This week the House Committee on Appropriations marked up the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies spending bill for Fiscal Year 2020 and released a report on the bill. Read below to learn more about the markup, congressional intent for the bill and what the federal investment in education means for CTE programs.
House Appropriations Committee Marks Up Spending Bill for Education, Labor Programs
On Wednesday, May 8, the House Committee on Appropriations marked up the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Labor-HHS-Education) appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 2020 (FY20), which begins October 1, 2019. The bill moved ahead on a 30-23 party line vote.

The Committee accepted an amendment by Chairwoman of the Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Subcommittee, Rep. DeLauro (D-CT). The amendment adds $103 million to the overall spending amount for the bill. Advance CTE was pleased to see that this allowed for an additional $10 million to be allocated to CTE State Grants, also known as Perkins Basic State Grants- leading to a total increase of $47 million over the amount provided by Congress for FY19.

It is important to note that this markup is an early step in the process to determine the amount of funding Congress will allocate to the U.S. Departments of Education and Labor for FY20. The Senate Appropriations Committee has not yet released their FY20 funding bill for Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies. In addition, Congress must agree on the overall levels of spending for defense and non-defense discretionary spending before determining final allocations for the FY20 appropriations bills and associated programs. Advance CTE will continue to provide updates as additional information becomes available.

House Appropriations Committee Releases Report on Spending Bill for Education, Labor Programs

On Tuesday, May 7, the House Committee on Appropriations released its report on the Labor-HHS-Education FY20 appropriations bill, which provides additional information about congressional intent. The report reinforces the role of Perkins Basic State Grants in creating opportunities for secondary, postsecondary and adult learners. The report also highlighted:

• Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants (authorized under Title IV-A of the Every Student Succeeds Act) and the opportunity to use them to support  engineering and computer science education;
• National Programs and support from the Committee for continued collection and dissemination of research in CTE while keeping funding level;
• Cybersecurity and the need to better equip those who work in industries that regularly face cybersecurity threats, and how CTE programs can incorporate cybersecurity into the curricula related to critical infrastructure sectors;
• Second Chance Pell and the need for research on the impact of Second Chance Pell in order to expand opportunities for incarcerated individuals to be eligible for Pell grants;
• Federal Work-Study programs and how they can include community-based organizations and community service opportunities, but many students don’t know that these exist. The report pushes institutions of higher education to better communicate with students so that their Federal-Work Study experience can be connected to their career pathways of interest; and
• High School Youth Apprenticeship programs and a  requirement for the U.S. Department of Education to submit a publicly available report on how apprenticeship funds are leveraged, including how the Department will expand high school youth apprenticeship programs.

Committee for Education Funding Highlights New Skills for Youth in Kentucky
The Committee for Education Funding (CEF) released its analysis of the President’s FY20 budget, and hosted a panel on Education Matters: Investing in America’s Future. Advance CTE was excited to include Leslie Slaughter, Kentucky State Coordinator for the New Skills for Youth (NSFY) Initiative, as one of the panelists to speak about the impact NSFY has had in expanding CTE opportunities for learners, and what continued work is possible with an increased federal investment. Leslie shared that “despite the growing need, federal support for CTE has fallen short of what is necessary to prepare a 21st century workforce. With greater support for CTE, apprenticeships, and other workforce development programs, students across the country would have greater access to accelerated career pathways and work-based learning that is coordinated to the needs of their regional communities.”

The full panel included:

• Dr. Rick Carter, Principal, Athens High School, Athens, AL
• Dr. Herman Felton Jr., President, Wiley College, Marshall, TX
• Kathryn Roots Lewis, Director of Libraries and Instructional Technology, Norman Public Schools, Norman, OK
• Leslie Slaughter, State Coordinator, New Skills for Youth Initiative, Frankfort, KY
• David Young, Superintendent, South Burlington School District, Burlington, VT

There was a collective call for an increased federal investment in education, and a push for every person to reach out to their representatives and express why this is so important.