Sponsors (24)
The bill invests federal funds to expand clean-energy career and technical education—improving training, job pathways, and local energy projects—while creating costs, eligibility and equity risks for smaller or non-Perkins entities, and potential industry-influence and administrative burdens.
Students (especially low-performing, special-population, and career/technical students) gain expanded, clearer access to clean-energy and emerging-field CTE programs, improving hands-on training, credentials, and job pathways.
Taxpayers and local communities receive federal funding (including a $100 million DOE appropriation) that enables new projects and grants to create jobs and contractor work in energy and clean-technology fields.
Employers and industry partners get better-prepared entrants because programs are aligned to labor-market needs and industry input helps target training toward real-world job skills.
Taxpayers face direct costs (including a $100 million appropriation) and potential ongoing grant obligations that could increase deficits or crowd out other spending priorities.
Smaller, under-resourced, rural, or Perkins-ineligible schools and students risk being excluded or disadvantaged—either because of complex multi-partner applications, competitive grant processes, or eligibility tied to Perkins formulas—perpetuating geographic and funding inequities.
The bill's narrow 'covered fields' definitions may divert attention and funds away from other local education priorities or related climate/energy areas that communities consider important.
Based on analysis of 6 sections of legislative text.
Creates DOE competitive grants to build and expand clean-energy CTE programs and to upgrade education facilities for energy efficiency and renewable practices, and authorizes $100M.
Official title: To develop career and technical education programs of study and facilities in the areas of renewable energy.
Introduced April 27, 2026 by Seth Magaziner · Last progress April 27, 2026
Creates competitive grant programs at the Department of Energy to fund secondary-to-postsecondary career and technical education programs and to upgrade education facilities for energy efficiency and renewable energy practices. Grants fund program development, expansion, dissemination, sustainability evaluations, equipment purchases, and construction/operations improvements that prepare students for jobs in clean energy, energy efficiency, and climate mitigation/adaptation fields. Defines eligible partners and institutions by linking to existing Perkins Act eligibility, requires peer review for applications, prioritizes projects that serve low-performing and special-population students and that can replicate or widely disseminate programs, and authorizes $100 million for the programs (no fiscal year specified).