Senate Unanimously Passes Bipartisan Legislation to Strengthen Career and Technical Education Programs for Granite Staters

WASHINGTON – Senator Maggie Hassan, a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, released the following statement after the Senate unanimously passed bipartisan legislation updating the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Improvement Act and authorizing funding for states to implement high-quality career and technical education programs.

“Career and technical education programs are an essential way to meet the needs of both our students and our businesses,” Senator Hassan said. “When I visit businesses throughout New Hampshire, the number one thing I hear is that they need more highly skilled workers to compete in the 21st century innovation economy. This bipartisan bill is an important step to help expand economic opportunity for hard-working Granite Staters and provide our businesses with the workforce they need to thrive and grow.”

As a member of the Senate HELP Committee, Senator Hassan fought to include critical priorities for New Hampshire in the bill, including requiring that CTE programs collaborate with local industry and workforce development organizations to better meet the needs of innovative businesses; ensuring that traditionally underserved students, such as students who experience disabilities, have access to career guidance and academic counseling; and giving more CTE students the opportunity to obtain a postsecondary-recognized credential.

Senator Hassan recently toured the Mas-Con construction site for the new Merrimack County Courthouse in Concord, as well as the facility at Williams & Hussey Machine Co. Inc. in Amherst, to discuss the importance of better aligning education programs and the needs of businesses. For more on her visits, click here. 

The Senator also recently wrote an op-ed in the Eagle Tribune on the importance of passing this bill.  

###