Urge your Senators to Pass the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act

Words: Stephen BorgThe Mason Contractors Association of America (MCAA) is pleased to report that following our annual Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C. in May, the U.S. House of Representatives heeded our calls and passed the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act (H.R.2353) by a unanimous, bipartisan voice vote on June 22, 2017. As you will remember, the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act re-authorizes the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education program, the federal law that was originally passed in 1984 to provide federal support to state and local career and technical education (CTE) programs.

The Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act would simplify the application process and empower state and local workforce leaders, improve program alignment with in-demand jobs, increase accountability, and ensure a limited federal role in state program implementation.

Please click here to learn more.

The MCAA fully supports the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act and asks you to contact your federal Senators and ask them to quickly pass the bill as well. This bill authorizes over $1 billion annually and will go a long way towards reversing the current downward trend of support and availability of CTE programs that our industry needs to continue to find willing and able employees.

Visit www.masoncontractors.org/positions/strengthening-career-and-technical-education-for-the-21st-century-act to take action.
About: Legislative
 0
Chairman’s Message: SELF TALK
July 2025

My wife, Sheryl, listens to podcasts often. Sometimes she uses earbuds but also listens through her cellphone speaker as she does countless other things around the house. As a result, very often I have no choice but to listen to the podcasts along with he

Dick Dentinger
Chairman’s Message
Read More
Outreach Outlook: Momentum in Motion
July 2025

As we move into the heart of summer, the masonry industry continues to thrive—fueled by innovation, partnership, and a growing commitment to excellence in education and workforce advancement. June has been a remarkable month, marked by events that not onl

Conner Birdsong
Read More
Building More: Slow, Fast, or Consistent. What is Tempo?
July 2025

It was a drizzly midweek day when I rolled up to the project we were working on just outside of town. The foreman paced the scaffolding, rain hood half-zipped, barking at two laborers who were sprinting bricks like they were late for a flight. Forty feet

Corey Adams
Building More
Read More
Marvelous Masonry: Belém Tower
July 2025

The Belém Tower in Lisbon, Portugal, stands as a testament to stone construction's enduring artistry and technical prowess. Erected between 1514 and 1519, this iconic structure served as a defensive bastion at the mouth of the Tagus River and as a ceremon

Cass Stern
Marvelous Masonry
Read More