IB 
Union Calendar No. 11 
109TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 366 
[Report No. 109–25] 
To amend the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act 
of 1998 to strengthen and improve programs under that Act. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 26, 2005 
Mr. CASTLE (for himself, Mr. BOEHNER, Mr. MCKEON, Mr. EHLERS, and Mr. 
WILSON of South Carolina) introduced the following bill; which was re-
ferred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce 
MARCH 17, 2005 
Additional sponsors: Mrs. JO ANN DAVIS of Virginia, Mr. OSBORNE, Mr. 
MCHUGH, Mr. NORWOOD, Mr. UPTON, Mr. FORTUN˜O, Mr. SHIMKUS, Mr. 
ENGLISH of Pennsylvania, Mr. BROWN of South Carolina, Mr. SOUDER, 
Mr. KUHL of New York, and Mr. WELLER 
MARCH 17, 2005 
Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole 
House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed 
[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 
[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on January 26, 2005] 
A BILL 
To amend the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical 
Education Act of 1998 to strengthen and improve pro-
grams under that Act.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Vocational and Tech-
nical 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. Per-
kins 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 ‘‘in-
tegrate’’. 
(b) DEFINITIONS.—Section 3 (20 U.S.C. 2302) is 
amended—
(1) by striking paragraph (26) and redesig-
nating 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 in-
serting after paragraph (3) the following:
‘‘(4) ARTICULATION AGREEMENT.—The term ‘ar-
ticulation agreement’ means a written commitment, 
agreed upon at the State level or approved annually 
and facilitated by the lead administrators of the sec-
ondary and postsecondary consortia members as de-
scribed in section 135(b)(3)(A), to provide a program 
designed to provide students with a nonduplicative se-
quence 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 in-
serting ‘‘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 ‘‘tech-
nology, 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 re-
designated) 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, includ-
ing’’; and 
(ii) by striking the period and insert-
ing ‘‘; and’’; and 
(D) by inserting after subparagraph (F) the 
following: 
‘‘(G) individuals with other barriers to edu-
cational achievement, as determined by the 
State.’’; 
(11) by inserting after paragraph (27) (as so re-
designated) the following: 
‘‘(28) SUPPORTIVE SERVICES.—The term ‘sup-
portive services’ means services such as transpor-
tation, 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 re-
designated) to read as follows: 
‘‘(A) offer a sequence of courses that—
‘‘(i) provides individuals with the rig-
orous and challenging academic and tech-
nical 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 se-
quence 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 insert-
ing ‘‘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 fol-
lows: 
‘‘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 edu-
cational agency, or school’s curriculum, program of instruc-
tion, 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 Sec-
retary for assistance under this Act shall not be precluded 
from applying for assistance under any other program ad-
ministered 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 sec-
tion shall be construed to affect the requirements under sec-
tion 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 amend-
ed to read as follows: 
‘‘(1) RESERVATIONS.—From the sum appro-
priated under section 8 for each fiscal year, the Sec-
retary 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 in-
serting ‘‘(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 fol-
lows: 
‘‘(a) ALLOCATION FORMULA.—From the amount allot-
ted 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 sec-
tion 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 be-
fore the date of enactment of the Vocational and Tech-
nical 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 institu-
tions, such as State correctional institutions and 
institutions that serve individuals with disabil-
ities; 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 per-
cent, 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 applica-
ble 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 al-
located under such paragraph for fiscal year 2005, 
additional amounts may be made available from the 
amount allocated under paragraph (1) for the pur-
poses described in paragraph (2). If such additional 
amounts are made available under this paragraph, 
the percentage of the total amount allotted under sec-
tion 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)—