III 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 91 

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

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 3, 2021 

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, Mr. CARPER, Mr. 

CASEY, Mr. COONS, Mr. CORNYN, Ms. CORTEZ MASTO, Mr. CRAMER, Mr. 

CRAPO, Mr. DAINES, Ms. DUCKWORTH, Mr. DURBIN, Ms. ERNST, Mrs. 

FEINSTEIN, Mrs. FISCHER, Ms. HASSAN, Ms. HIRONO, Mr. HOEVEN, 

Mrs. HYDE-SMITH, Mr. INHOFE, Mr. KING, Ms. KLOBUCHAR, Mr. 

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

RISCH, Mr. ROMNEY, Ms. ROSEN, Mr. ROUNDS, Mr. RUBIO, Mr. SANDERS, Mrs. SHAHEEN, Ms. SMITH, Ms. STABENOW, Mr. THUNE, Mr. 

TILLIS, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, Mr. WARNER, Mr. WICKER, Mr. WYDEN, and 

Mr. SCOTT of South Carolina) 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 3,000,000 workers will be needed for the United 

States’ infrastructure in the next several years, including 

designing, building, and operating transportation, housing, utilities, and telecommunications; 


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•SRES 91 ATS 

Whereas the COVID–19 pandemic has displaced millions of 

workers in the United States and fundamentally shifted 

entire industries within foundational aspects of the economy, creating significant demands for high-quality and 

efficient upskilling and reskilling opportunities to ensure 

a quick and equitable recovery; 

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, art and design, 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 providing 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 over 12,800,000 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; 


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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; 

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, in 2018, 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, marked the 102nd anniversary 

of the signing of the Act of February 23, 1917 (39 Stat. 

929, 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 2021: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) supports the designation of February 2021 

3 as ‘‘Career and Technical Education Month’’ to celeVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:41 Mar 04, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\SR91.ATS SR91

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1 brate career and technical education across the 

2 United States; 

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

4 Technical Education Month; 

5 (3) recognizes the importance of career and 

6 technical education in preparing a well-educated and 

7 skilled workforce in the United States; and 

8 (4) encourages educators, school counselors, 

9 guidance and career development professionals, ad10 ministrators, and parents to promote career and 

11 technical education as a respected option for stu12 dents. 

Æ 


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