The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“VOCATIONAL AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION FOR THE FUTURE ACT” mentioning the U.S. Dept of Labor was published in the House of Representatives section on pages H2896-H2917 on May 4, 2005.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
VOCATIONAL AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION FOR THE FUTURE ACT
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to House Resolution 254 and rule XVIII, the Chair declares the House in the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union for the consideration of the bill, H.R. 366.
The Chair designates the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. LaHood) as chairman of the Committee of the Whole, and requests the gentleman from California (Mr. Issa) to assume the chair temporarily.
{time} 1146
In the Committee of the Whole
Accordingly, the House resolved itself into the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union for the consideration of the bill
(H.R. 366) to amend the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act of 1998 to strengthen and improve programs under that Act, with Mr. Issa (Acting Chairman) in the chair.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The Acting CHAIRMAN. Pursuant to the rule, the bill is considered as having been read the first time.
Under the rule, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Boehner) and the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Woolsey) each will control 30 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Boehner).
Mr. BOEHNER. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of the Vocational and Technical Education for the Future Act. The bill has received strong support from educators, school administrators, principals, and vocational and technical education advocates around the country. In this bill, we are protecting the role of States and local communities, and we are asking for results in exchange for the money we are already spending at the Federal level.
The gentleman from Delaware (Mr. Castle) wrote a good bill and deserves great credit for his commitment to this issue. He produced a bill that has received bipartisan support in the committee while still fulfilling our principles for reform.
I would also like to thank the gentleman from California (Mr. George Miller) and the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Woolsey) for their hard work and cooperation in bringing this bill forward today.
This bill will improve vocational and technical education by focusing on academics without expanding the Federal role in education. We streamline bureaucracy and give more money to local communities. H.R. 366 reduces the share of funds going to State administrative activities and targets more funding to the local level. We also streamline funding by consolidating the Tech-Prep program with a basic State grant.
The bill also focuses on success at the local level. Under the bill, local communities will establish achievement targets; and to reward increased academic achievement, States and local communities can receive incentive grants for success. Above all, we maintain local control. The bill continues to move away from the so-called ``School to Work'' model of the past and maintains our commitment to ensuring that States and local communities have the final say when it comes to the educational choices for their students.
Mr. Chairman, I strongly support this legislation, which will help States and local communities strengthen and improve vocational and technical education and help ensure academic success for students. I urge my colleagues today to join me in voting ``yes'' on the bill.
Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I want to thank my committee chairman, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Boehner), and our full ranking member, the gentleman from California
(Mr. George Miller), and always my partner, the chairman of the subcommittee, the gentleman from Delaware (Mr. Castle), for working together in a bipartisan way the last Congress and this one to bring this bill to the floor.
As I have said, I have my concerns about this bill, even though it is the result of a bipartisan process. I am especially pleased that the majority has brought this bill forward, in light of the President's proposal to eliminate career and technical education. I hope that we will send a strong bipartisan signal today that we in the House believe that career and technical education is critical to our students and to our country's economic future.
But, Mr. Chairman, I do, as I said, have concerns regarding this bill. First, the bill rightly strengthens accountability for State and local programs, but at the same time it cuts by 60 percent the funds that States can use for that very purpose. I support these accountability measures, but if we do not enable the States to administer them, they will be an empty promise.
I also am concerned this bill merges the Tech-Prep program with the basic State grant. I appreciate that our Republican colleagues in the committee have maintained funding for Tech-Prep activities; but as we all know, not sending Tech-Prep funding separately to the States means that eventually States will lose their focus on those very activities we consider so crucial.
Finally, I am disappointed we are not being allowed to debate most of the amendments that my colleagues and I submitted to the Committee on Rules. I support the amendments that we are debating, but there are many critical issues that we are leaving undiscussed. The gentleman from California (Mr. George Miller), the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Kildee), the gentleman from New York (Mr. Owens), and the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Holt) all offered important amendments on government paying journalists to create propaganda, on dropout prevention, on school construction, and helping out-of-work manufacturing workers. But we are not debating any of those issues today, and I do not understand why.
Finally, we are not debating an issue that has long been important to me and I consider critical to our country's future, that is, the lack of women and girls in science, math, engineering, and technology. My amendment would have helped school districts increase girls' interest in studying in these careers and in these areas. A recent GAO study, Mr. Chairman, found that men still outnumber women in nearly every field in the sciences. In his recent article, ``It's a Flat World, After All,'' and new book, ``The World is Flat,'' The New York Times writer Thomas Friedman explained that America's historical economic advantages have disappeared now ``that the world is flat, and anyone with smarts, access to Google, and a cheap wireless laptop can join the innovation fray,'' no matter what continent they are living on.
Mr. Friedman's and others' remedy is to attract more young women and men to science and engineering. But it will be impossible for our country to continue to lead the world in innovation as long as more than half our population, women, are steered away, intentionally or not, from studying and working in the fields from where that innovation would come.
Consider this, from Dr. Susan Hockfield, the president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who recently said that squandered talent, and I quote her, ``is one of the key issues of women in science and engineering.'' All of our children, not just girls, would have benefited if we had been able to debate this issue today, and I am sorry that we are not.
But, again, Mr. Chairman, I thank my colleagues for their hard work on this bill, and I look forward to improving it even more in conference.
Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. BOEHNER. Mr. Chairman, I am pleased to yield 6 minutes to the gentleman from Delaware (Mr. Castle), the author of the bill and the chairman of the Subcommittee on Education Reform.
Mr. CASTLE. Mr. Chairman, I thank the chairman for yielding me this time; and more importantly, I thank him for his continuing excellent work in heading this committee and dealing with significant legislation to help all of us.
Obviously, I rise in support of H.R. 366, and I also want to thank my comrade in arms at the subcommittee, the gentlewoman from California
(Ms. Woolsey), for her work on this, and the gentleman from California
(Mr. George Miller), who has a continuing interest in education. They are a pleasure to work with, most of the time, and we appreciate that. I think together we produce good legislation, even though there may be small differences on some of the amendments.
The Perkins Act aims to prepare youth and adults for the future by building their academic and technical skills in preparation for postsecondary education and/or employment. The bill we are considering today enhances Perkins by ensuring both secondary and postsecondary students participating in the program are acquiring rigorous academic and technical skills and will have the opportunity to transition into further education and/or successful employment.
The Perkins Act governs widely supported programs at both the secondary and postsecondary level. For example, nearly all high school students complete at least one vocational education course; and approximately 26 percent of students are considered vocational concentrators, those students that focus on a single occupational area. In my home State of Delaware, we have five career and technical high schools that enroll 5,500 of the 29,500 total high school students. At the postsecondary level, the Perkins Act supports a broad array of options primarily at the community college level. In the 1999-2000 school year, over 50 percent of all students enrolled at the less-than-
4-year postsecondary level reported they were majoring in vocational education areas.
Vocational education represents one of the first education laws at the Federal level, with the passage of the Smith-Hughes Act in 1917. H.R. 366 seeks to build on reforms made in past reauthorizations and seeks to enhance this popular program to ensure its success in years to come.
The legislation before us today makes significant reforms to academic achievement and accountability to ensure students have the skills necessary to enter the workforce or continue to an institution of higher learning. As I mentioned, there are five career and technical high schools in Delaware. While all these schools met adequate yearly progress under the No Child Left Behind Act, there is more to be done in academic achievement in these schools and schools across the country. H.R. 366 will improve vocational and technical education by increasing the focus on academics in conjunction with the skill attainment that is incumbent on the program.
The emphasis on academics will be assessed through the act's alignment with No Child Left Behind, as well as enhanced accountability. H.R. 366 strengthens accountability by requiring that locals establish adjusted levels of performance to complement the State adjusted levels of performance already in current law. The State agency will evaluate annually whether the local recipient is making substantial progress toward achieving these goals. The intent is not to penalize those local areas that are facing difficulty in achieving high-quality outcomes for their students, but to create a structure that includes technical assistance, opportunities for program improvement, and sanctions only as a last resort.
One of the unique attributes of vocational technical education programs is their ability to show students a path that could end in a certificate, credential, employment, military, or postsecondary education. The Tech-Prep program currently within the Perkins Act is intended to focus on a well-defined link between high school and at least 2 years of postsecondary education.
Research has shown, however, that funds are rarely, if ever, used to meet this goal. Rather, funds are often used for purposes within the larger vocational technical education program. Therefore, H.R. 366 folds the separate Tech-Prep program activities and funding into the larger State grant to create a more streamlined system. Under the bill, States will still be expected to spend the same amount of money on Tech-Prep activities as they did under the former stand-alone program. To ensure that the intent of the Tech-Prep program is met, the legislation revises the requirements of the program in order to ensure articulation agreements, or two-plus-two agreements, between secondary and postsecondary institutions are implemented.
Along this same track, H.R. 366 requires States to establish model sequences of courses to emphasize further student academic and vocational and technical achievement. Sequences of courses will incorporate a nonduplicative progression of both secondary and postsecondary elements, which would include both academic and vocational and technical content. Local recipients of both the secondary and postsecondary level would adopt at least one model sequence of courses as developed by the State. I believe this also will help drive program improvements by ensuring that States clarify the progression of academic and vocational and technical courses needed for the postsecondary education and training or employment of a student's choice.
While the President has proposed another avenue for high school reform in the Perkins Act, I believe strongly that the reforms in H.R. 366 will go a long way in driving program improvement and ultimate success for high school students across the country. The dialogue surrounding high school reform is growing and the President is right to force it at the Federal level. I commend those States and businesses across the country that are pioneering efforts at the local level and look forward to following these developments.
As a result of the changes in the bill, I believe that H.R. 366 would help States, community colleges, and other postsecondary education institutions and local educational agencies better meet the needs of the students participating in career and technical education. I urge my colleagues to support this education.
Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Chairman, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Davis), who is a valued member of the subcommittee.
Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of H.R. 366. I want to thank the chairman of our subcommittee, the gentleman from Delaware (Mr. Castle), for his leadership in crafting a bill which could receive bipartisan support.
Mr. Chairman, as we all know, education for careers is terribly important for young people. Members have worked hard to balance planning for academic courses and introductory training to create a seamless move from secondary to postsecondary education.
{time} 1200
In my district there are several community colleges which offer excellent training for nursing and the health support occupations, as do the universities. But the truth is that high school students need to have taken the math and science courses that will enable them to move into these post-secondary courses directly. They deserve to progress quickly to qualify for these needed and available jobs.
But I have to reiterate the concern that I expressed in committee when I offered a sense of the Congress amendment to state that this Act must not only be reauthorized, but also funded. Unfortunately, that amendment failed on a party-line vote. I appreciate the sentiments that were expressed saying that well, of course appropriations would be made for the program.
But Members, we have failed to do that. Last week we passed a budget which omits funding for this program as well as for programs like Trio and GearUp that also help high school students prepare for post-
secondary education. So it is only wishful thinking, I am afraid, to suppose that this $1.3 billion program can be paid for as part of the President's proposed $1.2 billion high school initiative, along with many of the other 48 unfunded education programs. I believe that our young people deserve better.
Mr. BOEHNER. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Pennsylvania (Ms. Hart).
Ms. HART. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time.
As some Members on the floor have stated, there is some concern about Perkins-funded programs and what their fate might be. I am pleased to be supportive of this bill today. There are some sections of the bill that do my heart well, and a couple have to do with some programs that are working very well for women and girls.
Perkins will help fund training for displaced homemakers and single mothers to help them attain self-sufficiency through programs that provide career counseling, skills training and job placement. These are different kinds of programs than traditional job-training programs because they do include broader education, programs such as some of the programs in my State where women who have been displaced homemakers who have now attained self-sufficiency and are now supporting their families are involved in the training, where they help women to understand they can do it themselves, because part of the job training effectiveness has to do not only with the skills that they learn, but with the confidence they gain and their belief in themselves to be able to do well at their jobs.
The Perkins funds will certainly help to continue many of these programs that have very high success rates. According to the 2004 National Assessment of Vocational and Education, employment growth in occupations that require vocational associates degree of 30 percent is to more than double overall employment growth as well. Graduates of these types of programs can be employed more quickly and at better salaries, and in a situation where a woman is a displaced homemaker, that is key.
Our goal here is to make sure there are all different levels of education available, and the Perkins funding certainly will help us. It will have a lot to do also with working hand in hand with States. In fact, the Perkins law requires States to fund programs that prepare students for nontraditional careers as well.
Again, an example is a woman, instead of going into a clerical job where she will make less money, perhaps going into something with more of a technical skill required where she can and make a lot more money and therefore support her family and be more successful.
I support the bill and the Perkins-funded programs, and I appreciate my colleagues who have worked so hard to get this done.
Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Tierney), a valued member of the full committee.
Mr. TIERNEY. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentlewoman from California
(Ms. Woolsey) for yielding me this time, and I thank the gentleman from Ohio (Chairman Boehner) and the gentleman from Delaware (Mr. Castle), as well as the gentlewoman from California, for working to reauthorize the Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act.
I have to note, however, at the same time we are debating this reauthorization, we have the problem that the President's budget and the conference report to the budget resolution that we passed just last week eliminate this worthy program. I hope our debate and discussion of this today indicates our support of moving forward and making sure that we do not only authorize but fund this particular program.
As has been mentioned already, this is a law that provides quality vocational education at high schools and community colleges that teach and enhance workforce skills. We have a serious need for a skilled workforce in this evolving economy. We have a shortage of skilled workers in technical fields; so, obviously, the importance of quality education and career preparation in developing that skilled workforce should be imperative. Our support for this Perkins vocational opportunity ought to continue.
Perkins career and technical education provides programs, policies and resources for students to obtain education and training that they need for those high-wage, high-skilled jobs. I think we all agree that every student deserves a fair and equal opportunity for a quality education that meets the need for personal and academic career development. This program does that for millions of students.
The United States Department of Education Office of Vocational and Adult Education tells us that one-third of college students are involved in career and technical programs, and that over 40 million adult learners engage in short term, post-secondary educational opportunity and training.
Before I close, I would like to address one particular aspect of this bill, and that is that this bill merges the successful tech prep program into Perkins basic State grants. The gentleman from Wisconsin
(Mr. Kind) and I tried to amend that in the committee and were not successful. We wanted to restore the separate authorization for tech prep. If we restore the separate authorization, we would block any potential loss of funds.
The General Accountability Office indicates when programs are block granted, they not only lose funding eventually, but the focus on the program is lost and accountability is lost. We hope to deliver these programs through the State-wide network of consortia of secondary schools, post-secondary institutions, employment and training providers, and business and industry groups so they can work collaboratively on this tech prep program. It is a seamless pathway for that type of education into high-tech fields, and it is important. Many groups are behind this. I ask hopefully the Senate version will prevail in the final bill, and that program will survive.
Mr. BOEHNER. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Ms. Foxx), a member of the committee and an educator and someone who knows more about this probably than most Members of Congress.
Ms. FOXX. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman from Ohio (Chairman Boehner) for the time to speak on this bill, and am proud to serve on the gentleman's committee.
I think I am unique in this body in my experience with this kind of program. I am an educator, a former Trio director, I began a tech prep program, and I was a community college president and university administrator. I understand firsthand the importance of good, solid technical and vocational education. Armed with the proper skills, our students can achieve anything they set their minds to.
The gentleman from Ohio (Chairman Boehner) and the gentleman from Delaware (Mr. Castle) are to be commended for putting together a bill that strengthens accountability so that we can ensure that the vocational and technical courses provided to our students are the best that can be offered. Our students deserve no less.
This bill also includes provisions to ensure States and local communities will have more control rather than the Federal Government. That is very important. In this bill, State and local communities are empowered to determine academic content and curriculum. This is an extremely important part designed to provide students with an appropriate education based on what skills and industries are important to their local communities.
H.R. 366 streamlines Federal funding of vocational and technical education programs, thereby increasing flexibility for States and allowing more funding to reach the local communities.
The benefits of vocational and technical education to our communities are incredible. With the world changing so rapidly and all of the constant changes in our workforce, education is the key to our success as a Nation. In order to keep our Nation competitive in the global economy, we must ensure that our students maintain the best opportunities to better themselves, learn a new skill and give back to their communities.
Mr. Chairman, the key to good education does not lie in the hands of the Federal Government. It lies in the willing and able hands of those in our localities. That is why I am supporting this bill. Our students deserve no less than the best education. With these tools, the possibilities are endless.
Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Etheridge), superintendent of schools for 8 years in North Carolina.
Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of H.R. 366 as it reauthorizes the Perkins Act, which provides critical funding for occupational preparation and vocational and technical education at secondary and post-secondary education levels. It is the largest Federal investment in secondary education.
Although I am concerned about some provisions of this bill, like the merger of tech prep into the basic State grants, on balance, H.R. 366 makes many improvements to current law, and I will vote to pass it. But let me say, we started the tech prep in North Carolina, and I share with my colleagues that merging raises some real concerns.
More flexibility without more funding is not necessarily what we need. Talk to any educator, and what they need is resources to get the job done. The American people need to understand what this charade is about. Although H.R. 366 reauthorizes critically important education programs under the Perkins Act, Republicans in Congress last week passed a budget that eliminates those very same initiatives. Only in Washington, D.C. could Congress eliminate a program one week and reauthorize it the next week.
In North Carolina, we have one of the strongest community college systems in this country. Our community colleges work in partnership with our universities and the public schools to provide career training and critical technical skills. My State has suffered hundreds of thousands of layoffs in recent years in agriculture, furniture and in the textile industry. To a mill worker laid off from the only job he or she has ever known, the services provided through the Perkins Act literally are a lifeline. These services are the difference between hope of gainful employment and the despondency of unemployment and dependence on others.
Brown University has conducted a study that demonstrates that obtaining a high school equivalency makes a clear difference between moving into a new job after a layoff and not. These are real people that we are talking about. We ought not to be cutting out the only real hope that they have for a better life for themselves and their families.
In conclusion, I encourage and urge my colleagues to pass H.R. 366. But more importantly, I urge my Republican colleagues and leadership and the administration to restore these devastating education budget cuts. That is where we will make a huge difference.
Mr. BOEHNER. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Chairman, several of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle have referenced the fact that our fiscally responsible budget may, in fact, require changes to how we fund various education programs. While we will have plenty of time to debate those issues when we get into the appropriations process, I think all of my colleagues realize the Perkins program providing for vocational and technical education around the country is widely popular with Members on both sides of the aisle. I have no doubts, no doubts that the funding called for in the President's budget, the funding that is authorized in this bill will, in fact, happen, just to set the record straight.
Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Illinois
(Mrs. Biggert), a member of the committee.
Mrs. BIGGERT. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time.
I rise today in support of H.R. 366. In today's competitive economies, students must be equipped not only with the technical skills of their chosen field, but basic academic knowledge as well. Realizing this, H.R. 366 focuses on academics. I am particularly pleased that the bill is designed to support student achievement in core academic subjects, including math and science.
I think we can agree that our new high tech economy demands that students have stronger math, science, engineering and technological skills.
Mr. Chairman, vocational education works. Earlier this year I toured two vocational centers in my district, the Technology Center of DuPage County and the Will County Career Center. Several of the students there told me without vocational education programs, they would not be in school.
{time} 1215
For whatever reason, they were not interested in the traditional high school education or going on to a traditional 4-year college. Instead of these students slipping through the cracks, they are learning cutting-edge technology in some of the fastest growing career fields: aerospace, computer technology and engineering, health care and aviation, just to name a few. Other students have already been accepted to college and are augmenting their education with technical classes. For example, many students in the health care program will go on to college nursing programs next year. Through vocational ed programs, they can take classes for college credit while still in high school. Not only do these students go to college already having the basic skills needed in their field; it takes them less time to complete their training. The sooner these students finish their training, the sooner they are out earning good paychecks and the sooner we are able to get highly skilled workers in high-demand fields.
H.R. 366 will help the students in my district and all across the country get even more out of their education. I am proud to support this bill, and I urge my colleagues to do the same.
Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Chairman, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Bean).
Ms. BEAN. Mr. Chairman, reauthorizing the Perkins Act gives Congress the opportunity to restate our belief in vocational and technical education, a partnership between academics, the business community, and our constituents for more than 40 years. As a graduate of Oakton Community College, I have a special appreciation for the value our community college system provides to our communities. OCC prepared me for and complemented my entrance into the computer industry and that education served me well over my 20-plus-year career in the high-tech field.
Like community colleges across the country, those in Illinois' Eighth District, The College of Lake County, McHenry County College, Harper College and Elgin Community College, provide opportunities for all Americans, from young people starting out their careers to those who are transitioning their careers later in life to adjust to the economy of a global workforce. We should absolutely put our full support behind such flexible and proven programs. H.R. 366 will allow our local schools and community colleges to plan for the future and to continue supplying trained workers to industries of all types.
Like much of the legislation brought before this body, however, the Vocational and Technical Education For the Future Act has room for improvement. Merging Tech-Prep into the basic State grants calls into question the Federal Government's commitment to math and science education and could allow targeted funding to be used for other purposes and allow Tech-Prep to fall by the wayside. The Senate version of this bill is more receptive to high schools', community colleges', and industries' needs; and I hope that Tech-Prep will be retained as a separate program in the conference report.
Vocational and technical education programs help Americans to continue their education and expand their skill sets in their chosen professions. Encouraging innovation through a more educated workforce has helped our economy adapt to changing times and will continue to do so in the future. Reauthorizing the Perkins Act is a step in the right direction.
Mr. CASTLE. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (Mr. Peterson).
Mr. PETERSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Chairman, for the first 2 years I served in Congress, I was fortunate to serve on this committee; and I will have to honestly say I miss that opportunity because I really did enjoy it. The future of America depends on the work of this committee.
I want to commend the committee on the work they have done on this bill. I think they have done outstanding work at working through the process of making this a strong bill. It is my belief that our economic future depends on the use of the latest, most modern technology. Historically, the academically gifted in America have unlimited opportunities; but, unfortunately, the technically gifted have too often been left behind because we have undervalued technology education. This bill modernizes Perkins and advances technical education to what I hope is a brighter future.
When you look at the delivery of health care, it is about technology. When you look at manufacturing, if we are going to be successful against cheap labor, it is about technology. You talk the whole IT revolution in this country, it is technology. It is what caused it. Marketing is technology. Warehousing and distribution, it is technology. Repairing autos and equipment, it is about technology. Technology is what makes our country work today, and it is vital.
We have too often had high schools that were using 1970 technology in the era of 2005. That does not cut it. We have to advance technical education and make sure that America's youth realize that the jobs that are wanting in America have the word ``technology'' beside them. There are many people with 2-year technology degrees that will earn a better income than those with 4-year liberal arts degrees, and we do not offer them adequately in the same manner that we offer academic education.
If you look at the successful companies that are competing globally, it is about the massive use of technology. We must make sure that our high schools is where it begins, in the early middle schools, that young people realize the excitement of the technology world and that we have the latest, most modern technology there and that we bridge it into the community colleges. In some of the more progressive States, we have community colleges paralleling at the high schools, joint teaching in the 11th and 12th grade, adding the 13th year and giving a 2-year associate's degree in technology that equips people to go to work more. All of those fields needing the technology workers would be happy if we could do that on a broad scale across this country.
I commend again this committee and the staff for putting together a good bill, and let us hope that it is the beginning of technology education being valued in this country, because it must be if we have an economic future because our economy in the future is about the massive use of technology.
Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Chairman, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Holt), a member of the full committee.
Mr. HOLT. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding time. While I rise in support of H.R. 366, I must point out that we are reauthorizing a program that the President proposed eliminating. I hope we can help him see the importance of this program. It is unfortunate that the President has attempted to undermine these programs through proposals for spending cuts totaling nearly $700 million since he took office. We have lost nearly 2 million private sector jobs in the last 4 years and hundreds of thousands of American jobs have been outsourced to other countries. Unfortunately, the budgetary approach of this administration and the majority here, I would say, is to shortchange students and workers rather than to invest in them.
I would like to point out a couple of things that are missing in this bill. The gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Wu) and I offered an amendment before the Committee on Rules that intended to stem the tide of outsourcing of American manufacturing jobs. Specifically, the amendment would establish a Federal fund for local programs that would give American manufacturing workers additional skills and educational training through competitive grants to States. Unfortunately, the Committee on Rules would not allow this amendment.
I am also concerned about the elimination of separate authorization for Tech-Prep. Tech-Prep combines and coordinates secondary and postsecondary vocational education activities into a coherent sequence of courses.
I am pleased that the bill includes some things and I would like to mention two: one is eligible recipients may use Perkins funds to provide information and referrals to students regarding the availability of services such as transportation and child care which would enable students to enroll and take full advantage of the Perkins programs. I am also pleased to mention a point that was addressed by the gentlewoman from Illinois (Mrs. Biggert) which is that this legislation includes programs to acquire math and science skills.
So although I rise in support of this legislation, I still think we can do better.
Mr. CASTLE. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Boustany).
Mr. BOUSTANY. Mr. Chairman, I want to thank the gentleman from Delaware for yielding me this time. I want to thank the chairman for his leadership on this bill.
I am a proud cosponsor of H.R. 366. This bill is important to Louisiana and to our country. Many students back home in my State, Louisiana, do not attend college; and they seek work opportunities immediately after high school or even before graduating. Louisiana's employers need proficient workers with training and education past the high school level to work in the energy, chemical, and high-tech industries. Voc ed programs are an avenue for these students to obtain advanced training or certification to enter the workforce ready to be productive.
SOWELA Technical Community College in Lake Charles, Louisiana, provides a number of accredited programs. The school is recognized as one of the top aircraft maintenance programs in the Nation, and they have successfully used Tech-Prep to engage area high school seniors as they finish high school.
This bill increases the focus on student achievement in core academic subjects such as math and science education that incorporate the use of technology and strengthen the transition from secondary to postsecondary education. The bill empowers States and local communities to insist on accountability and improvement for students. By establishing separate performance indicators for secondary and postsecondary students, it focuses on success at the local level and allows States and local communities to reward performance.
Furthermore, this bill would combine funding for the Tech-prep and Perkins State grant programs. This will give much needed flexibility for States, streamlining funding and ensuring current activities continue while the program as a whole is updated to meet the challenges of the future. This will also ensure that a greater share of the funds are targeted to the local level so that communities have more control over their programs.
Mr. Chairman, I urge passage of this bill. I hope the other Chamber will also take action, as well, to improve the vocational education opportunities for our students.
Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Chairman, I am pleased to yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Kind), a member of the subcommittee.
(Mr. KIND asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)
Mr. KIND. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding me this time, and I commend her for her hard work in the reauthorization of this very important bill.
Mr. Chairman, Wisconsin is very proud of the career and technical college system that we have back home. In fact, I have four of the technical schools in the Third Congressional District in western Wisconsin as well as many of their campus satellites. They have been vital components for economic growth and economic development in our region under the fine leadership of Karen Knox; Lee Rasch; Bill Ihlenfeldt, who actually testified before the Education Committee on this bill; as well as Tim Schreiner, David Hilderbrand, Dr. Mark Hurley. Even though the President did not support reauthorization of this legislation, we believe it is an important investment to make, Mr. Chairman.
The single most important factor in determining America's success in the 21st century will be maintaining our ability to be an innovative and creative society. Over the last few years, the world has become a smaller and more integrated place with technology that is leveling the playing field like never before. Competition and collaboration exist now not just between countries and companies but also between individuals. Meeting this challenge requires a new set of big ideas.
Instead of the administration being so eager to dismantle the New Deal, we should be working together to offer the American people a New New Deal. A New Deal that will enable our people to compete successfully in the 21st century economy with a renewed commitment to worker training programs; an education investment that emphasizes math, science and engineering; research funding in science and medicine; and a comprehensive broadband strategy so every American has access to high-
speed Internet hookup.
We believe that economics does not necessarily have to be a zero-sum game; it can be a win-win proposition for everyone involved so long as they have the tools in which to succeed.
One of the unfortunate aspects of this reauthorization bill is the attempt to remove as a separate funded program the Technical Preparation program. I commend my friend from Delaware who is about to offer an amendment later today at least calling for level funding of the Tech-prep program for the next fiscal year. But once you eliminate the separate status of the Technical Preparation program, the fear is that we are going to lose focus and that the institutions will lose focus or, even worse, that the funding stream will become weakened in future years. I would encourage my colleagues to support the amendment that the gentleman from Delaware will be offering to at least provide level funding of this important program.
Technology is driving the innovation. Technology is driving the creativity. Technology and the use of that is going to determine our workers' ability to compete in the 21st century global marketplace. I would hope that the Senate version which keeps the Tech-prep program as a separate funded entity will remain; but at the very least let us support the Castle amendment when it comes up today.
Mr. CASTLE. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Jindal).
Mr. JINDAL. Mr. Chairman, I want to thank the gentleman from Ohio and thank the gentleman from Delaware for their leadership on this issue. I certainly stand in strong support of the bill. This is an issue that is so important to the future of Louisiana and the future of our country. I can think of no better investment in our children's future than in their training and their education. As I have said before on this House floor, I was privileged to serve as the president of the University of Louisiana system, and there I saw the difference we were making in the lives of many families. However, Louisiana for too many years has encouraged too many of our students to start their postsecondary education in a 4-year setting.
{time} 1230
The result is as many as 80 percent of our students continue their education, have started their education in a 4-year setting. The result has been the second highest dropout rates in the South, the second lowest retention rates in the South, one of the highest dropout rates in the country. The result of that has been many students not completing their education, many students dropping out with large debts, with large loans rather than starting their education in a community or a technical college, rather than graduating and being certified with the skills they need to get a good-paying job.
Employers across my State, employers across the country say one of the top obstacles to economic development, one of the top obstacles to their growing right here in Louisiana, right here in our country is the inability to find skilled workers, to find trained workers. Critical to growing our economy would be to provide these graduates and the number one challenge in my State is to keep our young people home. We are the only State in the south that has had more people moving out than moving in, and at the same time, we have got employers that cannot grow. We have got shipbuilders that need thousands of welders. We have petrochemical plants up and own our river that need pretec operators. The community and technical system fills a critical gap in our post-
secondary educational system. In Louisiana in the last few years, our former Governor actually created, for the first time, an integrated community and technical college system. The Federal support for students pursuing their educations in that system is absolutely critical.
At the same time, we are seeing so many of our manufacturing jobs going overseas because of taxes, because of the threat of lawsuits, because of unnecessary regulations. We need to level the playing field. We need to provide a skilled workforce so that companies can expand right here in our country, in Louisiana.
I think this is an important bill. It is a good bill. I stand in strong support of the legislation.
Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Millender-McDonald).
Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding me this time. And I really commend the leadership on both sides for this H.R. 366.
This is a very important piece of legislation, the Vocational and Technical Education for the Future Act.
This legislation is so important for many reasons. Specifically, it is vital to my district, the 37th District in California. But, first of all, it reauthorizes the Perkins Vocational Program that provides for many citizens the ability to learn a marketable skill that allows them the ability to partake in a career that allows upward mobility and job satisfaction. Experienced trade workers can earn up to six-figure salaries with the right type of training. Perkins programs have traditionally provided this type of skills training.
In California, only 8 percent of the ninth graders will complete the high school years and college in 10 years. The Perkins programs provide opportunities for students who need to develop the different skills for them to grow and to have career choices. With vocational training, students will aspire to entering into a career path that allows them to make a comfortable living, having the same ability to do so as students who attend a 4-year college or university.
Second, students who avail themselves of this training are able to enter into fields where there is a ready supply of jobs. They are currently more jobs available in these industries than there are students enrolled in vocational tech training. There is a large demand for skilled technicians. These programs, when they are adequately funded through the Perkins Act, prepares students for these jobs.
Finally, Mr. Chairman, I ask Members to support this legislation because it provides for programs and resources for women and girls to obtain education and training for high-wage/high-skill and nontraditional jobs. When I was director of Gender Equity, I was responsible for bringing a lot of the nontraditional jobs to the forefront.
Mr. Chairman, this is a great piece of legislation, and I ask all of my friends to support it.
Mr. BOEHNER. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Souder), a member of our committee.
Mr. SOUDER. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time.
First, I want to praise the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Boehner), chairman of this committee; and the gentleman from Delaware (Mr. Castle), subcommittee chairman, because I rise in strong support of H.R. 366, the Vocational and Technical Education for the Future Act, because it does a number of basic things. It continues to help States better utilize federal funding, increasing accountability, emphasizes student academic vocational and technical achievement, and improves coordination between secondary and post-secondary vocational and technical education.
We have continually worked at how to get this type of cooperation to streamline it, not to micromanage the States, to give them flexibility on how to do it, but set guidelines as to what we expect and the type of results that we want.
In my home district in Northeast Indiana in Fort Wayne, vocational education has been a cooperative effort between the city of Fort Wayne and the Chamber of Commerce in taking the old Central High School, which had been abandoned, which my mom had attended in the 1940s, and it is now the Anthis Career Education Center. There they have laboratories, classrooms, worksites, different career options, youth apprenticeships, cooperative education. They have nearly 20 different career options that work with Indiana Vocational Technical State College.
In addition, they have programs for kids who may go to 4-year colleges, that they can take part of their day and go over and get specialized courses, go out and work with manufacturers.
What is great about this bill is it addresses a whole range of what we need to look at in vocational education.
Many people are concerned that we are tracking people, that we say they are going to decide to be this because their dad was this. The fact is that we need a multiplicity of options, and as kids see those different options, they can test them out and see which one works best for them.
Way back in the 1960s in our family retail business, we took a number of students in order to keep them in school and let them work part time in our business and got them through high school. Some of them then went on to 2-year colleges. Others got interested. Others stayed in various business segments.
I recently met with Mr. Colin Schottlaender, who is the director of the Raytheon Network Centric Systems. He oversees 68 Raytheon plants in this Nation. And one of the things they try to do is to get kids, like my son went out to Raytheon, visited there for a day to see what the job was like. Then they look for people to see whether they work for summer employment. Some of them may go to 4-year colleges to move in management. Others may do a mid-technical thing and go to a 2-year vocational educational institution. Others may go to work and then come back to the education because they had been exposed to it. But, increasingly, companies want to see kids in high school get some practical experience and then develop them through summer programs, through education programs, and develop people who can compete in an international market. And to do this, the vocational technical education is a critical component.
We cannot compete worldwide unless we are developing at every level of kids who are at risk of not finishing high school, of kids who will finish high school, of kids who will go on to vocational education, kids who will go on to a 4-year college and people will do lifelong learning. We cannot compete worldwide unless we focus on vocational and technical education, and this bill is an important start.
Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Chairman, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from California (Mr. George Miller), our full committee ranking member and my leader on education and many other issues.
Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding me this time.
I also want to thank her for all of her work on behalf of our Members on this side of the aisle in helping to shape this legislation. And I want to thank the gentleman from Ohio (Chairman Boehner) for bringing this bill to the floor in a timely fashion, and to the gentleman from Delaware (Chairman Castle) for all of his work and his dedication to the vocational education programs within our jurisdiction.
I rise today for two reasons: One, I am hopeful that bringing this bill to this floor at this time and all of the statements made by Members on both sides of the aisle as to the successes of vocational education and the various components of vocational education in their districts and in their States will forever put an end to this idea of the administration that it is going to somehow zero out this legislation or that it is going to take this money for some other initiative when Members of Congress recognize in such an overwhelming fashion the importance of vocational education to the students in their districts, to the success of the educational programs, and certainly to their local economies and to their State economies.
That is really the second reason that I rise, and that is to again reiterate the idea that this is not our fathers' or our grandfathers' vocational education. A dramatic transition and a transformation has been made within many of our educational establishments in high schools and community colleges that now provide for the linking and the merging and integration of academic programs and vocational programs and skills-acquiring programs so that students now not only are taking vocational education or participating in vocational education to get a job.
What they are getting is a set of skills that will allow them to get that job but also to have the options to create career paths within that industry or within that vocation, within that sector of our economy. Far different than has been done in the past.
In the integration of the academic skills, again, building upon the research that has been developed over the last decade, and that is that really for people to be proficient, to continue to maintain a middle-
class life-style, to be able to continue to maintain their opportunities in employment. The set of skills that they need on the academic side and on the vocational skills side really are equivalent of what one needs to have an AA degree.
So now students are put on that path. They are given the opportunity to relate the academic skills that they need to acquire for the job opportunities, for the career opportunities, and for the academic opportunities in their future lives. And that is a dramatic change from what many people view as vocational education of the past or of their experiences when they were in school.
We now talk to young people. I just recently visited a program at the Serendipity training program in Mr. Diablo High School in my district, where Chevron Corporation just made a major grant to the county schools for the purposes of enhancing these kinds of economic opportunities and educational opportunities for young people. And when we talk to the young people, whether they are participating in the health academies or they are participating in the fire academies or the food service academies or the technical academies, the fact of the matter is they now see themselves having multiple options. For some it is just to simply get a job. A number of students said they were go to become EMTs because they wanted to be able have that work and that work schedule and that income to pay for their college education. Others decided that they would go just to the fire academy and try to get a job. Others thought that they would go to the fire academy and go on to Humboldt State and to the 4-year programs in terms of fire sciences.
