The Assembly Education Committee voted 6-0 to pass Assembly Bill 1743 by Assemblymember Patrick O’Donnell (D—Long Beach) on Wednesday, O’Donnell’s office announced. Bipartisan support was given by 25 colleagues who signed on as joint or co-authors.

The bill would increase funding for vocational/Career Technical Education (CTE) programs in K-12 schools from $200 million to $500 million each year, on an ongoing basis, according to the release.

“As a teacher and Chair of the Assembly Education Committee, I am confident that securing ongoing funding for K-12 CTE programs benefits our students and our state,” O’Donnell said in a statement. “Vocational/CTE programs engage students who might otherwise drop out of school and strengthen our economy by better preparing our students to join the California workforce.”

Current funding for CTE expires this year, said O’Donnell. AB 1743 would increase annual funding for the Career Technical Education Incentive Grant program.

The bill now moves to the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

Asia Morris is a Long Beach native covering arts and culture for the Long Beach Post. You can reach her @hugelandmass on Twitter and Instagram and at [email protected].