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Two important pieces of legislation are now headed to the President’s desk after the U.S. House of Representatives voted to pass them over the last two days. Congressman Bob Latta (R-Bowling Green) voted to pass the bipartisan National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), the nation’s annual defense bill, that provides troops with their largest pay raise in nine years and continues the rebuild of the U.S. military after years of drawdowns. In addition, the House passed H.R. 2353, the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21^st Century Act, to revamp job training and career education programs for the modern economy. The bill updates the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act which had not been reformed since 2006. H.R. 2353 passed by voice vote. Congressman Latta is a supporter of the bill and a member of the House Career and Technical Education (CTE) Caucus.

The NDAA includes a 2.6% pay raise for members of the armed services, the largest increase in nearly a decade, and improves readiness through more training and flying hours. It replaces aging equipment and authorizes the purchase of additional aircraft and naval ships. It also strengthens our nation’s cyber defenses and prohibits the U.S. government from recognizing the annexation of Crimea into Russia.

Latta served on the Conference Committee that ironed out the differences between the House and Senate NDAA bills.

“I was honored to serve on the NDAA Conference Committee and help craft this final piece of legislation to rebuild our military and ensure our troops have the resources they need to confront global threats,” said Latta. “By investing in new state-of-the-art equipment – and boosting our cyber defenses – we’re ensuring that the men and women in our military have the ability to meet the demands of the modern battlefield. It’s also important that our friends and allies know where we stand, and that means prohibiting the recognition of Russia’s annexation of Crimea as legitimate.”

The Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21^st Century Act makes a number of key reforms to career and technical education by:

• Easing burdensome requirements on state and local governments by streamlining the application process for CTE programs
• Increasing flexibility and allows for more funding to be set aside for rural areas or communities with high numbers of CTE students
• Encouraging better partnerships with employers and local business leaders
• Improving transparency and accountability by streamlining performance measures to ensure students graduate prepared to compete for good-paying jobs
• Reducing the Federal role in the programs and puts more decision-making in the hands of local stakeholders, overseen by state leaders

“For the first time in our history, the amount of available jobs is greater than the number of people looking for employment,” said Latta. “This is great news, but it also underscores the need for Career and Technical Education programs that prepare students for good-paying jobs in the modern economy. Allowing local stakeholders and the states to develop the best plans for their area will better ensure that we are building a workforce that has the tools needed to compete for these jobs and succeed in them.”

Latta signing the NDAA Conference Report

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