So what these students now see are the multitude of opportunities that are available to them, the opportunities for career and advancement and providing for them and their families into the future.
I would hope that we would support this bill. I am disappointed that the Committee on Rules, in its continued abuse of power, simply could not provide for the debate of the amendments that many on this side of the aisle wanted to offer. Again, it is not like the Congress is running at maximum RPMs here day in and day out and there is no time for that debate. It is unfortunate that the Committee on Rules continues that abuse of power, but we will have an opportunity to debate a couple of amendments and then push this bill forward to conference committee, where a couple of its modest shortcomings can be hopefully corrected.
Mr. Chairman, I want to thank Chairman Boehner and Castle for bringing this bill the floor. The V ocational and Technical Education for the Future Act reflects a bipartisan work product and I am pleased to be able to join the chairman, Chairman Castle and Ranking Member Woolsey in supporting this reauthorization.
Career and technical education has traditionally been a bipartisan effort in Congress and that continues today. Unfortunately, the President, for the fourth year in a row has tried to eliminate this program, and this is a mistake.
Career and technical education programs make high school matter for many young people, offer college students pathways into productive employment and new hope for displaced homemakers and workers reentering the workforce.
Now, is not the time to retreat on our investment in career training. The global economy demands a highly skilled workforce and the Perkins program has been instrumental in building that workforce.
H.R. 366 moves the successful Perkins Act, named after the distinguished Senator from Kansas, to the next level in career and technical education. This program may have started out as second tier education program for students who sought employment after graduation from high school, but today, these programs are changing the face of secondary and post-secondary education. Perkins equips America's workforce with the skills they need to compete in a global economy.
More and more schools are using career and technical education programs to develop highly challenging and academically sound education systems, combining secondary and postsecondary education elements. H.R. 366 adopts this model.
Successful career tech programs allow academic and vocational teachers to develop curriculum together and teach together so that students can apply academic content in a real world context. In order to make high school matter, learning, must become more meaningful to students. Career technical education programs do this.
H.R. 366 also ensures that students learn the identical challenging academic content as students who are in a purely academic program further reinforcing the goals of No Child Left Behind: that all students should be taught to high standards.
We know that students who are enrolled in career technical programs are less likely to drop out before graduation. Students who graduate from these programs perform better than their academic-only counterparts in math and science. And, students who complete these programs are able to obtain higher salaries than their counterparts.
Mr. Chairman, while I will support this bill, I remain concerned that it fails to address two critical issues: the bill eliminates the separate authorization for the Tech Prep Program and cuts State Administrative funding far below what states need to carry out the new responsibilities that have been added to the bill. These problems can and should be corrected in conference.
The Perkins Act is a critical workforce development tool and the bill before us represents sound education policy. It contains critical improvements in the areas of accountability, integration and coordination and is supported by a range of organizations to include the Association for Career Technical Education, the National Association of State Directors of Career Technical'' Education, the NEA, and the National Coalition for Women and Girls in Education.
I want to thank these organizations for their input on the bill and I want to thank our staff for their efforts in bringing this bill together in a relatively short period of time.
I will vote in favor of final passage and urge my colleagues to do the same.
Mr. BOEHNER. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Chairman, I want to say one more time how much I appreciate the bipartisan work that we accomplished on the subcommittee and on the full committee, and I thank both the full Chair, the subcommittee Chair, and my ranking member for making all that possible.
In closing, I want to reiterate my main concerns with the bill, which I hope will be addressed in conference.
First, the bill rightly strengthens accountability for State and local programs, but at the same time, it cuts 60 percent of the funds that the States can use for that very purpose. I support these accountability measures, but if we do not enable the States to administer them, we will be providing empty promises. I offered an amendment in the committee to restore this cut.
I am also concerned that this bill merges the tech prep program with the basic State grant, and I appreciate that our Republican colleagues on the committee have maintained funding for tech prep activities. But as we all know, not sending tech prep funding separately to the States means that eventually States will lose their focus on those activities.
{time} 1245
Another area that I am concerned about and I want to reiterate is the issue that the gentleman from California (Mr. George Miller) has just discussed, which is his amendment offered to end abuses like the Department of Education's contract with Armstrong Williams. His amendment simply said that the government cannot hire journalists to create government propaganda and required that if the Department of Education continues to produce prepackaged news pieces, it has to fully disclose that fact in the piece. I am sorry that that language, which is really about government being honest with the people, is not in this bill.
Finally, we must ask ourselves, despite bipartisan support and despite the support of the gentleman from Ohio (Chairman Boehner) and the gentleman from Delaware (Chairman Castle), where will the appropriators find the funds to support this and other critical education programs that the President wants to eliminate or underfund? For example, this year alone, the President wants to provide our schoolchildren $12 billion less than he promised under the No Child Left Behind Act.
Mr. Chairman, one last comment: this is a good, bipartisan bill, and we must fix the little pieces that are missing in conference.
Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. BOEHNER. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself the balance of our time.
I want to thank the gentleman from California (Mr. George Miller) and the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Woolsey) for their work on this bill; and I want to thank my colleague, and the author of the bill, the subcommittee chairman, the gentleman from Delaware (Mr. Castle), for his fine work. While there are 435 of us in the Congress, of course everyone would like to make this bill look as though it were theirs and written exactly the way they would like to write it. Clearly, I would like to have that opportunity too, but that is not how the process works. We have a bipartisan bill, and we should not make the perfect the enemy of the good.
I also want to thank my staff, Krisann Pearce and Whitney Rhoades, for their fine work on this bill. I want to thank Denise Forte and Lloyd Horwich on the Democrat side for their work. As most of my colleagues know, we could not do the fine work that we do without excellent staff on both sides. They have done very good work in helping us get to where we are today.
Vocational education, as my colleague from California pointed out, is not vocational and technical education like it was 20 years ago or even 10 years ago. We all recognize that those in vocational and technical education also need a strong academic background. This program, over the last several reauthorizations, has attempted to move to stronger academics; and we continue that process in the reauthorization that we bring to the floor today. It is one of the reasons why the Tech-Prep program, which used to be separate and in this bill we have merged it with a basic grant, although we preserve the funding, is not quite as significant as it once was, because Tech-Prep was intended to help encourage those in vocational and technical education from outlining a program where they would do 2 years at the local Tech-Prep school and then go on and do 2 years probably at a community college. By improving the academics across the board, I think it is good for all students.
I have two technical schools in my own district, Butler Tech, Butler County Tech and Miami Valley Tech, who offer wonderful programs and wonderful Tech-Prep programs for many of their students. They have articulation agreements with Sinclair Community College in Dayton, Ohio, and other community colleges to help put students on a path where they will gain the skills necessary to be able to go out in the workforce and have very productive jobs.
There are two or three million jobs in America today that have gone begging because we do not have employees and people with skills to fill those jobs; and many of them could be filled if, in fact, we have stronger technical vocational programs around the country.
So I would encourage my colleagues to support the underlying bill, and we are about to get into the amendment process, and we will see where that takes us.
Ms. BEAN. Mr. Chairman, reauthorizing the Perkins Act gives Congress the opportunity to restate our belief in vocational and technical education, a partnership between academics, the business community and our constituents for more than 40 years.
As a graduate of Oakton Community College, I have a special appreciation for the value of our community college system. Oakton Community College prepared me for and complemented my entrance into the computer industry. That education served me well over my 20 plus year career in the high-tech field.
Like community colleges across the country, those in Illinois' Eighth District--The College of Lake County, McHenry County College, Harper College and Elgin Community College--provide opportunities for all Americans, from young people starting out their careers to older workers continuing theirs.
We should absolutely put our full support behind such flexible and proven programs. H.R. 366 will allow our local schools and community colleges to plan for the future and to continue supplying trained workers to industries of all types.
Like much of the legislation brought before this body, however, The Vocational and Technical Education for the Future Act has room for improvement. Merging Tech Prep into the Basic State Grants calls into question the federal government's commitment to math and science education by allowing targeted funding to be used for other purposes. The Senate version of this bill is more receptive to high schools', community colleges' and industries' needs, and I hope that Tech Prep will be retained as a separate program in the conference report.
Vocational and technical education programs help Americans to continue their education and expand their skill set. Encouraging innovation through a more educated workforce has helped our economy adapt to changing times and will continue to do so in the future. Reauthorizing the Perkins Act is a step in the right direction.
Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of H.R. 366, the Vocational and Technical Education Act of the Future. This bill reauthorizes the Perkins Act, which provides career and technical education (CTE) programs at the State and local levels. In addition, the Perkins Act provides skill-building and academic opportunities for our youth and improves employment outcomes.
We live in an information and knowledge-based economy. It is imperative, therefore, that we continue to recognize that a strong academic foundation is necessary for all students emerging from high school. Moreover, the skills necessary for entering postsecondary education are similar to the skills necessary for success in the modem workplace. For example, it is a fact that high school students entering construction related apprenticeship programs must have algebra, geometry and trigonometry skills, which are also requirements for college university systems.
The research is clear. High school students completing a rigorous academic core coupled with a career concentration have test scores that are equal to or higher than those of students considered to be
``college prep''. They are more likely to pursue postsecondary education, have a higher grade point average in college, are less likely to drop out in their first year of college, and they have better employment and earnings outcomes than other students.
This bill will ensure that ``rigorous and challenging academic content'' in the high school curriculum is aligned with postsecondary education.
For the foregoing reasons, I encourage support for this bill to ensure that all high school students' educational needs are adequately met.
Mr. POMBO. Mr. Chairman, today I rise to speak in favor of H.R. 366, the Vocational and Technical Education for the Future Act.
Vocational education is an extremely important component of secondary education for millions of students. It is too often neglected at the State level and does not receive adequate funding or attention.
Many students do not go on to an undergraduate university for their post-secondary education. Only about 40 percent of high school students who pursue post secondary education enroll in a college program. One third (over 5 million people) enroll in a vocational education program.
There are many good paying jobs available to students interested in vocational training, but not enough students are being prepared for these types of jobs.
However, we do have the ability to encourage more schools and their students to participate in vocational education. We can get businesses involved with the education of the skilled workers of tomorrow by helping them train the students of today.
Among other things, H.R. 366 includes provisions to make funds available to eligible recipients for local education and business partnerships, including the establishment and operation of special arrangements with industry partners that allow qualified industry professionals to serve as faculty in postsecondary programs. It also makes funds available for leasing, purchasing, upgrading or adapting equipment, including instructional aides and publications.
This bill also emphasizes teacher preparation programs that address the integration of academic and vocational and technical education and that assist individuals who are interested in becoming vocational and technical education instructors, including individuals with experience in business and industry.
I have supported increasing the number of these kinds of public/
private partnerships because I believe that is one of the best ways to get students to learn current skills and get hands-on experience. I recently introduced H.R. 2008, the Public-Private Vocational Partnership Act. It would establish a tax credit for companies that donate equipment or resources for vocational education training. In addition, it establishes a tax credit for companies hiring full-time students who work as interns in fields relating to vocational education.
I hope my colleagues will join me in strengthening vocational education.
Mr. SHAYS. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of H.R. 366, the Vocational and Technical Education for the Future Act.
In order for the United States to continue to compete in today's global economy we must continue educating our youth. I was disappointed the President's FY 06 budget request did not include funding for most current vocational education programs authorized under the Perkins Act.
I support the Perkins Act because I believe it is necessary to develop the academic, vocational, and technical skills of secondary students and postsecondary students enrolled in vocational and technical education programs. I am concerned, however, that sometimes when Congress gives grants to Universities they increase tuition and other costs, so the benefit to the students is minimal.
I am hopeful the $1.3 billion allocated in this legislation will benefit the students who need the grant to improve their future and the future of our country, not the universities who take advantage of additional funds to raise tuition.
I support this legislation and encourage my colleagues to do so as well.
Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I rise today to urge my colleagues to support this bill.
Unfortunately, last week when the majority of members in this body passed the Budget Resolution, they also voted to zero out funding for programs under the Carl Perkins Act.
Through the Perkins Act, hundreds of thousands of students have received an education beyond just high school. They have developed marketable skills that enable them to work at competitive wages, often to support themselves or their families as they receive their college education.
Sam Houston High School is in my District. It is a school with hard-
working students who often live under circumstances that do not allow them to enter a 4-year university right after high school graduation. Many of these students stay at home and enter the workforce to help support their families.
Due to decreases in state and Federal funding, Sam Houston High School recently lost their vocational education program. This has been devastating to some students who were relying on learning a unique skill that would give them the ability to earn enough to pay for the rising cost of college and get the work experience that will benefit them in the future.
These programs allow high schools to enter articulation agreements with our local community colleges so students receive college credit for many of the courses they take and they develop skills to enter the workforce. Perkins offers a win-win opportunity for many students to earn college credit and get training and job offers from companies such as General Motors, Continental Airlines and Lockheed Martin.
The Carl Perkins Act recognizes that not everyone goes to college immediately, but that does not mean these students do not want to further their education. Many students who participate in programs such as Tech Prep enter higher-paying jobs after high school to help pay for college.
Recently, the National Association of Manufacturers released a report stating the U.S. will face a shortage of almost 10 million skilled workers by 2020. The students who benefit from the Perkins Act also benefit our economy by preventing the outsourcing of jobs and keeping industry in America flowing.
I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this bill. The students in my district support Perkins and if we pass this bill today, they will be able to continue to pursue their goals.
Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of H.R. 366, the Vocational and Technical Education for the Future Act. Although Democrats would in candor have crafted a different Perkins reauthorization bill, I do want to recognize and salute the bipartisan process that has brought us here today.
Mr. Chairman, this is timely legislation. As the premiere Federal investment in career and technical education for secondary and post-
secondary students, the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act is a critical tool in our efforts to stem the flow of outsourcing and train a world class American workforce for the 21st century.
In particular, I am pleased that H.R. 366 includes a model sequence of courses so that students will have a seamless transition between high school and post-secondary education. Additionally, I believe the establishment of separate indicators for postsecondary education represents a common sense improvement to current law.
Given the loss of 446,000 private sector jobs since the beginning of the Bush Administration, I am frankly at a loss as to how the President could continue to recommend the elimination of the programs funded under the Perkins Act. And while the majority has in this instance correctly reached its own conclusion about the value of Perkins, I believe a Congress with its priorities in order would be in a position to do better than the level funding for Perkins programs we are passing today. Additionally, while I acknowledge the hold harmless provisions regarding funding for Tech Prep in the base bill and in Mr. Castle's amendment, I remain concerned that eliminating the separate funding stream for Tech Prep will over time result in inadequate funding for these important initiatives. Finally, while we should always be interested in finding administrative savings in order to free up funds for actual education and training on the ground, I fear the additional, important responsibilities we are placing on our states under this bill run the risk of getting shortchanged due to our slashing in half the money we are making available to implement them.
In conclusion, I'd like to thank Chairman Boehner, our ranking committee and subcommittee members Mr. Miller and Ms. Woolsey, minority and majority staff--and especially Mr. Castle for his leadership on this issue and for his willingness to reach across the aisle when crafting this bill. While I will be supporting efforts to improve this legislation in conference, for today I urge a ``yes'' vote.
Mr. BOEHNER. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
The Acting CHAIRMAN (Mr. Culberson). All time for general debate has expired.
Pursuant to the rule, the committee amendment in the nature of a substitute printed in the bill shall be considered as an original bill for the purpose of amendment under the 5-minute rule and shall be considered read.
The text of the committee amendment in the nature of a substitute is as follows:
H.R. 366
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Vocational and Technical Education for the Future Act''.
SEC. 2. REFERENCES.
Wherever in this Act an amendment is expressed in terms of an amendment to or repeal of a section or other provision, the amendment or repeal shall be considered to be made to a section or other provision of the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act of 1998 (20 U.S.C. 2301 et seq.).
SEC. 3. PURPOSES AND DEFINITIONS.
(a) Purposes.--Section 2(2) (20 U.S.C. 2301(2)) is amended by inserting ``rigorous and challenging'' after
``integrate''.
(b) Definitions.--Section 3 (20 U.S.C. 2302) is amended--
(1) by striking paragraph (26) and redesignating paragraphs
(21) through (25) as paragraphs (23) through (27), and paragraphs (27) through (30) as paragraphs (29) through (32), respectively;
(2) by redesignating paragraphs (4) through (20) as paragraphs (5) through (21), respectively, and inserting after paragraph (3) the following:
``(4) Articulation agreement.--The term `articulation agreement' means a written commitment, agreed upon at the State level or approved annually and facilitated by the lead administrators of the secondary and postsecondary consortia members as described in section 135(b)(3)(A), to provide a program designed to provide students with a nonduplicative sequence of progressive achievements leading to degrees, certificates, or credentials in a tech-prep education program linked through credit transfer agreements.'';
(3) in paragraph (5) (as so redesignated), by inserting
``to students (and parents, as appropriate)'' after
``providing access'';
(4) in paragraph (6) (as so redesignated), by striking
``section 5206'' and inserting ``section 5210'';
(5) in paragraph (7) (as so redesignated)--
(A) by striking ``method of instruction'' and inserting
``method''; and
(B) by inserting ``rigorous and challenging'' after
``required'';
(6) in paragraph (11)(A) (as so redesignated), by striking
``an'' and inserting ``a public or nonprofit private'';
(7) in paragraph (18) (as so redesignated)--
(A) in the paragraph heading, by striking ``training and employment'' and inserting ``fields'';
(B) by striking ``training and employment'' and inserting
``fields''; and
(C) by inserting ``current and'' after ``technology, and other'';
(8) in paragraph (19) (as so redesignated), by striking
``the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia,'';
(9) by inserting after paragraph (21) (as so redesignated) the following:
``(22) Scientifically based research.--The term
`scientifically based research' has the meaning given that term in section 9101(37) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801(37)).'';
(10) in paragraph (25) (as so redesignated)--
(A) in subparagraph (C), by striking ``training and employment'' and inserting ``fields'';
(B) in subparagraph (E), by striking ``and'';
(C) in subparagraph (F)--
(i) by striking ``individuals with other barriers to educational achievement, including''; and
(ii) by striking the period and inserting ``; and''; and
(D) by inserting after subparagraph (F) the following:
``(G) individuals with other barriers to educational achievement, as determined by the State.'';
(11) by inserting after paragraph (27) (as so redesignated) the following:
``(28) Supportive services.--The term `supportive services' means services such as transportation, child care, dependent care, and needs-based payments, that are necessary to enable an individual to participate in activities authorized under this Act.'';
(12) in paragraph (29) (as so redesignated), by striking
``section 2'' and inserting ``section 2(a)(4)'';
(13) in paragraph (30) (as so redesignated)--
(A) by inserting ``of subsection (a)'' after ``paragraph
(2)''; and
(B) by striking ``paragraph (5)(A) of such section'' and inserting ``paragraph (5)(A) of such subsection''; and
(14) by amending paragraph (31)(A) (as so redesignated) to read as follows:
``(A) offer a sequence of courses that--
``(i) provides individuals with the rigorous and challenging academic and technical knowledge and skills the individuals need to prepare for further education and for careers (other than careers requiring a master's or doctoral degree) in current or emerging employment sectors;
``(ii) may include the provision of skills or courses necessary to enroll in a sequence of courses that meet the requirements of this subparagraph; and
``(iii) provides, at the postsecondary level, for a 1-year certificate, an associate degree, or industry-recognized credential; and''.
