Tag Archives: U.S. Senate

Congress reauthorizes Perkins Career and Technical Education Act

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Congress passed a long-awaited bipartisan overhaul of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education (CTE) Act Wednesday (July 25) when the U.S. House of Representatives approved changes made by the U.S. Senate on a voice vote, then sent the legislation to the President for his signature.

The $1.1 billion Perkins CTE program, last reauthorized in 2006,  provides funding for job training and related programs for high school students as well as for students in higher education.  President Donald Trump has made career and technical education a priority for his administration and has called on Congress to send him the bill.

Continue reading Congress reauthorizes Perkins Career and Technical Education Act →

School input on lunch regulations requested as Congress finalizes farm bill

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Recently, the U.S. House passed its version of the federal farm bill, including an amendment requiring the Secretary of Agriculture to review the Obama-era federal regulations that set nutrition standards and issue new regulations for school lunch and breakfast programs that will provide greater flexibility to school districts.

The National School Boards Association (NSBA) is working to ensure the school nutrition amendment is included in the final version of the farm bill. If your district has specific examples of how the current school nutrition regulations are negatively affecting your  school meal programs or student participation, please send them to Dan Rossmiller or Chris Kulow and we will forward this information to the NSBA to use to advocate for the inclusion of the amendment in the final version of the bill. Continue reading School input on lunch regulations requested as Congress finalizes farm bill →

Primary election debate held for governor; scheduled for U.S. Senate

Election, Federal Issue, State Issue,

As we get closer to the August 14 partisan primary election, the first debate for governor has been held and the first debate for U.S. Senate has been scheduled.

The eight Democratic candidates vying for the chance to take on incumbent GOP Gov. Scott Walker had their first debate Thursday, July 12 in Milwaukee. The candidates are state Superintendent Tony Evers; former state party chairman Matt Flynn; political activist Mike McCabe; state firefighters president Mahlon Mitchell; corporate attorney Josh Pade; former state Rep. Kelda Roys; Madison Mayor Paul Soglin; and state Sen. Kathleen Vinehout. Continue reading Primary election debate held for governor; scheduled for U.S. Senate →

Federal update: Career and Technical Education (CTE) draws attention

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The U.S. Senate’s Health Education Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee announced it will hold an Executive Session next week to vote on an as-yet-unnumbered proposal to reauthorize the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education (CTE) Act.  The proposal is included on the list of bills to be considered Wednesday, June 20, at 10:30 am.

Nearly a year ago, the U.S. House passed bipartisan legislation (HR 2353) to reauthorize the Perkins CTE Act.  While the House measure passed on a voice vote, similar proposals have been stalled in the Senate amid differences of opinion between the chairman, Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and ranking Democrats, particularly over how much authority the Secretary of Education should have to oversee the program.

Continue reading Federal update: Career and Technical Education (CTE) draws attention →

Plan to convert federal Impact Aid into ESAs for military families appears halted

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Proposals introduced during recent House and Senate deliberations on the pending National Defense Authorization Act would have redirected more than $400 million from the Impact Aid program to education savings accounts (ESAs) for private school tuition.  (See previous post.)  For the time being, those proposals will not advance.

The federal Impact Aid program provides funding to school districts with non-taxable federal properties within their jurisdictions. These properties include military installations and Native American tribal lands. (According to the DPI, 22 Wisconsin school districts received a total of more than $16 million in Impact Aid in 2016-17.) Continue reading Plan to convert federal Impact Aid into ESAs for military families appears halted →

New federal spending law boosts resources for school safety

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Early this morning (Friday, March 23) Congress gave final approval to a sweeping $1.3 trillion federal spending bill that funds the federal government for the remainder of the 2018 budget year, which ends on Sept. 30.  President Trump signed the measure into law today.

Spending aimed at increasing school safety gets a big boost under this new federal spending law.

Continue reading New federal spending law boosts resources for school safety →

U.S. Senate Passes Tax Code Reform Legislation

Federal Budget, Federal Issue, ,

Early Saturday morning (Dec. 2) the U.S. Senate voted 51 to 49 along partisan lines to pass its version of the federal Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (H.R. 1).  The plan, as passed, could add one trillion dollars to the federal debt over the next decade, which many education leaders fear could trigger calls for a significant reduction in spending for federal programs, including those that support K-12 education.  Last month, the U.S. House of Representatives, passed its own version of the tax reform legislation. Continue reading U.S. Senate Passes Tax Code Reform Legislation →