[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 39 (Thursday, February 27, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1230-S1231]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 SENATE RESOLUTION 515--SUPPORTING THE GOALS AND IDEALS OF CAREER AND 
                       TECHNICAL EDUCATION MONTH

  Mr. KAINE (for himself, Mr. Portman, Ms. Baldwin, Mr. Young, Mr. 
Barrasso, Mr. Bennet, Mrs. Blackburn, Mr. Blumenthal, Mr. Boozman, Mr. 
Braun, Mr. Brown, Ms. Cantwell, Mrs. Capito, Mr. Carper, Mr. Casey, Mr. 
Coons, Mr. Cornyn, Ms. Cortez Masto, Mr. Daines, Ms. Duckworth, Mr. 
Durbin, Mr. Enzi, Ms. Ernst, Mrs. Feinstein, Ms. Harris, Ms. Hassan, 
Ms. Hirono, Mr. Hoeven, Mrs. Hyde-Smith, Mr. Jones, Mr. King, Ms. 
Klobuchar, Mrs. Loeffler, Mr. Manchin, Ms. McSally, Mr. Merkley, Mr. 
Murphy, Mrs. Murray, Mr. Perdue, Mr. Peters, Mr. Reed, Mr. Roberts, Mr. 
Romney, Ms. Rosen, Mr. Rubio, Mr. Sanders, Mr. Scott of South Carolina, 
Mrs. Shaheen, Ms. Smith, Ms. Stabenow, Mr. Thune, Mr. Tillis, Mr. Van 
Hollen, Mr. Warner, Mr. Wicker, Mr. Wyden, and Mrs. Fischer) submitted 
the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to:

                              S. Res. 515

       Whereas a competitive global economy requires workers who 
     are prepared for skilled professions;
       Whereas, in the next several years, an estimated 3,000,000 
     new workers will be needed in infrastructure positions in the 
     United States, including in positions for designing, 
     building, and operating transportation, housing, utilities, 
     and telecommunications facilities;
       Whereas career and technical education (referred to in this 
     preamble as ``CTE'') ensures that competitive and skilled 
     workers are ready, willing, and capable of holding jobs in 
     high-wage, high-skill, and in-demand career fields such as 
     science, technology, engineering, mathematics, nursing, 
     allied health, construction, information technology, energy 
     sustainability, and many

[[Page S1231]]

     other career fields that are vital in keeping the United 
     States competitive in the global economy;
       Whereas CTE helps the United States meet the very real and 
     immediate challenges of economic development, student 
     achievement, and global competitiveness;
       Whereas the United States has 30,000,000 jobs with an 
     average income of $55,000 per year that do not require a 
     bachelor's degree yet increasingly require some level of 
     postsecondary education;
       Whereas over 11,800,000 students are enrolled in CTE across 
     the country at secondary and postsecondary institutions, with 
     CTE programs in thousands of CTE centers, comprehensive high 
     schools, career academies, and CTE high schools, and nearly 
     1,000 2-year colleges;
       Whereas CTE matches employability skills with workforce 
     demand and provides relevant academic and technical 
     coursework leading to industry-recognized credentials for 
     secondary, postsecondary, and adult learners;
       Whereas CTE affords students the opportunity to gain the 
     knowledge, skills, and credentials needed to secure careers 
     in growing, high-demand fields;
       Whereas secondary CTE is associated with a lower 
     probability of dropping out of high school and a higher 
     likelihood of graduating on-time;
       Whereas CTE students were significantly more likely than 
     non-CTE students to report having developed problem-solving, 
     project completion, research, math, college application, 
     work-related, communication, time management, and critical 
     thinking skills during high school;
       Whereas, according to an American Federation of Teachers 
     poll, 94 percent of parents approve of expanding access to 
     CTE and other programs that prepare students for jobs;
       Whereas students at schools with highly integrated rigorous 
     academic and CTE programs are significantly more likely to 
     meet college and career readiness benchmarks than students at 
     schools with less integrated programs;
       Whereas, in 2018, Congress affirmed the importance of CTE 
     by passing the Strengthening Career and Technical Education 
     for the 21st Century Act (Public Law 115-224), which supports 
     program improvement in secondary and postsecondary CTE 
     programs in all 50 States, the District of Columbia, Puerto 
     Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, and outlying areas;
       Whereas 2020 marks the 100th anniversary of State CTE 
     leadership by Advance CTE (formerly known as the ``National 
     Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education 
     Consortium'' or ``NASDCTEc''); and
       Whereas February 23, 2020, marks the 103d anniversary of 
     the signing of the Act of February 23, 1917 (commonly known 
     as the ``Smith-Hughes Vocational Education Act of 1917'') (39 
     Stat. 929, chapter 114), which was the first major Federal 
     investment in secondary CTE and laid the foundation for the 
     bipartisan, bicameral support for CTE that continues as of 
     February 2020: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) designates February 2020 as ``Career and Technical 
     Education Month'' to celebrate career and technical education 
     across the United States;
       (2) supports the goals and ideals of Career and Technical 
     Education Month;
       (3) recognizes the importance of career and technical 
     education in preparing a well-educated and skilled workforce 
     in the United States; and
       (4) encourages educators, guidance and career development 
     professionals, administrators, and parents to promote career 
     and technical education as a respected option for students.

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