SEC. 4. TRANSITION PROVISIONS.
Section 4 (20 U.S.C. 2303) is amended--
(1) by striking ``the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Education Act'' and inserting `` the `Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act of 1998'
''; and
(2) by striking ``the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Education Amendments of 1998'' and inserting ``the Vocational and Technical Education for the Future Act. Each eligible agency shall be assured 1 full fiscal year for transition, to plan for and implement the requirements of this Act''.
SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
Section 8 (20 U.S.C. 2307) is amended to read as follows:
``SEC. 8. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
``There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act (other than subsection (a), (b), and (c) of section 114, and sections 117 and 118) $1,307,000,000 for fiscal year 2006 and such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal years 2007 through 2011.''.
SEC. 6. PROHIBITIONS.
(a) In General.--The Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act of 1998 (20 U.S.C. 2301 et seq.) is amended by adding after section 8 the following new section:
``SEC. 9. PROHIBITIONS.
``(a) Local Control.--Nothing in this Act shall be construed to authorize an officer or employee of the Federal government to mandate, direct, or control a State, local educational agency, or school's curriculum, program of instruction, or allocation of State or local resources, or mandate a State or any subdivision thereof to spend any funds or incur any costs not paid for under this Act.
``(b) No Preclusion of Other Assistance.--Any State that declines to submit an application to the Secretary for assistance under this Act shall not be precluded from applying for assistance under any other program administered by the Secretary.
``(c) Prohibition on Requiring Federal Approval or Certification of Standards.--Notwithstanding any other provision of Federal law, no State shall be required to have academic and vocational and technical content or student academic and vocational and technical achievement standards approved or certified by the Federal government, in order to receive assistance under this Act.
``(d) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this section shall be construed to affect the requirements under section 113.''.
(b) Table of Contents Amendment.--The table of contents in section 1(b) is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 8 the following:
``Sec. 9. Prohibitions.''.
SEC. 7. ALLOTMENT AND ALLOCATION TO STATES.
(a) Allotment for National Activities for 2006.--Section 111(a)(1) (20 U.S.C. 2321(a)(1)) is amended to read as follows:
``(1) Reservations.--From the sum appropriated under section 8 for each fiscal year, the Secretary shall reserve--
``(A) 0.12 percent to carry out section 115;
``(B) 1.50 percent to carry out section 116, of which--
``(i) 1.25 percent of the sum shall be available to carry out section 116(b); and
``(ii) 0.25 percent of the sum shall be available to carry out section 116(h); and
``(C) 0.54 percent to carry out section 114(d).''.
(b) Minimum Allotments.--Section 111(a) (20 U.S.C. 2321(a)) is further amended--
(1) in paragraph (3), by striking ``(or in the case of fiscal year 1999'' and all that follows through ``Amendments of 1998)'' each place it appears and inserting ``(or in the case of fiscal year 2006 only, under this section and under title II of this Act, as such section and title were in effect on the day before the date of enactment of the Vocational and Technical Education for the Future Act)''; and
(2) by amending paragraph (4)(A) to read as follows:
``(A) In general.--No State shall receive an allotment under this section for a fiscal year that is less than the allotment the State received for fiscal year 2005 under this section and under title II of this Act (as such section and title were in effect on the day before the date of enactment of the Vocational and Technical Education for the Future Act).''.
(c) Within State Allocation.--Section 112 (20 U.S.C. 2322) is amended--
(1) by amending subsection (a) to read as follows:
``(a) Allocation Formula.--From the amount allotted to each State under section 111 for a fiscal year, the State board
(hereinafter referred to as the `eligible agency') shall allocate such amount as follows:
``(1) Subject to paragraph (4), not less than 88 percent shall be made available for distribution under section 131 or 132, of which the eligible agency shall first make available for the activities described in section 135(b)(3) not less than the amount allotted in fiscal year 2005 to such eligible agency under title II of this Act (as such title was in effect on the day before the date of enactment of the Vocational and Technical Education for the Future Act), reduced by the percentage by which the amount allotted to the State under section 111 for the fiscal year is less than the amount allotted under such section to such State for fiscal year 2005. Of the remainder of the 88 percent, not more than 10 percent may be used in accordance with subsection (c).
``(2) Subject to paragraph (4), not more than 10 percent shall be made available to carry out State leadership activities described in section 124, of which--
``(A) an amount equal to not more than 1 percent of the amount allotted to the State under section 111 for the fiscal year shall be made available to serve individuals in State institutions, such as State correctional institutions and institutions that serve individuals with disabilities; and
``(B) not less than $60,000 and not more than $150,000 shall be available for services that prepare individuals for nontraditional fields.
``(3) An amount equal to not more than 2 percent, or
$250,000, whichever is greater, shall be made available for administration of the State plan, which may be used for the costs of--
``(A) developing the State plan;
``(B) reviewing the local plan;
``(C) monitoring and evaluating program effectiveness;
``(D) assuring compliance with all applicable Federal laws; and
``(E) providing technical assistance.
``(4) If the amount allocated for any fiscal year under paragraph (2) shall be less than the amount allocated under such paragraph for fiscal year 2005, additional amounts may be made available from the amount allocated under paragraph
(1) for the purposes described in paragraph (2). If such additional amounts are made available under this paragraph, the percentage of the total amount allotted under section 111 that is allocated for the purposes described in paragraph (2) shall not exceed the percentage of the total amount allotted under section 111 for fiscal year 2005 that was allocated under paragraph (2) for fiscal year 2005.''; and
(2) in subsection (c)--
(A) in paragraph (1)--
(i) in subparagraph (B), by striking the semicolon and inserting ``; and'';
(ii) in subparagraph (C), by striking ``; and'' and inserting a period; and
(iii) by striking subparagraph (D); and
(B) in paragraph (2), by striking ``through (D)'' and inserting ``through (C)''.
SEC. 8. ACCOUNTABILITY.
(a) Purpose.--Section 113(a) (20 U.S.C. 2323(a)) is amended--
(1) by striking ``establish a State'' and inserting
``support a State and local''; and
(2) by inserting ``and its eligible recipients'' after
``effectiveness of the State''.
(b) State Performance Measures.--Section 113(b) (20 U.S.C. 2323(b)) is amended--
(1) in paragraph (2)--
(A) by redesignating subparagraphs (B) through (D) as subparagraphs (C) through (E), respectively;
(B) in subparagraph (A)--
(i) in the subparagraph heading, by inserting ``for secondary students'' after ``performance'';
(ii) by inserting ``of secondary students that are, to the extent practicable, valid and reliable and'' after
``indicators of performance'';
(iii) in clause (i), by striking ``State established academic,'' and inserting ``academic content and achievement standards, as established by the State under section 1111(b)(1) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6311(b)(1)),'';
(iv) in clause (ii)--
(I) by striking ``or its recognized equivalent,'' and inserting ``, General Education Development credential (GED), or other State-recognized equivalent (including recognized alternative standards for individuals with disabilities), or''; and
(II) by striking ``, or a postsecondary degree or credential'';
(v) by amending clause (iii) to read as follows:
``(iii) Student graduation rates (as described in section 1111(b)(2)(C)(vi) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6311(b)(2)(C)(vi))).'';
(vi) by redesignating clause (iv) as clause (v) and inserting after clause (iii) the following:
``(iv) Placement in postsecondary education or advanced training, placement in military service, or placement in employment.''; and
(vii) in clause (v) (as so redesignated), by striking
``training and employment'' and inserting ``fields'';
(C) by inserting after subparagraph (A) the following:
``(B) Core indicators of performance for postsecondary students.--Each eligible agency shall identify in the State plan core indicators of performance of postsecondary students that are, to the extent practicable, valid and reliable, and that include, at a minimum, measures of each of the following:
``(i) Student attainment of challenging academic and vocational and technical skill proficiencies.
``(ii) Student retention in postsecondary education, attainment of an associate degree or postsecondary credential, or transfer to a baccalaureate degree program.
``(iii) Placement in military service or placement or retention in employment.
``(iv) Student participation in and completion of vocational and technical education programs in nontraditional fields.'';
(D) in subparagraph (C) (as so redesignated), by striking
``under the title'' and inserting ``under this title''; and
(E) in subparagraph (D) (as so redesignated), by inserting
``vocational and technical education'' after ``has developed State''; and
(2) in paragraph (3)--
(A) by amending the paragraph heading to read as follows:
``(3) State levels of performance.--''; and
(B) in subparagraph (A)--
(i) in clause (i)--
(I) by striking ``paragraph (2)(A)'' and inserting
``subparagraphs (A) and (B) of paragraph (2)''; and
(II) in subclause (II), by striking ``to continually'' and all that follows through ``performance'', and inserting ``to make continuous and substantial improvement in the academic and vocational and technical achievement'';
(ii) by amending clause (v) to read as follows:
``(v) Agreement on state adjusted levels of performance for subsequent years.--
``(I) 3rd and 4th program years.--Prior to the third program year covered by the State plan, the Secretary and each eligible agency shall reach agreement on the State adjusted levels of performance for each of the core indicators of performance for the third and fourth programs years covered by the State plan, taking into account the factors described in clause (vi).
``(II) 5th and 6th program years.--Prior to the fifth program year covered by the State plan, the Secretary and each eligible agency shall reach agreement on the State adjusted levels of performance for each of the core indicators of performance for the fifth and sixth programs years covered by the State plan, taking into account the factors described in clause (vi).
``(III) Agreements incorporated into state plan.--The State adjusted levels of performance agreed to under this clause shall be considered the State adjusted levels of performance for the State for such years and shall be incorporated into the State plan.'';
(iii) in clause (vi)(II), by inserting ``and substantial'' after ``continuous''; and
(iv) in clause (vii)--
(I) by striking ``clause (vi)(II)'' and inserting ``clause
(vi)''; and
(II) by striking ``under clause (iii) or (vi)'' and inserting ``under clause (iii) or (v)''.
(c) Local Levels of Performance.--Section 113(b) is further amended by adding at the end the following:
``(4) Local levels of performance.--
``(A) Local adjusted levels of performance for core indicators of performance.--
``(i) In general.--Each eligible recipient shall establish in the local plan submitted under section 134, levels of performance for each of the core indicators of performance described in paragraph (2)(A) and (B), as appropriate for the eligible recipient, for vocational and technical education activities authorized under this title. The levels of performance established under this subparagraph shall, at a minimum--
``(I) be expressed in a percentage or numerical form, so as to be objective, quantifiable, and measurable; and
``(II) require the eligible recipient to make continuous and substantial improvement in the academic and vocational and technical achievement of vocational and technical education students.
``(ii) Identification in the local plan.--Each eligible recipient shall identify, in the local plan submitted under section 134, levels of performance for each of the core indicators of performance for the first 2 program years covered by the local plan.
``(iii) Agreement on local adjusted levels of performance for first 2 years.--The eligible agency and each eligible recipient shall reach agreement on the levels of performance for each of the core indicators of performance, for the first 2 program years covered by the local plan, taking into account the levels identified in the local plan under clause
(ii) and the factors described in clause (v). The levels of performance agreed to under this clause shall be considered to be the local adjusted level of performance for the eligible recipient for such years and shall be incorporated into the local plan prior to the approval of such plan.
``(iv) Agreement on local adjusted levels of performance for subsequent years.--
``(I) 3rd and 4th program years.--Prior to the third program year covered by the local plan, the eligible agency and each eligible recipient shall reach agreement on the local adjusted levels of performance for each of the core indicators of performance for the third and fourth program years covered by the local plan, taking into account the factors described in clause (v).
``(II) 5th and 6th program years.--Prior to the fifth program year covered by the local plan, the eligible agency and each eligible recipient shall reach agreement on the local adjusted levels of performance for each of the core indicators of performance for the fifth and sixth program years covered by the local plan, taking into account the factors described in clause (v).
``(III) Agreements incorporated into local plan.--The local adjusted levels of performance agreed to under this clause shall be considered to be the local adjusted levels of performance for the eligible recipient for such years and shall be incorporated into the local plan.
``(v) Factors.--The agreement described in clause (iii) or
(iv) shall take into account--
``(I) how the levels of performance involved compare with the local adjusted levels of performance established for other eligible recipients taking into account factors including the characteristics of participants when the participants entered the program and the services or instruction to be provided; and
``(II) the extent to which such levels of performance promote continuous and substantial improvement on the indicators of performance by such eligible recipient.
``(vi) Revisions.--If unanticipated circumstances arise with respect to an eligible recipient resulting in a significant change in the factors described in clause (v), the eligible recipient may request that the local adjusted levels of performance agreed to under clause (iii) or (iv) be revised. The eligible agency shall issue objective criteria and methods for making such revisions.
``(B) Levels of performance for additional indicators.--Each eligible recipient may identify in the local plan, local levels of performance for any additional indicators of performance. Such levels shall be considered to be the local levels of performance for purposes of this title.
``(C) Local report.--
``(i) Content of report.--Each eligible recipient that receives an allotment under section 111 shall annually prepare and submit to the eligible agency a report regarding--
``(I) the progress of such recipient in achieving the local adjusted levels of performance on the core indicators of performance; and
``(II) in the case of an eligible recipient that receives funds described in section 112(a) for activities described in section 135(b)(3), the progress in achieving the local adjusted levels of performance on the core indicators of performance with respect to tech-prep program participants.
``(ii) Data.--Each eligible recipient shall--
``(I) disaggregate data for each of the indicators of performance under section 113(b)(2) for the categories of students enumerated under section 1111(b)(2)(C)(v)(II) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 that are served under this Act; and
``(II) identify and quantify any disparities or gaps in performance between any such category of students and the performance of all students served by the eligible recipient under the Act.
``(iii) Rules for reporting of data.--The disaggregation of data under clause (ii) shall be required except in a case in which the number of students in a category is insufficient to yield statistically reliable information or in which the results would reveal personally identifiable information about an individual student.
``(iv) Availability.--The report described in clause (i) shall be made available to the public through a variety of formats, including electronically through the Internet.''.
(d) State Report.--Section 113(c) (20 U.S.C. 2323(c)) is amended--
(1) by redesignating paragraphs (2) and (3) as paragraphs
(4) and (5), respectively, and inserting after paragraph (1) the following:
``(2) Data.--Each eligible agency under this subsection shall--
``(A) disaggregate data for each of the indicators of performance under section 113(b)(2) for the categories of students enumerated under section 1111(b)(2)(C)(v)(II) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 that are served under this Act; and
``(B) identify and quantify any disparities or gaps in performance between any such category of students and the performance of all students served by the eligible agency under the Act.
``(3) Rules for reporting of data.--The disaggregation of data under paragraph (2) shall be required except in a case in which the number of students in a category is insufficient to yield statistically reliable information or in which the results would reveal personally identifiable information about an individual student.''; and
(2) in paragraph (4) (as so redesignated)--
(A) by striking ``special populations'' and inserting
``each of the populations described in section 3(25) and the populations described in section 1111(h)(1)(C)(i) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6311(h)(1)(C)(i))''; and
(B) by striking ``have made'' and inserting ``has made''.
SEC. 9. NATIONAL ACTIVITIES.
(a) Program Performance Information.--Section 114(a)(3) (20 U.S.C. 2324(a)(3)) is amended by inserting ``in the aggregate'' after ``international comparisons''.
(b) Evaluation and Assessment.--Section 114(c) (20 U.S.C. 2324(c)) is amended--
(1) by amending paragraph (2) to read as follows:
``(2) Independent advisory panel.--The Secretary shall appoint an independent advisory panel, consisting of academic and vocational and technical education educators, administrators, experts in evaluation, research, and assessment, representatives of labor organizations, businesses, parents, guidance and counseling professionals, and other individuals with relevant expertise, to advise the Secretary on the implementation of the assessment described in paragraph (3), including the issues to be addressed and the methodology of the studies involved to ensure the assessment adheres to the highest standards of quality. The advisory panel shall transmit to the Secretary and to Congress an independent analysis of the findings and recommendations resulting from such assessment. The Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) shall not apply to the panel established under this subsection.'';
(2) in paragraph (3)--
(A) in subparagraph (A), by inserting ``the implementation of the'' after ``and assessment of'';
(B) in subparagraph (B)--
(i) by inserting ``but shall not be limited to'' after
``paragraph (1) shall include'';
(ii) by striking clauses (i), (ii), (iv), and (vii) and redesignating clauses (iii), (v), (vi), and (viii) as clauses
(i) through (iv), respectively;
(iii) in clause (i) (as so redesignated), by striking ``, and academic, curricula in vocational and technical education programs,'' and inserting ``education (such as meeting State established teacher certification or licensing requirements)''; and
(iv) in clause (ii) (as so redesignated)--
(I) by striking ``and employment outcomes'' and all that follows through ``including analyses of'' and inserting ``and vocational and technical education achievement and employment outcomes of vocational and technical education students, including analyses of'';
(II) in subclause (I), by striking ``and tech-prep students'' and inserting ``and students participating in the activities described in section 135(b)(3)'';
(III) in subclause (II), by striking ``academic, and vocational and technical, education'' and inserting
``rigorous and challenging academic and vocational and technical education, including a review of the effect of integrated rigorous and challenging academic and vocational and technical education on the achievement of students''; and
(IV) in subclause (III), by inserting ``, particularly those in which math and science skills are critical,'' after
``high-skill careers''; and
(C) in subparagraph (C)--
(i) in clause (i)--
(I) by striking ``the Committee on Education and the Workforce of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Labor and Human Resources of the Senate'' and inserting
``Congress''; and
(II) by striking ``2002'' and inserting ``2009'' both places it appears; and
(ii) in clause (ii), by striking ``the Committee on Education and the Workforce of the House of Representatives, the Committee on Labor and Human Resources of the Senate,'' and inserting ``Congress'';
(3) in paragraph (5)(A)--
(A) by striking ``to carry out research'' each place it appears, and inserting ``to carry out scientifically based research'';
(B) in clause (i), by inserting ``scientifically based'' after ``programs, including'';
(C) in clause (ii), by inserting ``that are integrated with rigorous and challenging academic education'' after
``implementation of vocational and technical education programs''; and
(D) in clause (iii)(I), by inserting ``and the integration of those systems with the academic education system'' after
``technical education systems'';
(4) in paragraph (6)--
(A) by striking:
``(6) Demonstrations and dissemination.--
``(A) Demonstration program.--The'', and inserting:
``(6) Demonstrations and dissemination.--The''; and
(B) by striking subparagraph (B); and
(5) in paragraph (8), by striking ``this section'' and all that follows and inserting ``subsections (a), (b), and (c) of this section, such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal years 2006 through 2011.''
