; Whereas secondary CTE is associated with a lower probability of dropping out of high school and a higher likelihood of graduating high school on time; Whereas, according to a recent national survey conducted by the Hunt Institute and Lake Research Partners, 94 percent of parents and voters favor increased opportunities for students to access workforce training and related opportunities to cultivate skills needed for a career; Whereas students at schools with highly integrated, rigorous academics and CTE programs are significantly more likely to meet college and career readiness benchmarks than students at schools with less integrated programs; Whereas, in 2018, Congress affirmed the importance of CTE by passing the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act ( Public Law 115–224 ; 132 Stat. 1563), which supports investment and improvement in secondary and postsecondary CTE programs in all 50 States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, and outlying areas; and Whereas February 23, 2024, marks the 107 th anniversary of the signing of the Act of February 23, 1917 (39 Stat. 929, chapter 114, commonly known as the Smith-Hughes Vocational Education Act of 1917 ), which was the first major Federal investment in secondary CTE and laid the foundation for the bipartisan, bicameral support for CTE that continues as of February 2024: Now, therefore, be it