Public
Policy Update
June 2013
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Congress
Sen.
Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), Chairwoman of the Senate Appropriations
Committee, has scheduled a markup of the Senate Labor-HHS-ED
appropriations bill on July 9 in subcommittee and on July 11 in full
committee.
On
June 20, the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee
held a full committee hearing
on reauthorizing the Workforce Investment Act (WIA).
Testimonies from Alan N. Rosenberg, Vice President, Chief of Staff,
and Chief Administrative Officer of the Temple University Health
System (Temple Health) in Philadelphia; Steve Partridge, President
and CEO of CharlotteWorks in Charlotte, North Carolina; David
Mitchell, Administrator for Iowa Vocational Rehabilitation Services;
and Beverly E. Smith, Assistant Commissioner of Adult Education for
the State of Georgia were present.
On
June 19, the House Republicans on the Education and the Workforce
Committee introduced their ESEA reauthorization proposal, the Student
Success Act (H.R.5). A markup of the bill occurred on
June 19, 2013. On June 11, the Senate HELP Committee approved the
Democrats' ESEA reauthorization bill, the Strengthening
America's Schools Act, on a party-line vote of 12-10.
HELP Committee Chairman Tom Harkin (D-IA) plans to move the bill to a
floor vote this year. Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN), whose ESEA
reauthorization proposal substitute was voted down by the committee,
stated that he plans to amend Senator Harkin's bill significantly
when it reaches the floor. Education Week has released a side-by-side
comparison of the bills. Additionally, ACTE
has released a letter regarding concerns with the
Student Success Act (H.R.5).
On
June 4, the House Committee on Space, Science, and Technology held a STEM
Consolidation Hearing to discuss the Administration's STEM
consolidation report. Representatives from the
Administration included, John Holdren, Director, Office of Science
and Technology Policy (OSTP), Executive Office of the President; Joan
Ferrini-Mundy, Assistant Director, Directorate for Education and
Human Resources, National Science Foundation (NSF); and Leland D.
Melvin, Associate Administrator for Education, NASA. The meeting was
chaired by Lamar Smith and Eddie Bernice Johnson.
In an op-ed article, Rep. Jim Langevin (D-RI), co-chair
of the Congressional
CTE Caucus, discussed the
importance of CTE programs as an effective method to
"educate and train a workforce capable of filling 21st century
jobs." He noted the erosion of funding for the Perkins Act,
which has lost more than $140 million since 2010. He explained his
bipartisan effort with Rep. Glenn Thompson (R-PA), co-chair of the
Congressional CTE Caucus, to restore funding for the Perkins Act and announced
new legislation to boost comprehensive counseling services for
students. The new legislation is co-sponsored with Rep. Suzanne
Bonamici (D-OR) and authorizes funding for comprehensive career
counseling services. The Counseling for Career Choice Act, which
would amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), would
authorize grants to successful applicants that are prepared to
implement comprehensive school counseling programs that align to a
statewide counseling framework. The legislation is a companion bill
to a bill introduced earlier this year by Sen. Begich.
Both the House and Senate have targeted the Displaced
Homemaker Program for elimination. The program
provides workforce development services to a population with
significant barriers to self-sufficiency.
The Senate is current debating its bill, S. 744, the Border
Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act,
in which there are some implications for CTE. The bill provides new
resources for STEM education by establishing a STEM Education and
Training Account funded by fees related to immigrant employment
visas. The new account would provide funding to STEM-related
education programs, including in the CTE areas of engineering and IT.
A large portion of the available funding (70%) would be directed to
general activities in elementary, secondary, and postsecondary STEM
programs, with an additional 5% for statewide workforce development
programs in STEM areas.
Administration
On June 25, 2013, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne
Duncan announced that the Department of Education has issued a Dear
Colleague letter and accompanying pamphlet
on supporting the academic success of pregnant and parenting students
under Title IX. This pamphlet updates and expands upon the pamphlet
on this topic issued in 1991.
NAPE
Partners
The
National
Skills Coalition re-released principles
for WIA signed by partners, including NAPE.
Additionally, the Coalition is holding a webinar on June 25
with a panel of experts to discuss workforce development issues.
On
June 20, in honor of the 41st Anniversary of Title IX of the
Education Amendments of 1972, Senator Tom Udall and the National
Coalition for Women & Girls in Education (of which
NAPE is a partner) held a briefing
titled, Title IX, Pregnant and Parenting Students, and ESEA:
Supporting Young Parents to Achieve Their Educational Goals.
NDD
United released a video designed to highlight the
impact that the sequestration and budget cuts have on programs in the
non-defense discretionary budget. The video explains the
sequestration in easy to understand language.
Publications
The Workforce Stakeholders Group, which includes a range
of organizations (including NAPE) that are engaged in efforts aimed
at people served by the workforce system and programs that support
the workforce system, released a Statement
on Reforming Job Training Programs in America. The
Group recommends that Congress develop a blueprint that would create
a comprehensive workforce system that leverages the unique strengths
and expertise of its systemic components.
The Center for American Progress released a report, 300
Million Engines of Growth A Middle-Out Plan for Jobs, Business, and a
Growing Economy.
The National Alliance for
Partnerships in Equity (NAPE) is a national, nonprofit consortium
of state and local agencies, corporations, and national organizations
that collaborate to create equitable and diverse classrooms and
workplaces where there are no barriers to opportunities. Through its
Education Foundation, NAPE has been involved in a number of
initiatives to increase diversity in America's workforce and to
increase opportunities in high-skill, high-wage, high-demand careers.
Among these is the National Science Foundation-funded STEM Equity Pipeline
Project, which works with educational systems to increase the
participation of underrepresented populations in STEM education.
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