(c) Incentive Grants for Eligible Agencies.--Section 114 is further amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:
``(d) Incentive Grants for Eligible Agencies.--
``(1) In general.--From funds reserved under section 111(a)(1)(C), the Secretary may award grants to eligible agencies for exemplary performance in carrying out programs under this Act. Such awards shall be based on an eligible agency exceeding State adjusted levels of performance established under section 113(b) and showing sustained or significant improvement.
``(2) Special consideration.--In awarding these grants, the Secretary may consider--
``(A) an eligible agency's success in effectively developing connections between secondary education and postsecondary education and training;
``(B) an eligible agency's integration of rigorous and challenging academic and technical coursework; and
``(C) an eligible agency's progress in having special populations participating in vocational and technical education meet State adjusted levels of performance.
``(3) Use of funds.--The funds awarded to an eligible agency under this subsection may be used to carry out any activities authorized under section 124, including demonstrations of innovative programs.''. SEC. 10. OUTLYING AREAS, NATIVE AMERICAN PROGRAMS, AND
TRIBALLY CONTROLLED INSTITUTIONS.
(a) Assistance for the Outlying Areas.--Section 115 (20 U.S.C. 2325) is amended to read as follows:
``SEC. 115. ASSISTANCE FOR THE OUTLYING AREAS.
``(a) Outlying Areas.--From funds reserved pursuant to section 111(a)(1)(A), the Secretary shall--
``(1) make a grant in the amount of $660,000 to Guam;
``(2) make a grant in the amount of $350,000 to each of American Samoa and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands; and
``(3) make a grant in the amount of $160,000 to the Republic of Palau.
``(b) Remainder.--Subject to the provisions of subsection
(a), the Secretary shall make a grant of the remainder of funds reserved pursuant to section 111(a)(1)(A), in equal proportion, to each of Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, for the purpose of providing direct vocational and technical educational services, including--
``(1) teacher and counselor training and retraining;
``(2) curriculum development; and
``(3) the improvement of vocational and technical education and training programs in secondary schools and institutions of higher education, or improving cooperative education programs involving both secondary schools and institutions of higher education.
``(c) Restriction.--The Republic of Palau shall cease to be eligible to receive funding under this section upon entering into an agreement for extension of United States educational assistance under the Compact of Free Association after the date of enactment of the Vocational and Technical Education for the Future Act.''.
(b) Native American Program.--Section 116 (20 U.S.C. 2326) is amended--
(1) in subsection (a), by inserting a period at the end of paragraph (5); and
(2) in subsection (b)--
(A) in paragraph (1), by striking ``subsection (d)'' and inserting ``subsection (c)''; and
(B) in paragraph (2), by striking ``(other than in subsection (i))''.
(c) Tribally Controlled Institutions.--Section 117 (20 U.S.C. 2327) is amended--
(1) by amending subsection (b) to read as follows:
``(b) Uses of Grants.--Amounts made available under this section shall be used for vocational and technical education programs for Indian students and for institutional support costs of the grant, including the expenses described in subsection (e).'';
(2) in subsection (c), by inserting after paragraph (2) the following:
``(3) Indirect costs.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law or regulation, the Secretary shall not require the use of a restricted indirect cost rate for grants issued under this section.'';
(3) by striking subsection (g) and redesignating subsections (h) and (i) as subsections (g) and (h), respectively; and
(4) in subsection (h) (as so redesignated)--
(A) by striking ``$4,000,000 for fiscal year 1999 and''; and
(B) by striking ``the 4 succeeding fiscal years'' and inserting ``fiscal years 2006 through 2011''.
(d) Occupational and Employment Information.--Section 118
(20 U.S.C. 2328) is amended--
(1) by amending subsection (b) to read as follows:
``(b) State Level Activities.--
``(1) Designated entity.--In order for a State to receive a grant under this section, the eligible agency and the Governor of the State shall jointly designate an entity in the State responsible for conducting the activities in this subsection.
``(2) Application.--The jointly designated agency shall submit an application to the Secretary at the same time the State submits its state plan under section 122. The application shall be in such a manner and be accompanied by such information as the Secretary may reasonably require. At a minimum, the application shall describe how the jointly designated agency will assist the eligible agency in meeting its adjusted levels of performance under section 113(b).
``(3) Activities.--The jointly designated agency shall conduct activities--
``(A) to provide support for career guidance and academic counseling programs designed to promote improved career and education decision making by students (and parents, as appropriate) regarding education and training options and preparations for high skill, high wage occupations;
``(B) to make available to students, parents, teachers, administrators, and counselors, and improve accessibility to, information and planning resources that relate academic and vocational and technical educational preparation to career goals and expectations;
``(C) to equip teachers, administrators, and counselors with the knowledge, skills, and occupational information needed to assist students and parents with educational and other postsecondary opportunities and education financing;
``(D) to assist appropriate State entities in tailoring resources and training for use by such entities;
``(E) to improve coordination and communication among administrators and planners of programs authorized by this Act and by section 15 of the Wagner-Peyser Act (29 U.S.C. 49l-2) at the Federal, State, and local levels to ensure nonduplication of efforts and the appropriate use of shared information and data; and
``(F) to provide ongoing means for customers, such as students and parents, to provide comments and feedback on products and services and to update resources, as appropriate, to better meet customer requirements.'';
(2) in subsection (e)(1), by striking ``an identification'' and inserting ``a description''; and
(3) in subsection (f), by striking ``1999 through 2003'' and inserting ``2006 through 2011''.
SEC. 11. STATE ADMINISTRATION.
Section 121 (20 U.S.C. 2341) is amended to read as follows:
``SEC. 121. STATE ADMINISTRATION.
``(a) Eligible Agency Responsibilities.--The responsibilities of an eligible agency under this title shall include--
``(1) coordination of the development, submission, and implementation of the State plan, and the evaluation of the program, services, and activities assisted under this title, including preparation for nontraditional fields;
``(2) consultation with the Governor and appropriate agencies, groups, and individuals including parents, students, teachers, representatives of businesses, labor organizations, eligible recipients, State and local officials, and local program administrators, involved in the planning, administration, evaluation, and coordination of programs funded under this title;
``(3) convening and meeting as an eligible agency
(consistent with State law and procedure for the conduct of such meetings) at such time as the eligible agency determines necessary to carry out the eligible agency's responsibilities under this title, but not less than four times annually; and
``(4) the adoption of such procedures as the eligible agency considers necessary to--
``(A) implement State level coordination with the activities undertaken by the State boards under section 111 of Public Law 105-220; and
``(B) make available to the service delivery system under section 121 of Public Law 105-220 within the State a listing of all school dropout, postsecondary, and adult programs assisted under this title.
``(b) Exception.--Except with respect to the responsibilities set forth in subsection (a), the eligible agency may delegate any of the other responsibilities of the eligible agency that involve the administration, operation, supervision of activities assisted under this title, in whole or in part, to one or more appropriate State agencies.''.
SEC. 12. STATE PLAN.
Section 122 (20 U.S.C. 2342) is amended--
(1) in subsection (a)--
(A) in paragraph (1), by striking ``5-year period'' and inserting ``6-year period'';
(B) in paragraph (2)(B), by striking ``5 year State plan'' and inserting ``6-year period''; and
(C) in paragraph (3), by striking ``(including employers, labor organizations, and parents)'' and inserting
``(including charter school authorizers and organizers, employers, labor organizations, parents, students, and community organizations)'';
(2) in subsection (b)(1), by striking ``teachers, eligible recipients, parents, students, interested community members'' and inserting ``academic and vocational and technical education teachers, eligible recipients, charter school authorizers and organizers, parents, students, interested community members (including parent and community organizations), institutions of higher education'';
(3) in subsection (c)--
(A) in paragraph (1)--
(i) by redesignating subparagraphs (A) through (D) as subparagraphs (B) through (E), respectively, and inserting before such subparagraphs (as so redesignated) the following:
``(A) the development of model sequences of courses for vocational and technical content areas that--
``(i) incorporate both secondary and postsecondary education elements;
``(ii) include rigorous and challenging academic content and vocational and technical content in a coordinated, nonduplicative progression of courses that align secondary education with postsecondary education to adequately prepare sudents to succeed in postsecondary education;
``(iii) lead to a postsecondary 1-year certificate, associate or baccalaureate degree, or a proficiency credential in conjunction with a secondary school diploma; and
``(iv) may be adopted by local educational agencies and postsecondary institutions to be offered as an option to students (and their parents as appropriate), when choosing future coursework;'';
(ii) in subparagraph (B) (as so redesignated), by inserting
``and how the eligible agency will distribute information identifying eligible recipients that offer elements of the model sequences of courses'' before the semicolon;
(iii) by amending subparagraph (C) (as so redesignated) to read as follows:
``(C) the criteria that will be used by the eligible agency to evaluate and approve eligible recipients for funds under this title, including criteria to assess the extent to which the local plan will promote continuous and substantial improvement in academic achievement and technical skill attainment;'';
(iv) in subparagraph (D) (as so redesignated)--
(I) by inserting ``, both academically and technically,'' after ``students''; and
(II) by striking ``; and'' and inserting ``, and how participating students will be made aware of such opportunities;'';
(v) in subparagraph (E) (as so redesignated), by inserting
``aligned with rigorous and challenging academic content'' before the semicolon; and
(vi) by inserting after subparagraph (E) (as so redesignated) the following:
``(F) the process through which the eligible agency will develop the secondary or postsecondary elements of the model sequences of courses described in subparagraph (A);
``(G) the role that any eligible recipients successfully implementing the activities described in section 135(b)(3) will play in assisting other eligible recipients in establishing agreements and plans for coordinating the offering of model sequences of courses to students at both the secondary and postsecondary levels;
``(H) how funds will be used effectively to link secondary and postsecondary academic and vocational and technical education in a manner that increases student academic and vocational and technical achievement; and
``(I) how the eligible agency will report the integration of rigorous and challenging academics in vocational and technical education programs in order to adequately evaluate the quality of such integration;'';
(B) by amending paragraph (2) to read as follows:
``(2) describes how comprehensive professional development
(including initial teacher preparation and activities that support recruitment) for vocational and technical, academic, guidance, and administrative personnel will be provided, especially professional development that--
``(A) promotes the integration of rigorous and challenging academic and vocational and technical education curriculum development;
``(B) increases the percentage of teachers that meet teacher certification or licensing requirements;
``(C) increases the academic and industry knowledge of vocational and technical education teachers; and
``(D) encourages applied learning that contributes to the academic and vocational and technical knowledge of the student;'';
(C) in paragraph (3), by inserting ``academic and vocational and technical'' after ``parents,'';
(D) in paragraph (5)(A)--
(i) by inserting ``(especially as pertaining to math, science, and technology)'' after ``academic and technical skills''; and
(ii) by striking ``core academic, and vocational and technical, subjects'' and inserting ``core academic subjects
(as defined in section 9101(11) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801(11))), and vocational and technical subjects'';
(E) in paragraph (11), by inserting ``and technology'' after ``equipment'';
(F) by striking paragraph (19) and redesignating paragraphs
(12) through (18) as paragraphs (13) through (19), respectively;
(G) by inserting after paragraph (11) the following:
``(12) describes how the eligible agency will ensure that any entity in the State that purchases equipment with funds under this Act will dispose of that equipment in such a manner as to ensure that any personally identifiable information contained in that equipment will be totally destroyed prior to, or as part of, the disposition;'';
(H) in paragraph (18) (as so redesignated), by striking
``training and employment'' and inserting ``fields''; and
(I) by redesignating paragraphs (20) and (21) as paragraphs
(22) and (23), respectively, and inserting after paragraph
(19) (as so redesignated) the following:
``(20) describes how the eligible agency will award grants, on a competitive basis or on the basis of a formula determined by the eligible agency, using funds described in section 112 (a) (1) for activities described in section 135(b)(3);
``(21) describes how the eligible agency will carry out measurable, sustainable, and coordinated tech-prep activities in the State (as described in section 135(b)(3)), with funds allocated under section 112(a), that are developed in consultation with the entities described in subsection (b)(1) and that effectively prepare students for post-secondary education or employment in high-demand occupations through a seamless program of study consisting of appropriate advanced academic and technical courses that include a minimum of 2 years of secondary school preceding graduation and a minimum of 2 years of higher education or an apprenticeship program of at least 2 years following secondary instruction;''; and
(4) by striking subsections (d) and (f) and redesignating subsection (e) as subsection (d).
SEC. 13. IMPROVEMENT PLANS.
Section 123 (20 U.S.C. 2343) is amended to read as follows:
``SEC. 123. IMPROVEMENT PLANS.
``(a) State Program Improvement.--
``(1) Plan.--If a State fails to meet the agreed upon State adjusted levels of performance required under section 113(b)(3), the eligible agency shall develop and implement a program improvement plan (with special consideration to performance gaps identified under section 113(c)(2)) in consultation with the appropriate agencies, individuals, and organizations for the first program year succeeding the program year in which the eligible agency failed to meet the State adjusted levels of performance, in order to avoid a sanction under paragraph (3).
``(2) Technical assistance.--If the Secretary determines that an eligible agency is not properly implementing the eligible agency's responsibilities under section 122, or is not making substantial progress in meeting the purposes of this Act, based on the State's adjusted levels of performance, the Secretary shall work with the eligible agency to implement improvement activities consistent with the requirements of this Act.
``(3) Subsequent action.--
``(A) In general.--If an eligible agency fails to meet the State adjusted levels of performance and the purposes of this Act, has not implemented an improvement plan as described in paragraph (1), has shown no improvement within 1 year after implementing an improvement plan as described in paragraph
(1), or has failed to meet the State adjusted levels of performance and the purposes of this Act for 2 or more consecutive years, the Secretary may, after notice and opportunity for a hearing, withhold from the eligible agency all, or a portion of, the eligible agency's allotment under this title.
``(B) Waiver for exceptional circumstances.--The Secretary may waive the sanction in subparagraph (A) due to exceptional or uncontrollable circumstances, such as a natural disaster or a precipitous and unforeseen decline in the financial resources of the State.
``(4) Funds resulting from reduced allotments.--
``(A) In general.--The Secretary shall use funds withheld under paragraph (3) for a State served by an eligible agency, to provide (through alternative arrangements) services and activities within the State to meet the purposes of this Act.
``(B) Redistribution.--If the Secretary cannot satisfactorily use funds withheld under paragraph (3), then the amount of funds retained by the Secretary as a result of a reduction in an allotment made under paragraph (3) shall be redistributed to other eligible agencies in accordance with section 111.
``(b) Local Program Improvement.--
``(1) Local evaluation.--Each eligible agency shall evaluate annually, using the local adjusted levels of performance described in section 113(b)(4), the vocational and technical education activities of each eligible recipient receiving funds under this title.
``(2) Plan.--
``(A) In general.--If, after reviewing the evaluation, the eligible agency determines that an eligible recipient is not making substantial progress in achieving the local adjusted levels of performance, or that an eligible recipient demonstrates under section 113(b)(4)(C) persistent or a widening of performance gaps between multiple categories of students served by the eligible recipient in comparison to all students in the State served under the Act, the eligible agency shall--
``(i) conduct an assessment of the educational needs that the eligible recipient shall address to overcome local performance deficiencies;
``(ii) enter into an improvement plan agreement with an eligible recipient based on the results of the assessment, for the first program year succeeding the program year in which the eligible recipient failed to meet the local adjusted levels of performance, which plan shall demonstrate how the local performance deficiencies will be corrected and include strategies for professional development and instructional and other programmatic innovations of demonstrated effectiveness, giving special consideration to performance gaps identified under section 113(b)(4)(C); and
``(iii) conduct regular evaluations of the progress being made toward reaching the local adjusted levels of performance as described in section 113(b)(4) and progress on implementing the improvement plan.
``(B) Consultation.--The eligible agency shall conduct the activities described in paragraph (2) in consultation with teachers, parents, other school staff, appropriate agencies, and other appropriate individuals and organizations.
``(3) Technical assistance.--If the eligible agency determines that an eligible recipient is not properly implementing the eligible recipient's responsibilities under section 134, or is not making substantial progress in meeting the purpose of this Act, based on the local adjusted levels of performance, the eligible agency shall provide technical assistance to the eligible recipient to assist such recipient in carrying out the improvement activities consistent with the requirements of this Act.
``(4) Subsequent action.--
``(A) In general.--If an eligible recipient fails to meet the local adjusted levels of performance as described in section 113(b)(4) and the purposes of this Act, has not implemented an improvement plan as described in paragraph
(2), has shown no improvement within 1 year after implementing an improvement plan as described in paragraph
(2), or has failed to meet the local adjusted levels of performance and the purposes of this Act for 2 or more consecutive years, the eligible agency may, after notice and opportunity for a hearing, withhold from the eligible recipient all, or a portion of, the eligible recipient's allotment under this title.
``(B) Waiver for exceptional circumstances.--The eligible agency may waive the sanction under this paragraph due to exceptional or uncontrollable circumstances such as a natural disaster or a precipitous and unforeseen decline in the financial resources of the State.
``(5) Funds resulting from reduced allotments.--The eligible agency shall use funds withheld under paragraph (4) to continue to provide (through alternative arrangements) services and activities in the area served by such recipient to meet the purpose of this Act.''.
SEC. 14. STATE LEADERSHIP ACTIVITIES.
