III 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 79 

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

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

FEBRUARY 26, 2019 

Mr. KAINE (for himself, Mr. PORTMAN, Ms. BALDWIN, Mr. YOUNG, Mr. BARRASSO, Mr. BENNET, Mrs. BLACKBURN, Mr. BLUMENTHAL, Mr. BOOZMAN, Mr. BRAUN, Mr. BROWN, Ms. CANTWELL, Mrs. CAPITO, Mr. CARPER, Mr. CASEY, Mr. COONS, Mr. CORNYN, Ms. CORTEZ MASTO, Mr. 

DAINES, Ms. DUCKWORTH, Mr. DURBIN, Mr. ENZI, Mrs. FEINSTEIN, 

Ms. HARRIS, Ms. HASSAN, Ms. HIRONO, Mr. HOEVEN, Mrs. HYDESMITH, Mr. INHOFE, Mr. ISAKSON, Mr. KING, Ms. KLOBUCHAR, Mr. 

MANCHIN, Mr. MURPHY, Mrs. MURRAY, Mr. PERDUE, Mr. PETERS, Mr. 

ROBERTS, Ms. ROSEN, Mr. ROUNDS, Mr. SANDERS, Mrs. SHAHEEN, Ms. 

SMITH, Ms. STABENOW, Mr. THUNE, Mr. TILLIS, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, Mr. 

WARNER, Mr. WICKER, Mr. WYDEN, and Ms. ERNST) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Supporting the goals and ideals of Career and Technical 

Education Month. 

Whereas a competitive global economy requires workers who 

are prepared for skilled professions; 

Whereas, in the next decade, an estimated 3,000,000 new 

workers will be needed in infrastructure positions in the 

United States, including in positions for designing, building, and operating transportation, housing, utilities, and 

telecommunications facilities; 


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Whereas career and technical education (referred to in this 

preamble as ‘‘CTE’’) ensures that competitive and skilled 

workers are ready, willing, and capable of holding jobs in 

high-wage, high-skill, and in-demand career fields such as 

science, technology, engineering, mathematics, nursing, 

allied health, construction, information technology, energy 

sustainability, and many other career fields that are vital 

in keeping the United States competitive in the global 

economy; 

Whereas CTE helps the United States meet the very real and 

immediate challenges of economic development, student 

achievement, and global competitiveness; 

Whereas the United States has 30,000,000 jobs with an average income of $55,000 per year that do not require a 

bachelor’s degree yet increasingly require some level of 

postsecondary education; 

Whereas nearly 12,200,000 students are enrolled in CTE 

across the country at the secondary and postsecondary 

levels, with CTE programs in thousands of CTE centers, 

comprehensive high schools, career academies, and CTE 

high schools, and nearly 1,000 2-year colleges; 

Whereas CTE matches employability skills with workforce demand and provides relevant academic and technical 

coursework leading to industry-recognized credentials for 

secondary, postsecondary, and adult learners; 

Whereas CTE affords students the opportunity to gain the 

knowledge, skills, and credentials needed to secure careers in growing, high-demand fields; 

Whereas secondary CTE is associated with a lower probability of dropping out of high school and a higher likelihood of graduating on-time; 


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Whereas CTE students were significantly more likely than 

non-CTE students to report having developed problemsolving, project completion, research, math, college application, work-related, communication, time management, 

and critical thinking skills during high school; 

Whereas, according to an American Federation of Teachers 

poll, 94 percent of parents approve of expanding access 

to CTE and other programs that prepare students for 

jobs; 

Whereas students at schools with highly integrated rigorous 

academic and CTE programs are significantly more likely 

to meet college and career readiness benchmarks than 

students at schools with less integrated programs; 

Whereas, last year, Congress affirmed the importance of CTE 

by passing the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act (Public Law 115–224), 

which supports program improvement in secondary and 

postsecondary CTE programs in all 50 States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin 

Islands, and outlying areas; and 

Whereas February 23, 2019, marks the 102d anniversary of 

the signing of the Act of February 23, 1917 (commonly 

known as the ‘‘Smith-Hughes Vocational Education Act 

of 1917’’) (39 Stat. 929, chapter 114), 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 2019: Now, 

therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 


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1 (1) designates February 2019 as ‘‘Career and 

2 Technical Education Month’’ to celebrate career and 

3 technical education across the United States; 

4 (2) supports the goals and ideals of Career and 

5 Technical Education Month; 

6 (3) recognizes the importance of career and 

7 technical education in preparing a well-educated and 

8 skilled workforce in the United States; and 

9 (4) encourages educators, guidance and career 

10 development professionals, administrators, and par11 ents to promote career and technical education as a 

12 respected option for students. 

Æ 


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