Career and Technical Education Access Act

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [H.R. 5531 Introduced in House (IH)] <DOC> 119th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 5531 To establish a grant program to fund career and technical education programs, and for other purposes. _______________________________________________________________________ IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES September 19, 2025 Mr. Smith of Washington introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce _______________________________________________________________________ A BILL To establish a grant program to fund career and technical education programs, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``Career and Technical Education Access Act''. SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES. (a) Findings.--Congress finds the following: (1) The demand for skilled workers in industries such as manufacturing, healthcare, construction, and information technology is increasing. (2) Connecticut's Technical Education and Career System has demonstrated that a statewide career and technical education (in this Act referred to as ``CTE'') model can successfully prepare students for both postsecondary education and high- demand careers. (3) Expanding CTE high schools nationwide will create greater economic opportunities for students, particularly those in under-resourced communities. (4) Students in States without dedicated CTE high schools often lack access to hands-on, work-based learning opportunities. (5) Students in rural or underserved areas may lack access to in-person CTE programs, necessitating the development of online and hybrid learning options to expand educational opportunities. (b) Purposes.--The purposes of this Act are to-- (1) create a voluntary Federal grant program to allow States to establish, expand, or improve CTE programs tailore