Sentence:  The present Federal program of vocational education began in 1917 with the <WSD>passage</WSD> of the Smith-Hughes Act , which provided a continuing annual appropriation of $ 7 million to support , on a matching basis , state administered programs of vocational education in agriculture , trades , industrial skills and home economics . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  the passing of a law by a legislative body