Government Affairs Article Archives

Portman Introduces Bipartisan Bill to Strengthen Career & Technical Education

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Rob Portman (R-OH), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) introduced the CTE Excellence and Equity Act to support re-designing the high school experience by making courses more relevant to students’ future careers. The bill would provide federal funding for partnerships between school districts, employers and institutions of higher education in Ohio and other states that integrate high-quality career and technical education (CTE) programs into high schools. Portman serves as co-chair of the Senate Career and Technical Education (CTE) Caucus.

Yesterday, April 9,  EPA’s Administrator signed a final rule to extend certifications for certain individual renovators (those who received initial certification prior to March 31, 2024) under the RRP Program. Please be aware that the extensions only apply to individual renovators who must get recertification training within the timeframes explained below. They do not apply to firm certifications or individual renovators that need their initial certification. 

In January 2015, the Agency had proposed a rule that would, among other things, change the requirements for the refresher training course that individual renovators must take to become recertified. EPA is extending the certifications of thousands of individual renovators (read below for which renovators) that would otherwise expire before that rule can be finalized. EPA is taking this action so that, if and when the changes in the proposed rule are finalized, those renovators can take advantage of the changes. Certifications were extended only for individual renovators whose certifications expire before changes to the refresher training can be finalized. The extension rule has not yet been published in the Federal Register, but you can find links to a prepublication copy of the notice on our website at http://www2.epa.gov/lead/prepublication-copy-notice-final-rule-lead-based-paint-programs-extension-renovator or at www.epa.gov/lead.