Student Debt Alternative and CTE Awareness Act
Summary
What This Bill Does
The Student Debt Alternative and CTE Awareness Act uses the FAFSA and the Federal Student Aid website to put career and technical education in front of students. Within 60 days, the Secretary of Education, through the Office of Federal Student Aid, must publish information on CTE programs, including average completion time, program cost, post-graduation employment rate, state opportunities to pursue CTE, and funding opportunities under the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act. FSA must continuously update and maintain the information. The FAFSA application must include, at the beginning, a statement that CTE programs are a viable alternative to a four-year degree, a one-page summary of the FSA CTE information, and an acknowledgment signature box. No additional funds are authorized or made available to carry out the Act.
Who Benefits and How
Prospective students benefit because FAFSA would present CTE program costs, completion time, employment rates, and funding options before they borrow. Career and technical education programs benefit from visibility as a viable alternative to four-year degrees. State CTE agencies benefit because FSA must publish state opportunities and Perkins Act funding information. Students concerned about debt benefit from clearer comparison information on shorter or lower-cost training pathways.
Who Bears the Burden and How
The Department of Education must publish, update, and maintain CTE information on the Federal Student Aid website. Federal Student Aid must modify FAFSA disclosures, add a one-page CTE summary, and collect acknowledgment signatures. FAFSA applicants must review and acknowledge CTE information at the beginning of the application. Education Department administrators must implement the requirements without additional authorized appropriations.
Key Provisions
- Requires FSA website disclosures on CTE completion time, cost, employment rate, state opportunities, and Perkins funding.
- Requires the FAFSA to state that CTE is a viable alternative to a four-year degree.
- Adds a one-page CTE summary and acknowledgment signature box to the FAFSA process.
- Prohibits additional funds from being authorized or made available to carry out the Act.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Requires Federal Student Aid to publish and maintain career and technical education information, adds a FAFSA disclosure and acknowledgment about CTE as an alternative to a four-year degree, and bars additional appropriations.
Key Policy Areas
Education, Student Aid, Career Technical Education
Primary Purpose
Requires Federal Student Aid to publish and maintain career and technical education information, adds a FAFSA disclosure and acknowledgment about CTE as an alternative to a four-year degree, and bars additional appropriations.
Policy Domains
Resolution provisions
Identified Gains
- Prospective students
- CTE programs
- State CTE agencies
- Debt-averse students
Identified Costs
- Department of Education
- Federal Student Aid
- FAFSA applicants
- Education administrators
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
In CommitteeMr. Williams of Texas (for himself and Ms. Perez) introduced …
Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.
Introduced in House
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
CTE programs, FAFSA applicants, Prospective students
Positive-direction: CTE programs, Prospective students
Negative-direction: FAFSA applicants
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology