SRES-67-118
Submitted in the Senate, considered, and agreed to without amendment and with a preamble by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S431-432; text: CR S429-430)
Sponsored by Tim Kaine (D-VA)
What it does
This resolution expresses the Senate's support for "Career and Technical Education Month" in February 2023. It recognizes the importance of career and technical education (CTE) in preparing a skilled workforce and encourages educators, counselors, administrators, and parents to promote CTE as a valid educational pathway. It does not create law, appropriate funds, or establish any new programs or requirements.
Who benefits
CTE advocacy organizations and trade associations that gain symbolic congressional endorsement. Secondary and postsecondary CTE programs seeking public visibility. The roughly 12 million students currently enrolled in CTE programs who may benefit from increased awareness and reduced stigma around non-bachelor's degree pathways. Employers in skilled trades, healthcare, construction, and technology sectors that rely on CTE-trained workers.
Who is hurt
No group faces a direct material harm from this resolution. Institutions or advocates who compete with CTE for students — such as four-year colleges and universities — may see a marginal reputational effect if CTE is elevated as an equally preferred pathway, though this effect would be negligible given the resolution's non-binding nature.
Supporters argue
Supporters argue that CTE serves over 12 million students and addresses a documented workforce gap — the bill notes that more than 17 million new workers will be needed in the infrastructure sector alone over the next decade. They contend that CTE reduces high school dropout rates, improves on-time graduation, and prepares students for jobs in high-demand fields without requiring a four-year degree, which 94% of parents in an American Federation of Teachers poll supported expanding.
Opponents argue
Opponents might argue that a non-binding resolution has no practical effect on CTE enrollment, funding, or program quality, and that symbolic gestures substitute for the substantive legislative action — such as increased Perkins Act funding or expanded apprenticeship programs — that CTE programs actually need. They could contend that congressional time and attention spent on commemorative resolutions crowds out debate on binding policy that would produce measurable outcomes for students and workers.