Given the weather activity experienced and anticipated across the nation during this season, September is observed to raise awareness about the importance of preparing for disasters and emergencies that could happen at any time. The 2021 theme is “Prepare to Protect. Preparing for disasters is protecting everyone you love.” Find out more at ready.gov

NAPE and the NAPE Education Foundation congratulate Liz Shuler for her historic election as the first woman president of the AFL-CIO.

Ms. Shuler’s steadfast leadership in supporting working families, along with that of the legendary Richard Trumpka has forged a more inclusive culture that continues to strengthen America’s workforce as the nation moves forward to address its economic challenges. 

As a steadfast equity champion on matters of diversity, equity and inclusion in secondary and post-secondary education, career and technical education, apprenticeship and the Future of Work in 21st century America, NAPE is extremely pleased to see Ms. Shuler assume this leadership role as the first woman to be elected to the nation’s largest federation of unions and as the highest-ranking women in the history organized labor. Congratulations as well to Fred Richmond of the United Steelworkers on his election as AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer.

This is new chapter of the leadership for AFL-CIO. Again, congratulations Liz Shuler. We wish you much success!

House Democrats face a legislative crunch when they return to town, with concurrent deadlines setting up a mad scramble to write a massive reconciliation package and pass the bipartisan infrastructure bill in a matter of weeks. House committees will begin marking up their portions of the $3.5 trillion reconciliation package bill next week after lawmakers cleared the budget resolution yesterday, overcoming a dispute between leadership and Democratic moderates. Read more >>

Lawmakers are bracing for budget battles later this month when they return to Washington, where they’ll be racing against the clock to pass trillions of dollars in spending while the threat of a government shutdown looms.  Before October, the House is aiming to pass two major pieces of legislation: a roughly $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill and a forthcoming $3.5 trillion spending package backed by Democrats that would advance key parts of President Biden’s economic agenda. They’ll also need to pass government funding legislation to avoid a shutdown on Oct. 1. Read more >>

 

Representatives Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) and Jim Langevin (D-RI) introduced a resolution to double federal funding for CTE. Specifically, the resolution calls for $10 billion over the next 10 years in new funding for programs under the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act (Perkins V) and innovative evidence-based CTE. The resolution calls attention to the important role of Perkins V and CTE in training the skilled workforce of the future and increasing earning potential and career opportunities. It also points to the insufficient amount of Fiscal Year 2021 (FY21) federal funding for CTE, which will not fully support the long-term economic realignment and skills training the country is facing. The full resolution text can be found here . 

A group of 118 businesses, led by Business Leaders United in coordination with Autodesk and Workday, sent a letter to Congress today asking it to support investments in workforce and skills as part of any recovery legislation. “We have dueling problems—workers unable to find good-paying jobs that fit their skills and employers struggling to hire skilled workers for in-demand and emerging roles. Strong federal investment in the long-term success of America’s workforce is critical to solving both challenges and addressing this skills mismatch,” the letter states. Read more >>

President Biden introduced a $2 trillion plan on Wednesday to overhaul and upgrade the nation’s infrastructure, calling it a transformational effort that could create the “most resilient, innovative economy in the world.” “It is not a plan that tinkers around the edges,” Mr. Biden said in a speech outside Pittsburgh. “It is a once-in-a-generation investment in America.” Read more >>

The U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) opened directed investigations in five states exploring whether statewide prohibitions on universal indoor masking discriminate against students with disabilities who are at heightened risk for severe illness from COVID-19 by preventing them from safely accessing in-person education. Read more >>

The U.S. Department of Education announced that it has ceased enforcement of one of the more controversial components of revised Title IX regulations implemented in August 2020. Specifically, the Department will not enforce a provision contained in the regulations that prevented Title IX hearing officers from relying upon statements that are not subject to cross-examination. (See 34 C.F.R. § 106.45(b)(6)(i)). Read more >>

To assist schools in supporting students in the return to in-person learning, the U.S. Department of Education released a new resource, "Strategies for Using American Rescue Plan Funding to Address the Impact of Lost Instructional Time," examining evidence-based strategies for addressing pandemic-related learning loss using their share of the $122 billion in American Rescue Plan funds earmarked for K-12 education. Read more >>

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s full approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for those 16 and older, announced Monday, is expected to pave the way for more vaccine mandates, including for teachers. But there are still many logistics to work out, including what happens to the teachers who refuse to get a shot. Read more >>

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