the importance of starting CTE in high school for those not going onto postsecondary institutions.  

Election Impacts on CTE Caucus Membership

Recently, we reported on the preliminary results from the 2020 elections. While some congressional races remain too close to call, headed to recount, or a January 5 runoff, a clearer picture has emerged as to how the elections have impacted CTE caucus membership. 

First, all CTE Caucus co-chairs will remain in Congress and serve in the upcoming 117th congressional session. In the Senate, none of the caucus co-chairs were up for re-election, while in the House, co-chairs Reps. Glenn Thompson (R-PA) and Jim Langevin (D-RI) were both re-elected. 

On the Senate side, we hope the results will ultimately increase the number of caucus members. There are only two Senate CTE Caucus members that will not be returning in the 117th Congress. The three members not returning are Sens. Mike Enzi (R-WY), who is retiring at the end of this Congress, and Doug Jones (D-AL), who lost his re-election bid. However, Rep. Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM) and Rep. Roger Marhsall (R-KS), who won seats to replace retiring members, were members of the House CTE Caucus who we believe will join the Senate CTE Caucus after their swearing in. There are also several other new Senators that could be potential targets for Caucus membership.  

In terms of House CTE Caucus membership, there will be a number of members leaving the caucus. This is in part due to the large number of retirements in the House, several incumbents defeated, and representatives who chose to pursue another office. Those members of the caucus who are not returning to serve in the House are: 

• Ralph Abraham (R-LA) (Retired) 
• Susan Brooks (R-IN) (Retired) 
• Bradley Byrne (R-AL) (Retired to run for Senate - Lost Primary) 
• Susan Davis (D-CA) (Retired) 
• Abby Finkenauer (D-IA) (Defeated in General) 
• Tom Graves (R-GA) (Resigned) 
• Danny Heck (D-WA) (Retired to run for LG - Elected) 
• Kendra Horn (D-OK) (Defeated in General) 
• Joe Kennedy III (D-MA) (Retired to run for Senate - Lost Primary) 
• Steve King (R-IA) (Defeated in Primary) 
• Dave Loebsack (D-IA) (Retired) 
• Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM) (Retired to run for Senate - Elected) 
• Roger Marshall (R-KS) (Retired to run for Senate - Elected) 
• Paul Mitchell (R-MI) (Retired) 
• Collin Peterson (D-MN) (Defeated in General) 
• Scott Tipton (R-CO) (Defeated in Primary) 

Following every congressional election, ACTE meets with new Members of Congress. As part of this outreach to freshmen Members, ACTE recruits new members for the congressional CTE Caucuses. We believe that through these efforts, and with the help of grassroots advocacy from our members, we can add more Members of Congress to the Senate CTE Caucus, and replace (and exceed!) the 16 House CTE Caucus members who are not returning to Congress. 

Our optimism about increasing CTE caucus membership comes in part from the number of political ads that included mention of CTE and workforce training as key messaging points. Further, with the background of the pandemic and recession, we imagine that CTE will be a focal point of this upcoming Congress, which could increase interest in Caucus membership. 

Once the 117th Congress is sworn in, we'll be asking CTE advocates to contact their Members of Congress, particularly any new members, to ask them to join their respective CTE Caucus. To stay up-to-date on these requests, be sure to sign-up for ACTE's legislative alerts here. 

ACTE Federal Advocacy Around COVID-19

The current COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic has dramatically shifted our lives, both professionally and personally. In an effort to best serve our membership, we have been busy advocating on your behalf. Below is a small representation of the work we have been doing to ensure that people understand the critical role CTE plays in our nations recovery and is well represented in the coronavirus relief efforts.

Congressional & Executive Action

After hearing and evaluating the concerns from our membership, ACTE, along with Advance CTE, wrote multiple joint letters to congressional leaders recommending specific policies that Congress should enact to support CTE programs during the current pandemic. The first letter was sent to both House and Senate leadership prior to the introduction of the CARES Act, or “Phase 3,” relief bill. Immediately upon the start of discussions around a fourth relief package, we sent another letter to chairmen and ranking members of the education committees in the House and Senate, again expressing the importance of CTE in the relief efforts. Upon hearing additional concerns from our membership, a follow-up letter was sent with the new recommendations. You can feel free to share this last, most up-to-date letter with any policymakers that you may have contact with.

Additional action includes coordinating with staff on the various committees that oversee education policy and funding on our COVID-19 related policy priorities and potential bill language. ACTE has also been coordinating and meeting with the Bipartisan CTE Caucus and education committee member offices to garner additional support in the upcoming legislation. ACTE also supported a letter authored by CTE Caucus Co-Chairs, Reps. Jim Langevin (D-RI) and G.T. Thompson (R-PA), that urges Congressional leaders to provide $1 billion for the Perkins Basic State Grant program  to mitigate the harm to student learning caused by COVID-19.

Aside from direct advocacy with Congress, we have been coordinating with other organizations to ensure prioritization of workforce programs, including CTE, in any relief package. This includes weekly phone calls and signing onto various letters that have been sent to congressional leaders. Click here to view a letter ACTE signed along with other members of the Campaign to Invest in America’s Workforce (CIAW) that advocates for investments into our workforce systems in the next relief package.

Furthermore, we have been working closely with the U.S. Department of Education (ED) to help them understand what waivers and other regulatory relief the CTE community needs to continue to produce high-quality CTE programs. ED, on a rolling basis, has released answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs) surrounding education and the coronavirus. To date, they have released two separate FAQs related specifically to Perkins, which you can find here and here. To view all of ED’s resources related to COVID-19, please visit https://www.ed.gov/coronavirus.

ACTE has also been diligently working to update our running blog daily to ensure that our members stay up-to-date with the most current news, guidance, and resources around COVID-19. For certain key issues or developments, a dedicated, more detailed blog post has been posted on the CTE Policy Watch Blog. Additionally, ACTE has disseminated updates on a variety of webinars and conference calls, and we are happy to provide updates to you or your group any time! Further, to ensure that your hard work to provide high-quality education to students doesn’t go unnoticed, ACTE has been working with the media to promote stories about how programs are adapting to the pandemic.

If you have specific concerns, or needs, that have gone unaddressed, we encourage you to fill out our short, three question, survey so we are able to effectively advocate on your behalf.

Record Numbers for Senate, House CTE Month Resolutions

To celebrate and recognize February as Career and Technical Education Month, CTE Caucus leaders in the Senate and House introduced resolutions. This is the seventh consecutive year in a row that a resolution has been introduced in the Senate, and third year in a row that a resolution has been introduced in the House. The Senate resolution was unanimously approved by voice vote, however, the House only allows resolutions to be introduced and does not take them up on the House floor. Nonetheless, the sponsors still issued a press statement featuring a quote from ACTE to draw attention to the resolution

The number of cosponsors of both resolutions this year exceeded previous years. This year, 57 senators signed on to the Senate resolution, led by Sens. Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Rob Portman (R-OH). This was seven more than last year. In the House, 68 representatives signed on to the resolution, 21 more than last year. The resolution in the House was led by Representatives Jim Langevin (D-RI) and Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-PA).

We are grateful for all of the Members of Congress who showed their support for CTE by cosponsoring the resolution. We also want to recognize those who collectively sent more than 2100 messages in a short period of time to ask their Members of Congress to cosponsor the resolutions. Without the important work of CTE advocates, we have no doubt that our efforts would not have been as successful. We’ve now turned to appropriations work, and if you haven’t already, please ask your representative to sign the fiscal year 2021 Perkins Basic State Grant funding letter!