A resolution supporting the goals and ideals of "Career and Technical Education Month".

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 617 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]

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119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 617

  Supporting the goals and ideals of ``Career and Technical Education 
                                Month''.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           February 26, 2026

Mr. Kaine (for himself, Mr. Young, Ms. Baldwin, Mr. Budd, Mr. Barrasso, 
   Mr. Bennet, Mr. Blumenthal, Ms. Blunt Rochester, Mr. Booker, Mrs. 
  Britt, Ms. Cantwell, Mr. Cassidy, Mr. Coons, Ms. Cortez Masto, Mr. 
 Cramer, Mr. Crapo, Mr. Daines, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Grassley, Mr. Hagerty, 
Ms. Hassan, Mr. Hickenlooper, Ms. Hirono, Mr. Hoeven, Mr. Justice, Mr. 
King, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. Lankford, Mr. Lujan, Ms. Lummis, Mr. Marshall, 
    Mr. Merkley, Mrs. Murray, Mr. Padilla, Mr. Reed, Ms. Rosen, Mr. 
  Sanders, Mr. Schiff, Mr. Scott of South Carolina, Mrs. Shaheen, Ms. 
  Smith, Mr. Tillis, Mr. Van Hollen, Mr. Warner, Mr. Whitehouse, Mr. 
   Wicker, Mr. Wyden, Mrs. Hyde-Smith, and Mr. Peters) submitted the 
        following resolution; which was considered and agreed to

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
  Supporting the goals and ideals of ``Career and Technical Education 
                                Month''.

Whereas American competitiveness within the global economy requires workers who 
        are prepared with the requisite academic knowledge as well as technical 
        and employability skills needed for career success;
Whereas advancements in technology have fundamentally changed critical economic 
        sectors of the United States and the global economy, creating 
        significant, new demand for high-wage, high-quality, and efficient 
        education and training opportunities;
Whereas career and technical education (referred to in this preamble as ``CTE'') 
        ensures that a competitive and skilled workforce is ready, willing, and 
        capable of holding jobs in high-wage, high-skill, and in-demand career 
        fields;
Whereas CTE helps the United States meet the very real and immediate challenges 
        of economic development, student academic achievement, and global 
        competitiveness;
Whereas, in the United States, it is forecast that by 2031 nearly \1/3\ of all 
        jobs will require some level of postsecondary education, but less than a 
        bachelor's degree;
Whereas approximately 12,000,000 students are enrolled in CTE programs across 
        the United States at the secondary and postsecondary levels, with CTE 
        programs in thousands of comprehensive high schools, technical high 
        schools, area technical centers, career academies, and over 1,000 2-year 
        colleges;
Whereas CTE aligns with labor market demand and provides employability skills 
        and relevant academic and technical coursework leading to credentials of 
        value for secondary and postsecondary education students and adult 
        learners;
Whereas CTE affords students the opportunity to cultivate the knowledge and 
        skills to earn the credentials needed to secure careers in growing, 
        high-demand fields;
Whereas secondary CTE has statistically significant positive impacts on the 
        academic achievement, high school completion, employability skills, and 
        college readiness of students;
Whereas, according to a recent national survey conducted by the Hunt Institute 
        and Lake Research Partners, 91 percent of voters favor increased 
        opportunities for students to access workforce training and related 
        opportunities to cultivate skills needed for a career;
Whereas 83 percent of employers in the United States recruiting from CTE 
        programs find those programs beneficial to their bottom line;
Whereas, in 2018, Congress affirmed on a wide bipartisan basis the importance of 
        CTE by passing the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 
        21st Century Act (Public Law 115-224; 132 Stat. 1563), which supports 
        investment and improvement in secondary and postsecondary CTE programs 
        in all 50 States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto 
        Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, and outlying areas; and
Whereas February 23, 2026, marks the 109th anniversary of the signing of the Act 
        of February 23, 1917 (39 Stat. 929, chapter 114, commonly known as the 
        ``Smith-Hughes Vocational Education Act of 1917''), which was the first 
        major Federal investment in secondary CTE and laid the foundation for 
        the bipartisan, bicameral support for CTE that continues as of February 
        2026: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) supports the designation of February 2026 as ``Career 
        and Technical Education Month'' to celebrate career and 
        technical education across the United States;
            (2) supports the goals and ideals of Career and Technical 
        Education Month;
            (3) recognizes the importance of career and technical 
        education in preparing a well-educated and skilled workforce in 
        the United States; and
            (4) encourages educators, school counselors, guidance and 
        career development professionals, administrators, and parents 
        to promote career and technical education as a respected 
        educational pathway for students.
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