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Title 20 — Education

Part A · Chapter 44 — Career and Technical Education

§ 2394. Voluntary selection and participation

Statutory text

No funds made available under this chapter shall be used—

(1)

to require any secondary school student to choose or pursue a specific career pathway or program of study; or

(2)

to mandate that any individual participate in a career and technical education program, including a career and technical education program that requires the attainment of a federally funded skill level, standard, or certificate of mastery.

Legislative history

Reconstructed from this section’s Code source credit and amendment notes, resolved against the local Statutes at Large. Editorial notes are evidence, not the law that made the change.

  1. Pub. L. 88–210 title II § 214 · 77 Stat. 403

    Enacted · 20 U.S.C. § 2394

    Pub. L. 88–210, title II, § 214, formerly title III, § 314, as added Pub. L. 109–270, § 1(b), Aug. 12, 2006, 120 Stat. 743

    Source evidence

    Code source credit
    Pub. L. 88–210, title II, § 214, formerly title III, § 314, as added Pub. L. 109–270, § 1(b), Aug. 12, 2006, 120 Stat. 743

  2. Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act

    Pub. L. 115–224 § 201(a)(2) · 132 Stat. 1563

    Substituted · 20 U.S.C. § 2394(1)

    Pub. L. 115–224, § 201(a)(2), substituted “career pathway or program of study” for “career path or major”

    Source evidence

    Code amendment note
    Par. (1). Pub. L. 115–224, § 201(a)(2), substituted “career pathway or program of study” for “career path or major”.

    Enacted provision · exact public law section
    (2) in section 314(1), by striking “career path or major” and inserting “career pathway or program of study”;

    Effective date note
    Amendment by Pub. L. 115–224 effective July 1, 2019, see section 4 of Pub. L. 115–224, set out as a note under section 2301 of this title.

1 of 2 references resolved to an enrolled provision · 1 partial

Editorial Notes

Prior Provisions

A prior section 2394, Pub. L. 88–210, title III, § 314, as added Pub. L. 105–332, § 1(b), , 112 Stat. 3123, related to voluntary selection and participation, prior to the general amendment of this chapter by Pub. L. 109–270.

Another prior section 2394 and prior sections 2394a to 2394e were omitted in the general amendment of this chapter by Pub. L. 105–332.

Section 2394, Pub. L. 88–210, title III, § 342, as added Pub. L. 101–392, title III, § 308, , 104 Stat. 789, stated findings and purpose of Congress.

Section 2394a, Pub. L. 88–210, title III, § 343, as added Pub. L. 101–392, title III, § 308, , 104 Stat. 789; amended Pub. L. 102–103, title III, § 315, , 105 Stat. 508, authorized grants for tech-prep education programs.

Section 2394b, Pub. L. 88–210, title III, § 344, as added Pub. L. 101–392, title III, § 308, , 104 Stat. 790; amended Pub. L. 103–239, title VII, § 711(a), , 108 Stat. 606, related to use of grant funds.

Section 2394c, Pub. L. 88–210, title III, § 345, as added Pub. L. 101–392, title III, § 308, , 104 Stat. 791; amended Pub. L. 103–239, title VII, § 711(b), , 108 Stat. 606, related to applications for grants.

Section 2394d, Pub. L. 88–210, title III, § 346, as added Pub. L. 101–392, title III, § 308, , 104 Stat. 792, related to reports.

Section 2394e, Pub. L. 88–210, title III, § 347, as added Pub. L. 101–392, title III, § 308, , 104 Stat. 792; amended Pub. L. 105–244, title I, § 102(a)(6)(E), , 112 Stat. 1618, defined terms for purposes of tech-prep education grant program.

Amendments

2018—Par. (1). Pub. L. 115–224, § 201(a)(2), substituted “career pathway or program of study” for “career path or major”.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date of 2018 Amendment

Amendment by Pub. L. 115–224 effective , see section 4 of Pub. L. 115–224, set out as a note under section 2301 of this title.

Short Title

Pub. L. 88–210, title III, § 341, as added by Pub. L. 101–392, title III, § 308, , 104 Stat. 788, which provided that part E of title III of Pub. L. 88–210, enacting part E (§ 2394 et seq.) of former subchapter III of this chapter, could be cited as the “Tech-Prep Education Act”, was omitted in the general amendment of Pub. L. 88–210 by Pub. L. 105–332, § 1(b), , 112 Stat. 3076.

Credits

2006–2018 · 2 acts
  1. 2006Pub. L. 88–210, title II, § 214, formerly title III, § 314, as added Pub. L. 109–270, § 1(b), , 120 Stat. 743
  2. 2018renumbered title II, § 214, and amended Pub. L. 115–224, title II, § 201(a)(2), (5), (6), , 132 Stat. 1621.
Show as published

(Pub. L. 88–210, title II, § 214, formerly title III, § 314, as added Pub. L. 109–270, § 1(b), , 120 Stat. 743; renumbered title II, § 214, and amended Pub. L. 115–224, title II, § 201(a)(2), (5), (6), , 132 Stat. 1621.)

Parsed from the official OLRC USLM XML in data/usc_all/usc20.xml · release point 119-108 · OLRC build 2026-04-17

USLM identifier /us/usc/t20/s2394