[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 7]
[House]
[Pages 9553-9554]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     PROMOTING TECHNICAL EDUCATION

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Kansas (Mr. Marshall) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. MARSHALL. Mr. Speaker, this weekend, while meeting with Kansas 
farmers during wheat harvest, I visited with a family where one spouse 
farmed full time and the other worked from home, an increasingly common 
arrangement, especially in the tough farm economy we have today. But at 
the moment, a reliable broadband connection is out of their reach.
  To keep and grow these jobs in our rural areas, we must make smart 
infrastructure investments that connect our rural residents: 
investments that don't duplicate what private enterprise has done, and 
investments that will carry far into the future.
  For most businesses, including agribusiness, broadband services allow 
companies to access the global electronic marketplace. For consumers,

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broadband allows people to connect via social media, to download apps 
and stream videos, and to manage everything from a bank account to a 
college application. Beyond just access to resources, building out 
broadband in rural areas increases the quality of life for most 
citizens and promotes job creation and economic development.
  As you think about infrastructure and technology, Mr. Speaker, and as 
the Small Business Subcommittee on Agriculture, Energy and Trade hears 
testimony on the topic this week, I encourage my colleagues to keep in 
mind the value of our small rural telecom providers that connect rural 
Americans with the rest of the world and make every effort to connect 
rural consumers and businesses with a wide array of services.
  Mr. Speaker, the House will take up the Strengthening Career and 
Technical Education for the 21st Century Act. Education supported by 
career and technical education programs are vital to addressing gaps in 
workers' skills and employee needs. Employers across the Nation and in 
my district in Kansas continue to stress the need for well-trained 
workers, often citing the lack of workers as a key constraint for their 
own growth.
  Luckily, there are great educational programs in my district. I am so 
proud that many community colleges and technical colleges offer 2-year 
degrees in technical education that lead to high-paying, steady jobs 
across Kansas.
  About 30 FFA students recently visited me on Capitol Hill. They 
talked about their desire to enter a wide array of careers and trades. 
Their pride in the work they are pursuing is contagious. H.R. 2353 
seeks to align CTE programs and in-demand industries, while allowing 
local programs more flexibility to address the needs of local labor 
markets.
  The bill further highlights the importance of employability skills to 
student access. Career and technical education is foundationally 
important to economic growth and innovation. These are the jobs that 
sustain our economy. We must always keep this curriculum at the top of 
our minds as we look to preparing our students for success and our 
economy for stability.
  I look forward to voting in favor of H.R. 2353 and ask my colleagues 
to do the same.

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