Legislative Update: FY22 Budget Request and Updates from ED

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Legislative Update: FY22 Budget Request and Updates from ED

Today, the White House released its full budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2022 (FY22). Read below to learn more about what this means for Career Technical Education (CTE) funding, as well as information on a Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) hearing and new resources from the U.S. Department of Education (ED). 
White House Shares Full Budget Proposal 
Today the White House released its $6 trillion budget proposal for FY22. This request calls for a $20 million increase (only approximately 1.5%) to the Perkins Basic State Grant, as well as a $108 million increase for National Programs- of which $100 million would fund competitive awards for middle and high school CTE innovation projects aimed at advancing equity and $8 million would fund technical assistance and grant evaluations. The request also includes a new $1 billion annually for 10 years to support middle and high school career pathways- this funding would happen through the passing of the American Jobs Plan.
Advance CTE in partnership with the Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) released a statement on this proposal, which can be viewed here. 
Some of the additional funding requests for education and labor programs include: 

  • $20 billion increase to Title I; 
  • $400 increase to the maximum Pell Grant award; 
  • $100 million increase to expand registered apprenticeship opportunities while increasing access for historically underrepresented groups;
  • $100 billion over 10 years for broadband; 
  • Level funding for federal work study;
  • Level funding for Adult Education State Grants; and
  • Level funding for ESSA Title IV-A. 

Please find additional information on the budget at the below links: 

Advance CTE will continue to analyze the implications of the budget request, check back for more information!
House Subcommittee Holds WIOA Hearing
On Thursday the House Committee on Education and Labor’s Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Investment held a hearing on “WIOA Reauthorization: Creating Employment Pathways for Dislocated Workers.” The following witnesses provided testimony and then answered questions from committee members: 

  • Joseph M. Barela, Executive Director, Colorado Department of Labor and Employment; 
  • PJ McGrew, Executive Director, Indiana Governor’s Workforce Cabinet;
  • Matt Sigelman, Chief Executive Officer, Burning Glass Technologies; and
  • Portia Wu, Managing Director, U.S. Public Policy, Microsoft Corporation, U.S. Government Affairs.

McGrew is also a member of Advance CTE in his capacity as State CTE Director for Indiana. In his testimony, McGrew spoke about how Indiana has expanded access to training, improved employer engagement and better connected the workforce and education systems. Some of the common themes throughout the hearing were the need to be responsive to workforce demands and the importance of addressing the increase, and inequities, in dislocated workers during the pandemic. 
Advance CTE’s recommendations for reauthorization of WIOA can be found here. A recording of the full hearing as well as member statements and witness testimonies can be found here. 
ED Releases New Information on Stimulus Funds
This week ED released a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) resource about how funding through the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund- including the American Rescue Plan (ARP) ESSER Fund- and the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief (GEER) Fund can be used to support students in per-K-12 education. This includes how funds can align the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act (Perkins V). 
ED Releases Regulatory Agenda 
ED’s Office of Postsecondary Education announced this week that virtual public hearings will take place on June 21, June 23 and June 24 from 10:00am – 12:00pm EST and 2:00pm EST on each day to take in stakeholder feedback on proposed issues for rulemaking sessions. After these three hearings, ED will look for nominations of non-federal negotiators to serve on the negotiated rulemaking committees, set to convene in late summer 2021. Suggested topics from the Department include:

  • Ability to benefit;
  • Borrower defense to repayment;
  • Certification procedures for participation in federal financial aid programs;
  • Change of ownership and change in control of institutions of higher education;
  • Closed school discharges;
  • Discharges for borrowers with a total and permanent disability;
  • Discharges for false certification of student eligibility;
  • Financial responsibility for participating institutions of higher education, such as events that indicate heightened financial risk;
  • Gainful employment;
  • Income-contingent loan repayment plans;
  • Mandatory pre-dispute arbitration and prohibition of class action lawsuits provisions in institutions’ enrollment agreements;
  • Pell Grant eligibility for prison education programs;
  • Public service loan forgiveness; and
  • Standards of administrative capability.

Additional information on the upcoming hearings can be found here and details on the negotiated rulemaking process can be found here. Meredith Hills, Senior Associate for Federal Policy

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