[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 66 (Tuesday, April 24, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2392-S2393]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS

      By Mr. KAINE (for himself, Mr. Portman, Ms. Baldwin, and Mrs. 
        Capito):
  S. 2737. A bill to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to provide 
for the preparation of career and technical education teachers; to the 
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  Mr. KAINE. Mr. President. Maintaining a talented workforce is 
essential to cultivating a strong economy and positioning our Nation 
for success in today's increasingly competitive global marketplace. 
Opportunities for education, professional development, and the 
acquisition of skills immediately translatable in the workplace will 
help to ensure that our students and workers are equipped with the 
skills required to succeed in the 21st century. Career and technical 
education (CTE) programs play a vital role in increasing student 
engagement, continuing our nation's economic competitiveness, and 
building the skills of our country's workforce.
  In recent years, there has been a resurgence of student interest in 
career and technical education, but shortages in high-quality CTE 
teachers have made it difficult for school districts to meet this 
demand. While the Higher Education and Opportunity Act of 2008 provides 
grants for teacher residency partnership programs to colleges and 
universities who work with high-needs school districts to train 
prospective teachers, no CTE-focused partnerships exist.
  That is why I am introducing with my colleagues, Senator Baldwin, 
Senator Portman and Senator Capito the Creating Quality Technical 
Educators Act, which would amend the Higher Education and Opportunity 
Act to create a CTE teacher-training grant partnership to equip 
aspiring CTE teachers with real-world experience and credible skills to 
apply in the classroom. This legislation would foster teacher training 
partnerships between high-needs secondary schools and post-secondary 
institutions to create a one-year residency initiative for teachers and 
includes teacher mentorship for a minimum of two years. This period of 
hands-on training and mentorship will only increase the ability of CTE 
teachers to benefit their students through classroom instruction and 
serve as a career model.
  In addition to establishing CTE specific teacher-training grant 
partnerships, this bill takes a proactive approach to recruiting and 
training more high-quality CTE teachers. CTE teacher residencies would 
target teacher candidates from a variety of backgrounds including 
recent college graduates, veterans, mid-career professionals, and 
currently licensed teachers with a need for technical skills training 
who seek to transition into CTE fields.
  As co-chair of the Senate CTE Caucus, I am proud to introduce this 
commonsense, bipartisan legislation to recruit and train talented 
teachers to meet the rising need for CTE. The Creating Quality 
Technical Educators Act is an important step towards ensuring access to 
high-quality CTE instruction, preparing teachers for success, and 
maintaining the skill set of our Nation's workforce.
                                 ______
                                 
      By Mr. CORNYN (for himself and Mr. Cruz):
  S. 2734. A bill to designate the Federal building and United States 
courthouse located at 1300 Victoria Street in Laredo, Texas, as the 
``George P. Kazen Federal Building and United States Courthouse''; to 
the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
  Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of 
the bill be printed in the Record.

[[Page S2393]]

  There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be 
printed in the Record, as follows:

                                S. 2734

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. GEORGE P. KAZEN FEDERAL BUILDING AND UNITED STATES 
                   COURTHOUSE.

       (a) Designation.--The Federal building and United States 
     courthouse located at 1300 Victoria Street in Laredo, Texas, 
     shall be known and designated as the ``George P. Kazen 
     Federal Building and United States Courthouse''.
       (b) References.--Any reference in a law, map, regulation, 
     document, paper, or other record of the United States to the 
     Federal building and United States courthouse referred to in 
     subsection (a) shall be deemed to be a reference to the 
     ``George P. Kazen Federal Building and United States 
     Courthouse''.

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