Section 124 (20 U.S.C. 2344) is amended--
(1) in subsection (b)--
(A) in paragraph (1), by striking ``learning'' and inserting ``education'';
(B) in paragraph (2)--
(i) by inserting ``, and the required math and science education,'' after ``use of technology in vocational and technical education''; and
(ii) in subparagraph (B)--
(I) by inserting ``(including the math and science knowledge that provides a strong basis for such skills)'' after ``technical skills''; and
(II) by striking ``and telecommunications field'' and inserting ``fields, including nontraditional fields'';
(C) in paragraph (3)--
(i) by inserting ``at the secondary and postsecondary levels'' after ``academic, guidance, and administrative personnel'';
(ii) by redesignating subparagraphs (A) through (D) as subparagraphs (C) through (F), respectively, and inserting before such subparagraphs (as so redesignated) the following:
``(A) will provide inservice and preservice training for vocational and technical education teachers in the integration and use of rigorous and challenging academics with vocational and technical subjects;
``(B) are high quality, sustained, intensive, and classroom-focused in order to have a positive and lasting impact on classroom instruction and the teacher's performance in the classroom, and are not 1-day or short-term workshops or conferences;'';
(iii) in subparagraph (C) (as so redesignated)--
(I) by inserting ``scientifically based'' after ``based on''; and
(II) by striking ``; and'' and inserting a semicolon;
(iv) in subparagraph (D) (as so redesignated), by striking
``assist students in meeting'' and inserting ``improve student achievement in order to meet''; and
(v) by amending subparagraph (E) (as so redesignated) to read as follows:
``(E) will support education programs for teachers of vocational and technical education in public schools and other public school personnel who are involved in the direct delivery of educational services to vocational and technical education students to ensure that teachers and personnel--
``(i) stay current with the needs, expectations, and methods of industry;
``(ii) meet teacher certification or licensing requirements, especially in core academic subjects as defined in section 9101(11) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801(11));
``(iii) effectively develop integrated rigorous and challenging academic and vocational and technical education curriculum;
``(iv) develop a high level of academic and industry knowledge and skills necessary to provide effective instruction in vocational and technical education; and
``(v) effectively use applied learning that contributes to the academic and vocational and technical knowledge of the student; and'';
(D) in paragraph (4), by striking ``integration of academics'' and all that follows through ``core academic,'' and inserting ``provision of rigorous and challenging academics that are integrated with vocational and technical education to ensure achievement in the core academic subjects
(as defined in section 9101(11) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801(11))),'';
(E) in paragraph (5), by striking ``training and employment'' and inserting ``fields'';
(F) in paragraph (6), by inserting ``and complete a model sequence of courses, as described in section 122(c)(1)(A)'' after ``technical skills'';
(G) in paragraph (7), by striking ``; and'' and inserting a semicolon;
(H) in paragraph (8), by striking the period and inserting
``; and''; and
(I) by inserting after paragraph (8) the following:
``(9) technical assistance for eligible recipients.''; and
(2) in subsection (c)--
(A) by striking paragraph (1), and redesignating paragraphs
(2) through (10) as paragraphs (1) through (9), respectively, and paragraphs (11) and (12) as paragraphs (12) and (13), respectively;
(B) in paragraph (9) (as so redesignated), by inserting
``that prepare individuals academically and technically for current and emerging occupations in demand'' after
``education courses''; and
(C) by inserting after paragraph (9) (as so redesignated) the following:
``(10) awarding incentive grants to eligible recipients for exemplary performance in carrying out programs under this Act, which awards shall be based on--
``(A) eligible recipients exceeding challenging performance measures established under section 113(b) in a manner that reflects sustained or significant improvement;
``(B) eligible recipients effectively developing connections between secondary education and postsecondary education and training;
``(C) the adoption and integration of rigorous and challenging academic and technical coursework;
``(D) an eligible recipient's progress in having special populations participating in vocational and technical education programs meet local adjusted levels of performance; or
``(E) other factors relating to the performance of the eligible recipient under this Act as the eligible agency determines are appropriate;
``(11) providing for activities to support entrepreneurship education and training;''.
SEC. 15. DISTRIBUTION OF FUNDS TO SECONDARY SCHOOL PROGRAMS.
Section 131 (20 U.S.C. 2351) is amended--
(1) by striking subsection (a) and redesignating subsections (b) through (i) as subsections (a) through (h), respectively;
(2) in subsection (a) (as so redesignated)--
(A) in the subsection heading, by striking ``Special'' and
``for Succeeding Fiscal Years''; and
(B) by striking ``for fiscal year 2000 and succeeding fiscal years''; and
(3) in subsection (b) (as so redesignated)--
(A) by striking ``subsection (b)'' and inserting
``subsection (a)''; and
(B) by striking ``(42 U.S.C. 9902(2))'' and inserting ``(42 U.S.C. 9902(2)))''.
SEC. 16. ELIMINATION OF REDISTRIBUTION RULE.
Section 133 (20 U.S.C. 2353) is amended by striking subsection (b) and redesignating subsections (c) and (d) as subsections (b) and (c), respectively.
SEC. 17. LOCAL PLAN FOR VOCATIONAL AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION
PROGRAMS.
Section 134(b) (20 U.S.C. 2354(b)) is amended--
(1) in paragraph (2), by inserting ``and local'' after
``State'';
(2) in paragraph (3)--
(A) by redesignating subparagraphs (A) through (C) as subparagraphs (B) through (D), respectively, and inserting before such subparagraphs the following:
``(A) offer the appropriate courses of at least one of the model sequences of courses described in section 124(c)(1), as appropriate to the eligible recipient responsible for that element of the sequence;'';
(B) in subparagraph (B) (as so redesignated)--
(i) by inserting ``rigorous and challenging'' after
``integration of''; and
(ii) by inserting ``subjects (as defined by section 9101(11) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801(11)))'' after ``core academic''; and
(C) in subparagraph (D) (as so redesignated), by inserting
``rigorous and'' after ``taught to the same'';
(3) by redesignating paragraphs (4) through (10) as paragraphs (5) through (11), respectively, and inserting after paragraph (3) the following:
``(4) describe how comprehensive professional development
(including initial teacher preparation) for vocational and technical, academic, guidance, and administrative personnel will be provided that promotes the integration of rigorous and challenging academic and technical education (including curriculum development);'';
(4) in paragraph (5) (as so redesignated)--
(A) by inserting ``academic and vocational and technical'' after ``students,''; and
(B) by inserting ``(including the eligible recipients that offer elements of the model sequence of courses)'' after
``such individuals and entities''; and
(5) in paragraph (8) (as so redesignated)--
(A) in subparagraph (A), by striking ``; and'' and inserting a semicolon;
(B) in subparagraph (B), by inserting ``and'' after the semicolon; and
(C) by inserting after subparagraph (B) the following:
``(C) will provide activities to prepare special populations, including single parents and displaced homemakers, for high skill, high wage occupations that will lead to self-sufficiency;''.
SEC. 18. LOCAL USE OF FUNDS.
Section 135 (20 U.S.C. 2355) is amended--
(1) in subsection (b)--
(A) in paragraph (1), by striking ``to ensure learning in the core academic'' and inserting ``as established in the State-developed model sequences of courses described in section 122(c)(1)(A) to ensure learning in the core academic subjects (as defined by section 9101(11) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801(11)))'';
(B) by striking paragraph (8);
(C) by redesignating paragraphs (2) through (7) as paragraphs (4) through (9), respectively, and inserting after paragraph (1) the following:
``(2) link secondary vocational and technical education and postsecondary vocational and technical education, including offering model sequences of courses and implementing tech-prep programs consistent with the activities described in paragraph (3);
``(3) support tech-prep programs (if the eligible recipient receives the funds from the eligible agency under section 112(a)(1)) that--
``(A) are carried out under an articulation agreement between the participants in a consortium, which shall include--
``(i) a local educational agency, an intermediate educational agency or area vocational and technical education school serving secondary school students, or a secondary school funded by the Bureau of Indian Affairs; and
``(ii)(I) a nonprofit institution of higher education that offers--
``(aa) a 2- or 4-year degree program, or a 2-year certificate program, and is qualified as an institution of higher education pursuant to section 102 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1002) (except those institutions described in section 102(a)(1)(C) of such Act), including an institution receiving assistance under the Tribally Controlled College or University Assistance Act of 1978 (25 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.) and a tribally controlled postsecondary vocational and technical institution; or
``(bb) a 2-year apprenticeship program that follows secondary instruction, if such nonprofit institution of higher education is not prohibited from receiving assistance under part B of title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965
(20 U.S.C. 1071 et seq.) pursuant to the provisions of section 435(a)(3) of such Act (20 U.S.C. 1083(a)); or
``(II) a proprietary institution of higher education that offers a 2-year associate degree program and is qualified as an institution of higher education pursuant to section 102 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1002), if such proprietary institution of higher education is not subject to a default management plan required by the Secretary,
and may include nonprofit organizations that provide eligible recipients with technology and programs to enhance math and science skills, employers, and labor organizations;
``(B) consist of a minimum of 2 years of secondary school preceding graduation and a minimum of 2 years of higher education, or an apprenticeship program of at least 2 years, following secondary instruction;
``(C) meet academic standards developed by the State, including standards developed under section 1111 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6311) for secondary students, and support proficiency in mathematics, science, reading, writing, communications, and technologies;
``(D) are comprised of model sequences of courses that integrate rigorous and challenging academics and vocational and technical education;
``(E) provide technical preparation in a career field such as engineering technology; applied science; a mechanical, industrial, or practical art or trade; agriculture; health occupations; business; applied economics; advanced manufacturing; or other high-skill, high-wage, high-demand occupations as determined by the State;
``(F) use, if appropriate and available, work-based or worksite learning in conjunction with academic and vocational and technical education;
``(G) use educational technology and distance learning, as appropriate, to involve all the consortium partners more fully in the development and operation of programs;
``(H) facilitate and promote close working relationships among eligible recipients to ensure that programs within a geographic area are closely integrated with tech-prep program activities;
``(I) are sustainable and use performance indicator data, described in section 113, to inform program quality;
``(J) include academic and career counseling for participants that provides information to students (and parents, as appropriate) regarding tech-prep programs and supports student progress in completing tech-prep programs;
``(K) include in-service training for teachers that--
``(i) provides for joint training for teachers in tech-prep programs; and
``(ii) is designed to ensure that teachers and administrators stay current with the needs, expectations, and methods of business and all aspects of an industry; and
``(L) provide students with transferable credit between the consortium members, as described in subparagraph (A), and may include programs that allow secondary programs to be co-located on postsecondary campuses;'';
(D) in paragraph (5) (as so redesignated)--
(i) by inserting ``, and the related math and science education'' after ``use of technology in vocational and technical education'';
(ii) in subparagraph (B)--
(I) by inserting ``(including the math and science knowledge that provides a strong basis for such skills)'' after ``technical skills''; and
(II) by striking ``and telecommunications field'' and inserting ``fields''; and
(iii) in subparagraph (C)--
(I) by striking ``work'' and inserting ``collaborate''; and
(II) by inserting ``that improve the math and science knowledge of students'' after ``mentoring programs'';
(E) in paragraph (6) (as so redesignated)--
(i) by striking ``teachers,'' and inserting ``secondary and postsecondary teachers, instructors,''; and
(ii) in subparagraph (A), by striking ``in effective teaching skills based on research'' and inserting ``in effective integration of rigorous and challenging academic and vocational and technical education, in effective teaching skills based on scientifically based research''; and
(F) by inserting after paragraph (9) (as so redesignated) the following:
``(10) provide activities to prepare special populations, including single parents and displaced homemakers, for high skill, high wage occupations that will lead to self sufficiency.''; and
(2) in subsection (c)--
(A) in paragraph (2), by inserting ``, regarding the range of postsecondary options available, including for adult students who are changing careers or updating skills'' before the semicolon;
(B) in paragraph (5), by inserting ``, including the establishment and operation of special arrangements with industry partners that allow qualified industry professionals to serve as faculty in postsecondary programs'' before the semicolon;
(C) in paragraph (8), by striking ``aides'' and inserting
``aids and publications'';
(D) in paragraph (9), by inserting ``that address the integration of academic and vocational and technical education and'' after ``teacher preparation programs'';
(E) by redesignating paragraphs (10) through (14) as paragraphs (12) through (16), and paragraph (15) as paragraph
(19), respectively, and inserting after paragraph (9) the following:
``(10) to develop and expand postsecondary program offerings that are accessible by students, including the use of distance education;
``(11) to provide activities to support entrepreneurship education and training;'';
(F) in paragraph (12) (as so redesignated), by inserting
``, including development of new proposed model sequences of courses for consideration by the eligible agency and courses that prepare individuals academically and technically for current and emerging occupations that are in demand, and dual enrollment opportunities by which secondary vocational and technical education students could obtain postsecondary credit to count towards an associate or baccalaureate degree'' before the semicolon;
(G) by amending paragraph (16) (as so redesignated) to read as follows:
``(16) to support training in nontraditional fields;''; and
(H) by inserting after paragraph (16) (as so redesignated) the following:
``(17) to provide accurate information relating to the availability of supportive services available in an area served by the eligible recipient, and referral to such services, as appropriate;
``(18) to support the activities described in subsection
(b)(3); and''.
SEC. 19. REPEAL OF TECH-PREP EDUCATION ACT.
Title II (20 U.S.C. 2071 et seq.) is repealed.
SEC. 20. GENERAL PROVISIONS.
(a) Redesignation of Title III.--
(1) Redesignation.--Title III (20 U.S.C. 2391 et seq.) is amended--
(A) by striking section 318;
(B) by redesignating such title as title II of such Act; and
(C) by redesignating sections 311 through 317 as section 211 through 217 and sections 321 through 325 as sections 221 through 225, respectively.
(2) Table of contents amendment.--The table of contents in section 1(b) is amended--
(A) by striking the items relating to title III; and
(B) by amending the items relating to title II to read as follows:
``TITLE II--GENERAL PROVISIONS
``Part A--Federal Administrative Provisions
``Sec. 211. Fiscal requirements.
``Sec. 212. Authority to make payments.
``Sec. 213. Construction.
``Sec 214. Voluntary selection and participation.
``Sec. 215. Limitation for certain students.
``Sec. 216. Federal laws guaranteeing civil rights.
``Sec. 217. Participation of private school children and personnel.
``Part B--State Administrative Provisions
``Sec. 221. Joint funding.
``Sec. 222. Prohibition on use of funds to induce out-of-State relocation of businesses.
``Sec. 223. State administrative costs.
``Sec. 224. Limitation on Federal regulations.
``Sec. 225. Student assistance and other Federal programs.''.
(b) Fiscal Requirements.--Section 211(b) (20 U.S.C. 2391(b)) (as so redesignated) is amended by inserting after paragraph (2) the following:
``(3) Definition.--For purposes of this subsection, the term `preceding fiscal year' means the Federal fiscal year or the 12-month fiscal period used by a State for official reporting purposes, prior to the beginning of the Federal fiscal year in which funds are available for obligation by the Secretary.''.
(c) Participation of Private School Children and Personnel.--Section 217 (as so redesignated) is amended to read as follows:
``SEC. 217. PARTICIPATION OF PRIVATE SCHOOL CHILDREN AND
PERSONNEL.
``(a) Participation on Equitable Basis.--
``(1) In general.--To the extent consistent with the number of children in the school district of a local educational agency that is eligible to receive funds under this Act, or that serves the area in which a program assisted under this Act is located, who are enrolled in private nonprofit elementary schools and secondary schools, or, with respect to instructional or personnel training programs funded by an eligible agency, the local educational agency, after consultation with appropriate private school officials--
``(A) shall provide, on an equitable basis and as may be necessary, for the benefit of such children in such schools, secular, neutral, and nonideological services (or other benefits), materials, and equipment, including the participation of the teachers of such children (and other educational personnel serving such children) in training programs; or
``(B) if such services, materials, and equipment are not feasible or necessary in one or more such private schools (as determined by the local educational agency after consultation with the appropriate private school officials), shall provide such other arrangements as will assure equitable participation of such children in the purposes and benefits of this Act.
``(2) Application of requirements.--The requirements of this section relating to the participation of children, teachers, and other personnel serving such children shall apply to programs carried out under this Act by an eligible agency or local educational agency, whether directly or through grants to, or contracts with, other public or private agencies, institutions, or organizations.
``(b) Equal Expenditures.--
``(1) In general.--Expenditures for programs under subsection (a) shall be equal (consistent with the number of children to be served) to expenditures for programs under this Act for children enrolled in the public schools of the local educational agency.
``(2) Concentrated programs.--When funds available to a local educational agency under this Act are used to concentrate programs on a particular group, attendance area, or grade or age level, the local educational agency shall, after consultation with the appropriate private school officials, assure the equitable participation in both the purposes and benefits of such programs for children enrolled in private schools who are included within the group, attendance area, or grade or age level selected for such concentration, taking into account the needs of the individual children and other factors that relate to the expenditures referred to in paragraph (1).
``(c) Administrative Requirements.--
``(1) Funds, materials and equipment.--
``(A) Funds.--The control of funds expended under this section shall be administered by a public agency.
``(B) Materials and equipment.--The title to materials and equipment provided under this section, shall remain with a public agency for the uses and purposes provided in this Act
``(2) Provision of services.--Services provided under this Act shall be provided by employees of a public agency or through contract by such a public agency with a person, association, agency, organization, institution or corporation that, in the provision of such services, is independent of the private school and of any religious organizations, and such employment or contract shall be under the control and supervision of such a public agency. The funds utilized under this section shall not be commingled with State or local funds.
``(3) Timing and content of consultation.--The consultation required under this section shall include meetings of agency and private school officials and shall occur before the eligible agency and local educational agency makes any decision that affects the opportunities of eligible private school children to participate in programs under this Act. Such meetings shall include a discussion of service delivery mechanisms (including third party contractors) and shall continue throughout implementation and assessment of services under this Act.
``(d) Waiver and Bypass Procedures.--
``(1) State prohibition.--If an eligible agency or local educational agency is prohibited, by reason of any provision of law, from providing for the participation in programs of children enrolled in private elementary schools and secondary schools as required by subsections (a) through (c), the Secretary shall waive such requirements for the agency involved and shall arrange for the provision of services to such children through arrangements that shall be subject to the requirements of this section.
``(2) Failure to comply.--If the Secretary determines that an eligible agency or a local educational agency has substantially failed, or is unwilling, to provide for the participation on an equitable basis of children enrolled in private elementary schools and secondary schools as required by subsections (a) through (c), the Secretary may waive such requirements and shall arrange for the provision of services to such children through arrangements that shall be subject to the requirements of this section.
