Today, the U.S. House of Representatives voted by voice vote to pass H.R. 2353, the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act. The bill would reauthorize the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act (Perkins) through Fiscal Year (FY) 2023.

Kimberly Green, executive director of Advance CTE and LeAnn Wilson, executive director of the Association for Career and Technical Education praised the 100-year history of bipartisan support for Career Technical Education (CTE). They also commended Representatives Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-PA) and Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), along with leadership from both parties, particularly House Education and the Workforce Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC) and Ranking Member Bobby Scott (D-VA), for their strong commitment to support CTE.

While Advance CTE and ACTE supported the passage of H.R. 2353, they noted that there is one outstanding issue to be resolved around the bill’s proposed definition for a secondary CTE concentrator. Both organizations encourage the Senate to resolve this issue and capitalize on the momentum of the House-passed vote to reauthorize Perkins. Read the full statement here.
 
Both Green and Wilson spoke at a press conference immediately following the vote to reinforce the importance of CTE as a truly bipartisan issue that not only prepares learners for a successful future, but also contributes to our talent pipeline and efforts to narrow the skills gap. Representatives Thompson (R-PA), Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), Langevin (D-RI), Byrne (R-AL), Ferguson (R-GA), Nolan (D-MN), and Smucker (R-PA) all spoke in support of the legislation. In addition, Stan Litow, Vice President, Corporate Citizenship & Corporate Affairs, IBM and Eleanor Kerr, Director, Government Affairs, Siemens Healthineers provided brief remarks about the value of CTE.
 
“I want to thank everyone who said yes to today’s vote…It’s so important to remember that [there is] longstanding bipartisan support for CTE because it comes from a place of understanding that Career Technical Education plays an important role in making sure that learners of all ages get a chance to explore their talents, interests, career options, [and] that they get a chance to try out different careers, have hands-on experiences and real-world opportunities to find a lifetime of career and education success,” said Green. “There’s no doubt to me that this legislation will work to close the skills gap… As many others have said, I urge the Senate to act.” Watch the video here.