This week’s news includes a status update on the tax reform bill in the U.S. House of Representatives and its implications for Career Technical Education (CTE) and an upcoming webinar. Read below to find out more about these updates.
Upcoming Webinar: “Connecting Secondary Students to Apprenticeship Programs”
On November 20, from 2-3 pm ET, there will be a webinar on “Connecting Secondary Students to Apprenticeship Programs.” The description for the webinar notes that, “During this second webinar in a two-part series, OCTAE welcomes the release of technical assistance resources to assist state and local leaders in initiating or expanding the alignment between existing CTE and apprenticeship programs based on project findings. Presenters from Vivayic, RTI International, and the Tech Ready Apprentices for Career in Kentucky (TRACK) program will introduce the resources and discuss potential application for CTE and apprenticeship stakeholders.” You can register for the webinar here.
House Tax Reform Bill Has Implications for CTE Educators, Students and Funding
On November 2, Rep. Kevin Brady (R-TX) introduced H.R. 1, the “Tax Cuts and Jobs Act” in the U.S. House of Representatives. The House Committee on Ways and Means began to mark up the bill on November 6 and it passed out of committee on a party line vote on November 9. If enacted, the bill would have implications for CTE educators, students and funding, as it proposes:
- Eliminating Deductions for Teacher Expenses;
- Eliminating Student Loan Interest Tax Deduction;
- Eliminating Tax Benefits for Employer Education Assistance Programs;
- Eliminating the Lifetime Learning Credit;
- Expanding 529 College Savings Accounts to Cover Apprenticeship Expenses; and
- Eliminating State and Local Tax Deductions that Help Fund Public Schools
To learn more about each of these provisions and how the bill would impact federal revenue and education funding, check out this blog post from our partners at the Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE).
Kathryn Zekus, Senior Associate for Federal Policy