``(3) Payment from state allotment.--When the Secretary arranges for services under this subsection, the Secretary shall, after consultation with the appropriate public school and private school officials, pay the cost of such services, including the administrative costs of arranging for those services, from the appropriate allotment of the eligible agency under this Act.
``(4) Duration of determination.--Any determination by the Secretary under this section shall continue in effect until the Secretary determines that there will no longer be any failure or inability on the Act of the eligible agency or local educational agency to meet the requirements of subsections (a) through (c).
``(5) Review of determination.--The Secretary shall not take any final action under this section until the eligible agency and the local educational agency affected by such action have had an opportunity, for not less than 45 days after receiving written notice thereof, to submit written objections and to appear before the Secretary or the Secretary's designee to show cause why that action should not be taken.
``(e) Withholding of Allotment or Allocation.--Pending final resolution of any investigation or complaint that could result in a waiver under subsection (d)(1) or (d)(2), the Secretary may withhold from the allotment or allocation of the affected eligible agency or local educational agency the amount estimated by the Secretary to be necessary to pay the cost of services to be provided by the Secretary under such subsection.
``(f) Prior Determination.--Any bypass determination by the Secretary under Title I or Title IX of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 shall, to the extent consistent with the purposes of this Act, apply to programs under this Act until such determinations terminate or expire.''.
The Acting CHAIRMAN. No amendment to the committee amendment is in order except those printed in House Report 109-69. Each amendment may be offered only in the order printed in the report, by a Member designated in the report, shall be considered read, shall be debatable for the time specified in the report, equally divided and controlled by the proponent and an opponent, shall not be subject to amendment, and shall not be subject to a demand for division of the question.
It is now in order to consider amendment No. 1 printed in House Report 109-69.
Amendment No. 1 Offered by Mr. Castle
Mr. CASTLE. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.
The Acting CHAIRMAN. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
The text of the amendment is as follows:
Amendment No. 1 offered by Mr. Castle:
Page 10, line 23, strike ``not less than the amount allotted'' and insert ``an amount equal to the amount allotted''.
The Acting CHAIRMAN. Pursuant to House Resolution 254, the gentleman from Delaware (Mr. Castle) and a Member opposed each will control 7\1/
2\ minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Delaware (Mr. Castle).
Mr. CASTLE. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Before discussing the amendment, I, too, would like to thank all the staff who worked on this. We sit here and we say nice things about these bills, and I think that the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Woolsey) and I and others in the room who have worked on these bills know that without our staffs they simply would not be done in the same detail, the same execution. But all those on the committee who the gentleman from Ohio (Chairman Boehner) referred to I particularly thank. They do a great job on our Committee on Education and the Workforce. I am very grateful to them and to my staff who helped with this as well. It is the reason we get legislation, I think, that we can all pretty much agree to on the floor of the House of Representatives.
My amendment before us, Mr. Chairman, is very simple. It would make an important clarification to the underlying bill. As we have heard, H.R. 366 consolidates the funding streams of Tech-Prep and the basic State grant, but still requires States to fund Tech-Prep activities. I have worked with my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to draft this amendment that will clarify our intent. This amendment simply explains that Tech-Prep activities are held harmless to the amount that was appropriated to the Tech-Prep program in fiscal year 2005.
Evidence suggests that under current law, the Tech-Prep program has not worked as anticipated and designed. The intent of the program is for high schools and postsecondary institutions to draft agreements that allow for a nonduplicative, seamless transition for students.
The rationale behind consolidating the programs was to streamline the funding stream. We can all agree that Tech-Prep is an important component of technical and vocational education, which is what this amendment is intended to clarify by ensuring Tech-Prep activities are still funded. In order to prohibit the inadequacies of the past, H.R. 366 incorporates program improvements to ensure that Tech-Prep activities will include credit transfer agreements, ensuring that secondary vocational and technical education students can move easily into postsecondary education, a necessary exercise for those students who decide to go on to some form of postsecondary education or training.
I urge my colleagues to support my simple and technical amendment.
Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Chairman, I rise to clearly not oppose this amendment, and I claim the time in opposition, and I yield myself such time as I may consume. I would echo what the gentleman on the other side of the aisle have said about our good and wonderful staffs. I do not know what we would do without them, and I thank them very much, our wonderful staff and the Republican staff.
I want to thank, again, the chairman of my subcommittee, the gentleman from Delaware (Mr. Castle), for letting me work with him in a bipartisan way on this bill and for offering this amendment. As I noted in my opening statement, I do not think that merging Tech-Prep programs into the basic State grant is good policy, and I would prefer that this amendment allow proportional increases for Tech-Prep funding as overall funding increases, because as things get more expensive, it is pretty hard to flat fund. But I hope we will address this as the bill moves forward.
I need to say, though, that I appreciate the commitment of the gentleman from Delaware (Mr. Castle) to hold Tech-Prep funding harmless at the fiscal year 2005 level, and I do agree with his amendment.
Mr. Chairman, I am pleased to yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Kind).
(Mr. KIND asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)
Mr. KIND. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding me this time.
I too want to commend everyone on the committee and the staff in regards to the bipartisan process of bringing the vocational education bill to the floor for reauthorization. I think it is pretty self-
evident that those of us who do have career and tech colleges in our district understand the true value that they bring in preparing the workforce for the future, and the incredible involvement that they have in our community, the leadership that they provide, the economic development and spin-off opportunities that arise from them.
Just one example: we had before the Committee on Education and the Workforce a little bit earlier this year President Bill Ihlenfeldt, who is president of the Chippewa Valley Tech College in my congressional district in western Wisconsin. They have just launched and broken ground on a new nanotechnology center that they are moving forward on, clearly trying to advance the skills of our workers in the region on what could be the next ``new'' thing in regards to economic opportunities, job creation, cutting-edge science and engineering, and technological discoveries in this new nanotechnology center.
Every bill, as the chairman of the committee expressed, may not be a perfect bill; but this one is good. It could be better. This amendment makes it a little bit better, and I commend my colleague and friend from Delaware for offering the amendment to clarify the language that at least for the next fiscal year we will be looking at level funding for the Tech-Prep program.
During markup of the legislation in committee, the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Tierney) and I offered an amendment that would have restored and kept in tact the separate identity as well as the separate funding stream for the Tech-Prep program. We were not doing this just willy-nilly in support of the status quo, but we were doing it in response to those who have worked with the Tech-Prep program, the feedback that we were getting from outside organizations, and the leadership of the tech education system in the country, about the importance of maintaining Tech-Prep as a separate, distinct identity with a separate funding stream, which the Senate bill recognizes and is moving forward on.
They fear, as I do and others who supported the amendment in committee, that by removing it as a separate entity, by merging it into the general grant program, we are going to lose focus, lose attention, lose incentives for these programs to continue to function in the highly successful manner in which they have. I think, hopefully, we will have a chance to come back and address that issue in conference once the Senate completes their work.
But I would encourage my colleagues to support this amendment. I would encourage them to support the underlying bill. I think it is an important investment in regards to maintaining our ability to be creative and innovative as a society. Right now, we are just leaving too many students behind. There was a recent report submitted to Congress that showed that because of tuition increases and fees, with the cutbacks in financial aid programs at the Federal and State level, with the eroding value of the Pell grant, that 48 percent of low-income students are not going on to postsecondary education opportunities, whether it is a career or technical college, whether it is a 4-year college or university. In short, we are leaving too many students behind at the exact time when we cannot afford to leave anyone behind.
Just a few weeks ago, under the leadership of the gentleman from California (Chairman McKeon), some of us on the Education Committee had a chance to do an education tour of China. China is getting it. China is trying to propel themselves into the modern economy of the 21st century. This whole globalization that is going on and the trade debates that we have is not so much a race to the bottom with weak labor and environmental standards as it is a race to the top. And China is a country, having just come from there, that is not content at just being good at copying what we make and mass producing it. They want to be good at the cutting-edge research of technology and science and medicine, and they are making major investments in their education infrastructure today that we have never seen before.
They are graduating eight times the number of engineers that we are in our own country. Unless we are willing to accept a fate which may lead us to a less competitive position with countries like China and India that are making this conversion in regards to their education system, we need to recognize the value of a vocational and technical education system, the reauthorization of this bill, the higher education bill, which we will hopefully have an opportunity to bring up later in the year; and offer a new New Deal for the American people, for the workers and the students and our children by holding out hope and a promise that they will be able to develop the skills and the qualities that they need to survive and to succeed in what is a very integrated, competitive playing field throughout the world today.
This, I think, is an important and significant step to making that investment. Hopefully, through the work the Senate and the conference committee later this year will do, we will be able to improve some of the provisions in this bill to make it even better. But this amendment is worthy of support, the bill is worthy of bipartisan support, so that we can at least be moving in the right direction in regards to the global competition that we are all facing, but especially the students who are in the audience here today and the rest of our children, so that they know that they are going to have the ability to compete in a global marketplace.
Again, I commend the leadership on the committee for the work done on this bill, and I encourage support of the amendment and the underlying legislation.
{time} 1300
Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. CASTLE. Mr. Chairman, I urge the support of the amendment by everybody.
Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
The Acting CHAIRMAN (Mr. Culberson). The question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Delaware (Mr. Castle).
The amendment was agreed to.
The Acting CHAIRMAN. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 2 printed in House Report 109-69.
Amendment No. 2 Offered by Mr. Wu
Mr. WU. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.
The Acting CHAIRMAN. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
The text of the amendment is as follows:
Amendment No. 2 offered by Mr. Wu:
Page 56, line 15, strike ``paragraphs (12) through (13), respectively'' and insert ``paragraphs (13) and (14), respectively''.
Page 57, line 21, strike the quotation mark and period and insert:
``(12) support for initiatives to facilitate the transition of sub-baccalaureate career and technical education students into baccalaureate degree programs, including--
``(A) statewide articulation agreements between sub-baccalaureate degree granting career and technical postsecondary educational institutions and baccalaureate degree granting post-secondary educational institutions;
``(B) postsecondary dual and concurrent enrollment program;
``(C) academic and financial aid counseling; and
``(D) other initiatives to--
``(i) encourage the pursuit of a baccalaureate degree; and
``(ii) overcome barriers to participation in baccalaureate degree programs, including geographic and other barriers affecting rural students and special populations;''.
The Acting CHAIRMAN. Pursuant to House Resolution 254, the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Wu) and a Member opposed each will control 7\1/2\ minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Wu).
Mr. WU. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Chairman, we have heard much about America and Americans losing our competitive edge. In math and science, our fourth graders are among the best in the world. But, by their senior year in high school, they score near the bottom among all industrialized nations.
This problem is further exacerbated by the fact that only 68 percent of the young people who start high school as freshmen ultimately graduate. The rest drop out of high school at some time, and for minorities, the drop-out rate is considerably higher.
Our college drop-out rate is one of the highest in the world. The United States has dropped from first to fifth in the percentage of young adults with a college degree. Singapore has displaced in United States as the top economy in information technology competitiveness, and the number of patents awarded to Americans is declining.
Collectively, these are all indicators for concern about our global competitiveness as a people, and as an economy. More than ever, we need rigorous, relevant career and technical education programs to help students prepare for post secondary education, and to address the shortage of highly skilled workers necessary to meet the demands of a contemporary workforce. A skilled and flexible workforce is essential to building a strong and dynamic economy and to maintaining our country's ability to compete in this increasingly globalized economy.
I am very pleased to support H.R. 366, the Vocational Technical Education Act for the Future, because it does this through the promotion of a rigorous curriculum, innovative learning environments, and relevant course work and training.
However, as always, there is more to be done, and that is exactly what my amendment is aimed at. We must ensure that we do not leave career and technical education students behind a glass ceiling of lack of further training and education. We must encourage them to continue their training and education at a 4-year institution and hopefully continue on to a baccalaureate degree.
By 2010, 80 percent of all jobs in this Nation will require secondary and post-secondary education and training, as a prerequisite for a job that supports a middle-class lifestyle. It is important that we do all we can to encourage career and technical education students to continue their education and training at a college or university.
My amendment would do just that. Specifically, it would allow States to use funds under this bill to facilitate the transition of vocational and career education students into baccalaureate degree programs. This permissible use of activities would include Statewide agreements between career and technical schools, and colleges and universities to facilitate transfers of students, and to facilitate concurrent enrollment.
It would permit dual and concurrent enrollment programs between career and technical schools and baccalaureate-granting institutions. It would encourage the joining of academic and financial aid counseling, and it would also encourage other initiatives for the pursuit of a baccalaureate degree, including overcoming geographic and special populations barriers.
This language is contained in the Senate version of this bill. And I urge my colleagues to support this common sense amendment to H.R. 366.
Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. BOEHNER. Mr. Chairman, while I do not object to the gentleman's amendment, I would like to claim the time in opposition.
The Acting CHAIRMAN. Without objection, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Boehner) will control the time.
There was no objection.
Mr. BOEHNER. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Chairman, I support the amendment. Clearly those who take technical and vocational education programs ought to have the ability to take those credits and that time that they have invested in that program and be able to move on, if they choose, into, whether it is a 2-year school or a 4-year school.
What we have seen in the past, many students who were in vocational schools, technical schools, and who may have then decided to change their minds, did not have the ability to move on to get that 2-year degree or to get that certificate they may be looking for, or even a 4-
year degree. And I think that the articulation agreements that would be permissible under this bill, with the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Wu's) amendment, are growing from State to State.
I know in Ohio, all of the State-sponsored schools now have an articulation agreement, a transfer of credit policy, as well, which I think will help facilitate students who want to continue their education at various schools. And I think the allowable use of funds in this amendment will, in fact, help students all over the country, and I am pleased to support the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Wu's) amendment.
Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. WU. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Chairman, I want to thank the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Boehner) the Chairman, and the gentleman from Delaware (Mr. Castle) the chairman of the subcommittee, for their hard work on this bipartisan piece of legislation, and recognize the leadership of the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Woolsey) and for her hard work on this bill also.
The intent of this amendment is exactly as the chairman laid out. People develop further ambitions, and maybe perhaps change their goals in life, and we ought to make it as easy as possible for folks to pursue their dreams as broadly as they can.
Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. BOEHNER. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself the balance of our time.
Let me just thank the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Wu) for his amendment and thank him for working with us on this language. It is similar language to what is in the Senate bill. The gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Wu) is a valued member of our committee, and we have worked closely on a number of issues, and we are glad to support this amendment.
Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
The Acting CHAIRMAN. The question is on the amendment offered by the gentlewoman from Oregon (Mr. Wu).
The amendment was agreed to.
The Acting CHAIRMAN. It is now in order to consider Amendment No. 3 printed in House Report 109-69.
Amendment No. 3 Offered by Ms. Millender-McDonald
Ms. Millender-McDonald. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.
The Acting CHAIRMAN. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
The text of the amendment is as follows:
Amendment No. 3 offered by Ms. Millender-McDonald:
Page 68, line 17, strike `` paragraph (19)'' and insert
``paragraph (20)''.
Page 69, line 23, strike ``and'.'' and insert a semicolon.
Page 69, after line 23, insert the following:
``(19) for programs that assist in the training of automotive technicians in diesel retrofitting, hybrid, hydrogen, and alternative fuel automotive technologies; and''.
The Acting CHAIRMAN. Pursuant to House Resolution 254, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Millender-McDonald) and a Member opposed each will control 7\1/2\ minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Millender-
McDonald).
Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Chairman, today I am offering an amendment that establishes an automotive technicians workers training program and makes eligible this particular program under the Vocational and Technology Education for the Future Act, the use of funds for establishing curricula to train automotive technicians to work on hybrid, hydrogen and alternative fuel technologies for the new automobile fleets sold in the United States.
This amendment speaks to the true intent of the Perkins Act. It will graduate students into employable jobs that will have an immediate return on our educational system. Automotive technicians are in great demand. We need to educate the new generation of automotive workers so that they will be able to work on the new hybrid vehicles that are fast becoming a dominant part of the automotive marketplace.
The numbers speak for themselves, Mr. Chairman. In 2004, close to 90,000 hybrid vehicles were sold in the United States. Since the hybrid vehicles debut in the American market in 1999, U.S. hybrid sales have doubled every year. An estimated 10 percent of the 2 million mid-sized vehicles sold in 2006 will be hybrid vehicles.
By 2007, it is estimated that over 400,000 hybrid vehicles will be sold in the United States. The American public is willing to invest in automobiles that incorporate environmentally sound technology. Whether consumers are motivated by environmental concerns, such as the health of their children, by rising fuel costs that causes further dependence on foreign oil, or by a combination of the two, the car dealerships are consistently selling out the hybrid vehicles.
In order for this purchasing trend to continue, consumers need to be able to purchase hybrid automobiles with the knowledge that they are doing their part to help the environment along with the reassurance that they will be able to find high quality service. We need the work force to meet these new demands.
Currently the average age of automotive technicians is 50 years old. As the Department of Labor has projected, we will need almost 32,000 new automotive technicians a year for the next several years to service these new vehicles. Automotive technicians are high skilled, high wage and high demand.
In my home State of California alone the need for new highly skilled technicians will outpace supply by 42,750. The need for technicians is expected to increase by 18 percent in the next year. When this is added to an expected turnover rate of 34.5 percent, which is due to attrition, the true scope of educating new automotive technicians become apparent.
This is a much needed training program, and a much needed amendment, and I ask my colleagues to support the amendment.
Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. BOEHNER. Mr. Chairman, while I am not opposed to the amendment, I would like to claim the time in opposition to it.
The Acting CHAIRMAN. Without objection the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Boehner) will control the time.
There was no objection.
Mr. BOEHNER. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Chairman, I appreciate the gentlewoman's amendment. I appreciate her willingness to work with us on her amendment, to put it in a form that we think is acceptable. And while these activities are clearly allowed under the bill, the specific training that is outlined here, I think is, in fact, needed not only in her State of California, but all across the country, as we look at a lot of high skilled jobs that are out there, but yet no one to fill them.
And I think if you look at vocational and technical education in a broader sense is intended to help provide the type of skills necessary in today's economy. We think the gentlewoman has a good amendment.
Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Woolsey).
Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Chairman, I want to thank my colleague, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Millender-McDonald) for offering this very important amendment. We hear a lot of talk, especially with every increasing gas prices of the need for alternative automotive fuel technologies.
And we need to do more, because we are not developing the technologies nor the talent to develop the technologies. In fact, several Congresses ago, then Secretary Reich encouraged us to take more interest in high-tech automotive job training, noting then of the severe shortage of workers for the industry, and because cars and trucks are not simply machines, simply machines at that, we have to have a workforce of technicians who understand what is needed, or else we will all be in really big trouble, not just personally, but economically as a country.
