C&RL News September 2018 460

Kevin Maher is deputy director of government relations 
at ALA’s Washington Office, email: kmaher@alawash.org

W a s h i n g t o n  H o t l i n eKevin Maher

Higher education victory in Perkins 
CTE reauthorization
Congress is not known for moving at lightning 
speed, until they do. Case in point is the recent 
reauthorization of the Carl D. Perkins Career 
and Technical Education (CTE) Act. 

Each year, more than $1.2 billion in fed-
eral grants flow to states for CTE programs 
through the Perkins Act. Perkins CTE pro-
grams help equip youth and adults with the 
academic, technical, and employability skills 
and knowledge needed to secure employ-
ment in today’s high-growth industries. Some 
libraries work directly with their state labor 
and employment offices to implement feder-
ally funded CTE programs. In so doing, librar-
ies help close the “skills gap” and expand 
economic opportunity to more communities 
across the nation. 

Although the authorization for Perkins 
CTE expired in 2008, Congress has continued 
to provide funding. There was no reason to 
believe that would change anytime soon. 
Then, in ALA meetings with congressional 
staff, it began to appear that legislators rec-
ognized the window for any education policy 
legislation was closing with the approaching 
election. 

The prospect of mid-term elections 
seemed to galvanize Congress to develop a 
“thin” educational agenda and reach agree-
ment on a compromise bill, which was sent 
to the president for his signature in a matter 
of weeks. 

As late as June, action on Perkins CTE 
reauthorization appeared dead for the current 
congressional session. Now it is likely to be 
the only significant education policy legisla-
tion to pass in the 115th Congress. 

Last year ALA had urged congressional 
passage of a similar Perkins CTE reauthori-
zation bill, which included provisions that 
recognize school and public library con-
tributions to implementing CTE programs. 
Although Perkins CTE passed easily in the 
House in 2017, passage in the Senate stalled 
over several issues (unrelated to libraries). 

ALA’s efforts in 2017 were successful 
nonetheless, as the final bill signed by the 
president this summer contained several ref-
erences urging state and local disbursement 
of Perkins funds to support library programs 
and maker spaces, as well as institutions of 
higher education and librarian training. The 
2018 reauthorization allows states to set their 
own CTE program goals, providing an oppor-
tunity for libraries to weigh in and advocate 
for the inclusion of libraries in implementing 
these state goals. 

Congress also has a higher education 
agenda, as the House and Senate education 
committees continue to consider a reautho-
rization of the Higher Education Act (HEA), 
although chances of final passage appear 
to fade daily. ALA has expressed particular 
concern that the House HEA reauthoriza-
tion would sunset the Public Service Loan 
Forgiveness (PSLF) program, which allows 
some students in public service careers—of-
ten lower paying—to receive relief on col-
lege debt. ALA will continue to work with 
members of Congress to defend PSLF in the 
coming months. 

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