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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Amy Auth
202-225-2071

Today U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx (N.C.-5) voted for H.R. 366, the Vocational and Technical Education for the Future Act, which passed 416-9. She made the following remarks during debate on the House floor:

“I thank the distinguished Chairman of the Education and Workforce Committee for the time to speak on this bill and am proud to serve on his Committee. I am unique in this body because of my background in education. I served as a TRIO director and started a tech prep program. Because I am a former university administrator and community college president, I understand first-hand the importance of good, solid vocational and technical education. Armed with the proper skills, our students can achieve anything they set their minds to do.

“Mr. Boehner and Mr. Castle are to be commended for putting together a bill that strengthens accountability so that we can ensure that the vocational and technical courses provided to our students are the best that can be offered. Our students deserve no less.

“This bill also includes provisions to ensure states and local communities will have more control, rather than the federal government. In this bill, state and local communities are empowered to determine academic content and curriculum. This is an extremely important part designed to provide students with an appropriate education based on what skills and industries are important to their local communities.

“H.R. 366 streamlines federal funding of vocational and technical education programs; thereby, increasing flexibility for states and allowing more funding to reach the local communities.

“The benefits of vocational and technical education to our communities are incredible. With the world changing so rapidly and all of the constant changes in our workforce, education is the key to our success as a nation. In order to keep our nation competitive in the global economy, we must ensure that our students maintain the best opportunities to better themselves, learn a new skill, and give back to their communities.

“The key to good education does not lie in the hands of the federal government; it lies in the willing and able hands of those in our localities. That is why I am supporting this bill. Our students deserve no less than the best education. With these tools, the possibilities are endless.”

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