{time} 1315
This amendment would ensure that regardless of changes in fuel technology, we will have the workforce we need; and I encourage my colleagues to support it.
Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Chairman, I thank the chairman, the ranking member, and all of the subcommittee chairs and ranking members for their support for this very needed amendment.
Mr. Chairman, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. BOEHNER. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
The Acting CHAIRMAN (Mr. Culberson). The question is on the amendment offered by the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Millender-McDonald).
The amendment was agreed to.
The Acting CHAIRMAN. There being no further amendments, the question is on the committee amendment in the nature of a substitute, as amended.
The committee amendment in the nature of a substitute, as amended, was agreed to.
The Acting CHAIRMAN. Under the rule, the Committee rises.
Accordingly, the Committee rose; and the Speaker pro tempore (Mr. Feeney) having assumed the chair, Mr. Culberson, Acting Chairman of the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, reported that that Committee, having had under consideration the bill (H.R. 366) to amend the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act of 1998 to strengthen and improve programs under that Act, pursuant to House Resolution 254, he reported the bill back to the House with an amendment adopted by the Committee of the Whole.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the rule, the previous question is ordered.
Is a separate vote demanded on the amendment to the committee amendment in the nature of a substitute adopted by the Committee of the Whole? If not, the question is on the amendment.
The amendment was agreed to.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on engrossment and third reading of the bill.
The bill was ordered to be engrossed and read a third time, and was read the third time.
Motion To Recommit Offered By Mr. George Miller of California
Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, I offer a motion to recommit.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is the gentleman opposed to the bill?
Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. I am, Mr. Speaker, in its present form.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Clerk will report the motion to recommit.
The Clerk read as follows:
Mr. George Miller of California moves to recommit the bill, H.R. 366, to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, with instructions to report the bill back to the House forthwith with the following amendment:
Page 8, line 20, strike the closed quotation mark and following period and insert the following:
``(e) Prohibition on Use of Funds for Propaganda.--Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, no funds authorized under this Act may be used--
``(1) to pay journalists or media commentators, or any organization owned or controlled by a journalist or media commentator, for publicity or propaganda purposes related to this Act, or any services related to such publicity or propaganda; or
``(2) for the production of any television or radio news segment or program related to this Act unless the segment or program includes a clear notification to the audience that the segment or program was prepared or funded by the Federal government.''.
Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California (during the reading). Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the motion be considered as read and printed in the Record.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from California?
There was no objection.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from California (Mr. George Miller) is recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, as Members have heard, the purpose of this amendment is to make sure that no monies expended under this act will be used to pay for propaganda by members of the media.
Specifically, my motion requires that the prepackaged news stories put together with Federal funds must be disclosed to viewers. This portion of the motion was offered as an amendment to the supplemental by Senator Byrd and was passed 98 to 0.
The motion also prohibits using public funds to pay journalists or media commentators to promote the views of the agency, which directly addresses the Armstrong Williams propaganda fiasco.
The Department of Education Inspector General recently issued a report that I requested that concludes that the Department squandered hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars in a contract with Ketchum Communications and a subcontract with media commentator Armstrong Williams.
Specifically, the Inspector General found that Department officials involved in the Armstrong Williams contract made poor management decisions, exercised poor judgment and oversight, and paid for work that did not reach its intended audience, and paid for work that the Department never received. The report notes that the covert editorial comments by Armstrong Williams in support of No Child Left Behind were specifically required by Department work orders, and confirmed by activity reports submitted by Mr. Williams.
In my view, the Federal Government was defrauded out of hundreds of thousands of dollars in this case. An even greater concern is this may not be an isolated case in the Department of Education. The Inspector General is preparing the release of a second report in coming weeks that will review a number of highly questionable activities regarding the use of propaganda by the Department of Education officials. We must stop this act of the abuse of taxpayer funds.
This motion to recommit is very simple. Members can vote for it and report the bill back to the House, and then we can pass the bill. It is a simple choice. Do we want to use education dollars for the education of our children, or do we want to use it for propaganda? This amendment says we shall not use it for propaganda; we shall not pay news commentators to engage in propaganda on behalf of the Department of Education.
Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Connecticut (Ms. DeLauro).
Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, covert propaganda has no place in our democracy. Today we encourage the formation of democracies in countries that have long suffered under the brutality of totalitarian regimes.
America ought to set an example that the governments of democratic societies do not resort to propagandizing and misinformation campaigns with taxpayer dollars. That is exactly what this administration has been doing.
The Education Department secretly paid conservative commentator Armstrong Williams $241,000 of taxpayer funds. The purpose? To promote the President's No Child Left Behind education law.
The administration has also paid two other columnists. They produced fake news reports to promote the President's controversial Medicare and marriage initiatives. The GAO has found these video news releases violate existing law.
The campaigns of misinformation share two things. They lead the public to believe that the conclusions are reached by independent voices when they are not. They advocate for a controversial piece of the administration's agenda that has failed to win public support.
This is a dangerous precedent. Our government's agenda should be able to stand on its own two feet. The President has said as much. This motion would end this undemocratic, un-American effort.
I urge my colleagues to support it.
Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for her support. Again, the choice is very simple here: whether or not at a time when education programs are being cut in the Federal budget that we passed last week, whether or not we will now decide not to use these hard-earned education dollars, hard-paid-for education dollars by the taxpayers that we represent to develop propaganda that they shall be restricted to the uses for which this program was passed, and that is the vocational education of our students in this country.
I urge the support of this motion.
Mr. BOEHNER. Mr. Speaker, I claim time in opposition to the motion to recommit.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Boehner) is recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. BOEHNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, the amendment that the Democrat leadership is talking about would not do a single thing to improve educational opportunities for American students.
The Democrat leadership amendment has nothing to do with the bipartisan legislation that is being debated on the floor today. It is a partisan cheap shot aimed at the administration. It really has no place in this bill.
When USA Today first reported on the Armstrong Williams contract in January, I immediately supported the gentleman from California's (Mr. George Miller) request for an independent investigation by the Education Department's Inspector General.
That investigation has taken place and the Inspector General has concluded that nothing illegal or unethical took place.
Now, what happened with respect to the Armstrong Williams contract was stupid; but passing laws to outlaw stupidity is not Congress' job.
Now, the new education Secretary has taken decisive action to ensure that what happened in the Armstrong Williams case does not happen again. But I think what we see here today is what I said earlier, a partisan cheap shot aimed at the administration. It does not belong in this bill. I urge my colleagues to reject the motion to recommit.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Without objection, the previous question is ordered on the motion to recommit.
There was no objection.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion to recommit.
The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that the noes appeared to have it.
Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clauses 8 and 9 of rule XX, this 15-minute vote on the motion to recommit will be followed by 5-minute votes on passage of H.R. 366, if ordered, and on motions to suspend the rules and agree to H. Con. Res. 127 and H. Res. 195.
The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--yeas 197, nays 224, not voting 12, as follows:
YEAS--197
AbercrombieAckermanAllenBacaBairdBaldwinBarrowBeanBecerraBerkleyBermanBerryBishop (GA)Bishop (NY)BlumenauerBorenBoswellBoucherBoydBrady (PA)Brown, CorrineButterfieldCappsCapuanoCardinCardozaCarnahanCarsonCaseChandlerClayCleaverClyburnConyersCooperCostaCostelloCramerCrowleyCuellarCummingsDavis (AL)Davis (CA)Davis (FL)Davis (IL)Davis (TN)DeFazioDeGetteDelahuntDeLauroDicksDingellDoggettDoyleEdwardsEmanuelEngelEshooEtheridgeEvansFarrFattahFilnerFordFrank (MA)GonzalezGordonGreen, AlGreen, GeneGrijalvaGutierrezHarmanHastings (FL)HersethHigginsHincheyHinojosaHoldenHoltHondaHooleyHoyerInsleeIsraelJackson (IL)Jackson-Lee (TX)JeffersonJohnson, E. B.Jones (OH)KanjorskiKapturKennedy (RI)KildeeKilpatrick (MI)KindKucinichLangevinLantosLarsen (WA)LeeLevinLewis (GA)LipinskiLofgren, ZoeLoweyLynchMaloneyMarkeyMarshallMathesonMatsuiMcCarthyMcCollum (MN)McDermottMcGovernMcIntyreMcKinneyMcNultyMeehanMeek (FL)Meeks (NY)MenendezMichaudMillender-McDonaldMiller (NC)Miller, GeorgeMollohanMoore (KS)Moore (WI)Moran (VA)MurthaNadlerNapolitanoNeal (MA)OberstarObeyOlverOrtizOwensPallonePascrellPastorPaynePelosiPeterson (MN)PomeroyPrice (NC)RahallRamstadRangelReyesRossRothmanRoybal-AllardRuppersbergerRushRyan (OH)SaboSalazarSanchez, Linda T.SandersSchakowskySchiffSchwartz (PA)Scott (GA)SerranoShermanSkeltonSlaughterSmith (WA)SnyderSolisSprattStarkStricklandStupakTannerTauscherTaylor (MS)Thompson (CA)Thompson (MS)TierneyTownsUdall (CO)Udall (NM)Van HollenVelazquezViscloskyWasserman SchultzWatersWatsonWattWaxmanWexlerWoolseyWuWynn
NAYS--224
AderholtAkinAlexanderAndrewsBachusBakerBarrett (SC)Bartlett (MD)Barton (TX)BassBeauprezBiggertBilirakisBishop (UT)BlackburnBluntBoehlertBoehnerBonillaBonnerBonoBoozmanBoustanyBradley (NH)Brady (TX)Brown (SC)Brown-Waite, GinnyBurgessBurton (IN)BuyerCalvertCampCannonCantorCapitoCarterCastleChabotChocolaCobleCole (OK)ConawayCoxCrenshawCubinCulbersonCunninghamDavis (KY)Davis, Jo AnnDavis, TomDeal (GA)DeLayDentDoolittleDrakeDreierDuncanEhlersEmersonEnglish (PA)EverettFeeneyFergusonFitzpatrick (PA)FlakeFoleyForbesFortenberryFossellaFoxxFranks (AZ)FrelinghuysenGalleglyGarrett (NJ)GerlachGibbonsGilchrestGillmorGingreyGohmertGoodeGoodlatteGrangerGravesGreen (WI)HallHarrisHartHastings (WA)HayesHayworthHefleyHensarlingHergerHobsonHoekstraHostettlerHulshofHunterHydeInglis (SC)IssaIstookJenkinsJindalJohnson (CT)Johnson (IL)Johnson, SamJones (NC)KellerKellyKennedy (MN)King (IA)King (NY)KingstonKirkKlineKnollenbergKolbe Kuhl (NY)LaHoodLathamLaTouretteLeachLewis (CA)Lewis (KY)LinderLoBiondoLucasLungren, Daniel E.MackManzulloMarchantMcCaul (TX)McCotterMcCreryMcHenryMcHughMcKeonMcMorrisMicaMiller (FL)Miller (MI)Miller, GaryMoran (KS)MurphyMusgraveMyrickNeugebauerNeyNorthupNorwoodNunesNussleOsborneOtterOxleyPaulPearcePencePeterson (PA)PetriPickeringPittsPlattsPoePomboPorterPrice (GA)Pryce (OH)PutnamRadanovichRegulaRehbergReichertRenziReynoldsRogers (AL)Rogers (KY)RohrabacherRos-LehtinenRoyceRyan (WI)Ryun (KS)SaxtonSchwarz (MI)SensenbrennerSessionsShadeggShawShaysSherwoodShimkusShusterSimmonsSimpsonSmith (NJ)SodrelSouderStearnsSullivanSweeneyTancredoTaylor (NC)TerryThomasThornberryTiahrtTiberiTurnerUptonWalden (OR)WalshWampWeldon (FL)WellerWestmorelandWhitfieldWickerWilson (NM)Wilson (SC)WolfYoung (AK)Young (FL)
NOT VOTING--12
Brown (OH)Diaz-Balart, L.Diaz-Balart, M.GutknechtLarson (CT)MelanconRogers (MI)Sanchez, LorettaScott (VA)Smith (TX)WeinerWeldon (PA)
{time} 1350
Messrs. ADERHOLT, SHADEGG, HYDE, BAKER and COLE of Oklahoma changed their vote from ``yea'' to ``nay.''
Mr. CUELLAR changed his vote from ``nay'' to ``yea.''
So the motion to recommit was rejected.
The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
Stated for:
Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, on Wednesday, May 4, 2005, I was unavoidably detained due to a prior obligation.
I request that the Congressional Record reflect that had I been present and voting, I would have voted as follows: Rollcall No. 153,
``yea'' (On Motion to Recommit with Instructions on H.R. 366, the Vocational and Technical Education for the Future Act).
personal explanation
Mr. ANDREWS. Mr. Speaker, I ask that the Record show that although I was recorded as having voted ``nay'' on the May 4, 2005 recorded vote regarding the motion to recommit H.R. 366 (rollcall 153), I intended to vote ``yea.''
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Feeney). The question is on the passage of the bill.
The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that the ayes appeared to have it.
Recorded Vote
Mr. BOEHNER. Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.
A recorded vote was ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. This is a 5-minute vote.
The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--ayes 416, noes 9, not voting 8, as follows:
AYES--416
AbercrombieAckermanAderholtAkinAlexanderAllenAndrewsBacaBachusBairdBakerBaldwinBarrett (SC)BarrowBarton (TX)BassBeanBeauprezBecerraBerkleyBermanBerryBiggertBilirakisBishop (GA)Bishop (NY)Bishop (UT)BlackburnBlumenauerBluntBoehlertBoehnerBonillaBonnerBonoBoozmanBorenBoswellBoucherBoustanyBoydBradley (NH)Brady (PA)Brady (TX)Brown (SC)Brown, CorrineBrown-Waite, GinnyBurgessBurton (IN)ButterfieldBuyerCalvertCampCannonCantorCapitoCappsCapuanoCardinCardozaCarnahanCarsonCarterCaseCastleChabotChandlerChocolaClayCleaverClyburnCobleCole (OK)ConawayConyersCooperCostaCostelloCoxCramerCrenshawCrowleyCubinCuellarCulbersonCummingsCunninghamDavis (AL)Davis (CA)Davis (FL)Davis (IL)Davis (KY)Davis (TN)Davis, Jo AnnDavis, TomDeal (GA)DeFazioDeGetteDelahuntDeLauroDeLayDentDicksDingellDoggettDoolittleDoyleDrakeDreierDuncanEdwardsEhlersEmanuelEmersonEngelEnglish (PA)EshooEtheridgeEvansEverettFarrFattahFergusonFilnerFitzpatrick (PA)FlakeFoleyForbesFordFortenberryFossellaFoxxFrank (MA)FrelinghuysenGalleglyGerlachGibbonsGilchrestGillmorGingreyGohmertGonzalezGoodeGoodlatteGordonGrangerGravesGreen (WI)Green, AlGreen, GeneGrijalvaGutierrezGutknechtHallHarmanHarrisHartHastings (FL)Hastings (WA)HayesHayworthHefleyHergerHersethHigginsHincheyHinojosaHobsonHoekstraHoldenHoltHondaHooleyHoyerHulshofHunterHydeInglis (SC)InsleeIsraelIssaIstookJackson (IL)Jackson-Lee (TX)JeffersonJenkinsJindalJohnson (CT)Johnson (IL)Johnson, E. B.Johnson, SamJones (NC)Jones (OH)KanjorskiKapturKellerKellyKennedy (MN)Kennedy (RI)KildeeKilpatrick (MI)KindKing (IA)King (NY)KingstonKirkKlineKnollenbergKolbeKucinichKuhl (NY)LaHoodLangevinLantosLarsen (WA)LathamLaTouretteLeachLeeLevinLewis (CA)Lewis (GA)Lewis (KY)LinderLipinskiLoBiondoLofgren, ZoeLoweyLucasLungren, Daniel E.LynchMackMaloneyManzulloMarchantMarkeyMarshallMathesonMatsuiMcCarthyMcCaul (TX)McCollum (MN)McCotterMcCreryMcDermottMcGovernMcHenryMcHughMcIntyreMcKeonMcKinneyMcMorrisMcNultyMeehanMeek (FL)Meeks (NY)MelanconMenendezMicaMichaudMillender-McDonaldMiller (FL)Miller (MI)Miller (NC)Miller, GaryMiller, GeorgeMollohanMoore (KS)Moore (WI)Moran (KS)Moran (VA)MurphyMurthaMusgraveMyrickNadlerNapolitanoNeal (MA)NeugebauerNeyNorthupNorwoodNunesNussleOberstarObeyOlverOrtizOsborneOtterOwensOxleyPallonePascrellPastorPaynePearcePelosiPencePeterson (MN)Peterson (PA)PetriPickeringPittsPlattsPoePomboPomeroyPorterPrice (GA)Price (NC)Pryce (OH)PutnamRadanovichRahallRamstadRangelRegulaRehbergReichertRenziReyesReynoldsRogers (AL)Rogers (KY)Rogers (MI)RohrabacherRos-LehtinenRossRothmanRoybal-AllardRuppersbergerRushRyan (OH)Ryan (WI)Ryun (KS)SaboSalazarSanchez, Linda T.Sanchez, LorettaSandersSaxtonSchakowskySchiffSchwartz (PA)Schwarz (MI)Scott (GA)SerranoSessionsShadeggShawShaysShermanSherwoodShimkusShusterSimmonsSimpsonSkeltonSlaughterSmith (NJ)Smith (TX)Smith (WA)SnyderSodrelSolisSouderSprattStarkStearnsStricklandStupakSullivanSweeneyTancredoTannerTauscherTaylor (MS)Taylor (NC)TerryThomasThompson (CA)Thompson (MS)ThornberryTiahrtTiberiTierneyTurnerUdall (CO)Udall (NM)UptonVan HollenVelazquezViscloskyWalden (OR)WalshWampWasserman SchultzWatersWatsonWattWaxmanWeldon (FL)WellerWestmorelandWexlerWhitfieldWickerWilson (NM)Wilson (SC)WolfWoolseyWuWynnYoung (AK)Young (FL)
NOES--9
Bartlett (MD)FeeneyFranks (AZ)Garrett (NJ)HensarlingHostettlerPaulRoyceSensenbrenner
NOT VOTING--8
Brown (OH)Diaz-Balart, L.Diaz-Balart, M.Larson (CT)Scott (VA)TownsWeinerWeldon (PA)
{time} 1359
So the bill was passed.
The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
____________________
