Congressman Panetta Co-Introduces STEM and Trade in Schools Act

WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Jimmy Panetta (CA-20) co-introduced H.R. 6440, the STEM and Trade in Schools Act to improve technical education and expand teacher grant opportunities. This bipartisan bill was co-introduced by Congressman Steve Knight (R-CA-25) and Congressman Jeff Denham (R-CA-10).

"The next generation of leaders need strong investment in STEM education programs that prepare them to work and succeed in the innovation economy," said Congressman Panetta. "The STEM Master Teachers Corps was authorized in the 2015 Every Student Succeeds Act, but has yet to be implemented. This bill will engage this innovative program to ensure our educators are equipped with the training and expertise needed to prepare our future workforce."

This legislation would allow states to provide sub-awards to large school districts to implement the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Master Teacher Corps, a program authorized in 2015 to recruit, train, and mentor teachers in high-level STEM curricula. This additional flexibility would be combined with private sector advisory councils to ensure grant recipients align their education with local economy demand.

This bill would also allow individuals who are training to be teachers to apply their Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant funds to Career Technical Education (CTE) credentials at institutions that are already TEACH Grant-eligible. The STEM and Trade in Schools Act is supported by the California State University system.