Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Rob Wittman (VA-01) reintroduced the bipartisan Freedom to Invest in Tomorrow’s Workforce Act, with Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger (VA-07), which would permit the use of 529 account funds to pay for postsecondary credential program expenses.

“Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) and Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs are essential to the future development of our nation,” said Congressman Wittman. “We have a responsibility to prepare students for the demands of our workforce and economy, and we must do what we can to offer options for them to afford postsecondary education and career training. The Freedom to Invest in Tomorrow’s Workforce Act will provide students in Virginia and across the nation with the opportunity to use their 529 plans to cover tuition, exam, training, and supply costs associated with obtaining postsecondary education workforce certifications. As we work to build our future workforce, this legislation will be instrumental in assisting students with securing in-demand, good-paying jobs. I look forward to working with my colleagues to advance this bill and ensure students have the necessary skills to succeed in the 21^st-century job market.”

“In Virginia, 529 savings accounts have long helped the next generation of our workforce afford a higher education. But right now, Virginia students can’t use these accounts to pay for the credentialing and licensing programs many of them need to succeed,” said Congresswoman Spanberger. “Especially as we see more specialized, cutting-edge industries grow in the Commonwealth, we need to fix this issue. Our bipartisan bill would give Virginia students and workers the ability to use their 529 accounts to cover tuition, books, and testing costs related to key training programs — and I’m once again proud to join my Virginia colleague Congressman Wittman in introducing this commonsense legislation.”

Throughout his time in Congress, Congressman Wittman has introduced and supported multiple pieces of legislation that would expand CTE accessibility, strengthen our future workforce, and improve our education systems, including, but not limited to:

PROPEL Act: Expands student eligibility for Pell Grants by allowing students to use these grants for enrollment in educational programs that consist of vocational or technical training, flight training, apprenticeship, or other on-job training.

Strengthening Career Technical Education for the 21^st Century Act (Perkins V): Expands access to CTE programs, helps schools create partnerships with the business community, improves and modernizes schools’ CTE programs, and gives states and localities more control over how to spend CTE dollars.

BUILDS Act: Provides federal grants to develop a skilled workforce within targeted infrastructure industries like transportation, construction, energy, information technology, and utilities industries.