CTE STUDENT ADVOCACY QUICK REFERENCE PAGE 3 SkillsUSA Texas Student Leaders | Updated September 15, 2026 3 FEDERAL ADVOCACY Protect access. Strengthen quality. Make pathways easier to navigate. Initiative What is Happening Now Student Advocacy Angle Perkins V The main federal CTE law continues to send roughly $1.4 billion a year in formula funds to states. The U.S. Department of Education issued FY 2026 allocation and state plan guidance. Ask Congress to provide stable, increased funding and require transparent reporting on access, completion, credentials, work-based learning, and outcomes. Workforce Pell Beginning July 1, 2026, eligible students may use Pell Grants for approved short term workforce programs lasting about 8 to 15 weeks. Programs must meet quality and employment requirements and receive state and federal approval. Ask how Texas programs will become eligible, how students will learn about the option, and how quality will be protected. Registered Apprenticeship Federal policy is pushing toward more than one million active apprentices. New 2026 guidance emphasizes effective pre apprenticeships, faster program registration, high-quality credentials, and expansion in priority industries. Ask for paid, accessible placements that connect high school CTE to Registered Apprenticeship and include transportation and safety supports. Career Exploration A 2026 federal competition offered $44 million to states to expand career exploration tied to real labor market needs. Ask that rural and underserved schools receive early career exposure, employer visits, advising, and hands on learning. CTE and Small Business H R 1642 passed the House in June 2025 and was referred to the Senate. It would connect CTE students and graduates with Small Business Development Centers and Women’s Business Centers. Ask the Senate about the bill and request stronger connections between CTE programs, small employers, and student entrepreneurs. FEDERAL TALKING POINTS • In my program, federal investment becomes real through instructors, current equipment, career guidance, work-based learning, student leadership, and pathways tied to workforce needs. • My opportunity should not depend on my ZIP code or family income. Federal reporting should show who enrolls, completes a program, earns a credential, and reaches further education or employment. • I want short term training to lead somewhere. Workforce Pell programs should produce portable, stackable credentials and clear pathways to higher credentials, not dead ends. • Students need paid experience. Unpaid placements and long travel distances can exclude classmates who must work or lack transportation. • SkillsUSA shows that technical skill, leadership, and employability belong together. CTSOs should remain an integral, supported part of high-quality CTE. • CTE and college are connected. Strong pathways combine technical skills, academic learning, dual credit, credentials, and options to continue education. QUESTIONS FOR MEMBERS OF CONGRESS • Will you support stable, increased Perkins CTE funding in the next federal budget? • How will you make sure rural schools, and high need communities can afford modern equipment, qualified instructors, and transportation? • What safeguards should Workforce Pell programs meet before students use federal aid for them? • Will you support paid work based learning and stronger high school connections to Registered Apprenticeship? • Will you protect Perkins support for career and technical student organizations as part of high- quality CTE programs? • How will you help students earn credentials that are recognized by multiple employers and can build toward a degree? • What specific action will your office take, and when may we follow up?