[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 3]
[House]
[Page 3625]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1300
                  CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION MONTH

  (Mr. LANGEVIN asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. LANGEVIN. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in recognition of Career and 
Technical Education Month; and let me say how proud I am to work 
alongside my colleague, Congressman G.T. Thompson of Pennsylvania, my 
good friend and fellow cochair of the bipartisan Congressional Career 
and Technical Education Caucus.
  CTE is an investment in the future of our economy, our workforce, and 
our country. From skills training in high schools to community colleges 
and professional programs, CTE plays a key role for workers at every 
age.
  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased that the Consolidated Omnibus 
Appropriations Act of 2014, which passed in January, increased 
authorization amounts for Perkins by $53 million for FY 2014.
  Now, that is a sharp contrast in terms of the cuts that had taken 
place in CTE and Perkins since 2010; so with that, I urge my colleagues 
on the Appropriations Committee to fully fund Perkins in the upcoming 
fiscal year and to make important investments in career training.
  Now, all too often, Mr. Speaker, I hear from Rhode Island employers 
that they have job openings right now, but are unable to find local 
skilled workers with the expertise necessary to fill the position. 
Closing the skills gap is an important step to making sure that workers 
fit the needs of expanding industries.
  With that, I look forward to continuing my partnership with 
Congressman G.T. Thompson; and I urge all of my congressional 
colleagues to join the CTE Caucus; and I ask them to fully support 
funding Perkins in FY15.

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