House Appropriations Committee Releases Tentative FY27 Markup Schedule
This week, House Appropriations Committee leadership announced a markup schedule for the upcoming fiscal year (FY) 2027 appropriations process. The schedule outlines when each subcommittee will consider funding bills, with the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies bill (Labor-H) set for markup on Friday, June 5. The Labor-H bill includes the federal investment in Career Technical Education (CTE) through the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act (Perkins V) as well as other statutory federal programs administered by the U.S. Department of Education (ED).
The tentative schedule slates Labor-H to be in front of the full committee on the following Tuesday, June 9. The announcement comes on the heels of the President’s budget request, which, as previously reported, proposes significant budget reductions to both ED and the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) and the elimination of federal support for postsecondary CTE, among other detrimental aspects of the proposal.
Relatedly, the House and Senate held separate budget hearings with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russell Vought this week, who continued to make the case for the President’s FY27 budget request.
As previously reported, the member request period in the Senate continues until April 21, when a “Dear Colleague Letter” currently being circulated by Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), calling for increased investment in Perkins V’s State Grant program in the upcoming FY27 budget and appropriations process, will be submitted. We encourage the CTE community to let your Senators know about this letter and to ask them to sign on via the link below:
ACTION ALERT: Click here to encourage your senators to sign on to the Dear Colleague Letter seeking greater federal investment in high-quality CTE.
Advance CTE will be closely monitoring these developments and will advocate for federal investments that support CTE learners across the full education-to-career preparation continuum, spanning both the secondary and postsecondary levels.
Department of Labor Opens Opportunity for Registered Apprenticeship
This week, DOL announced a new funding opportunity for expanding Registered Apprenticeship Programs (RAPs). The grant opportunity is the fourth round of the State Apprenticeship Expansion Formula grants to help states grow and modernize RAPs, and uses a new performance-based formula that rewards states that have increased apprenticeship participation. To qualify, states must commit to three core requirements: setting statewide expansion goals for RAPs, reserving a share of the funds to directly support employers and apprentices in priority industries in the state, and demonstrating a commitment to leveraging resources, specifically equal to or greater than 50% of their formula allocation from the grant. The final core requirement would allow states to leverage the Governor’s Reserve Funds from the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) or Perkins V Reserve Funds to fulfill a related state-level funding matching requirement. Read more about the RAP grant opportunity here.
Department of Education Finalizes Priorities for Artificial Intelligence and Career Pathways
This week, the Department of Education finalized two supplemental priorities focused on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in education and career pathways, respectively. The AI priority emphasizes the need for integration of AI that improves digital literacy, supports educators in adopting new technologies, and prepares learners for an economy that factors in AI. The career pathways priority reinforces the federal commitment to coordinating education and workforce systems, aligning education to employment outcomes that focus on high-skill, high-wage, and in-demand careers. The finalized priorities are likely to be used in future grantmaking efforts overseen by ED in the future. Read the finalized priority on AI here and career pathways here.
