Last week, Senators Durbin (D-IL), Collins (R-ME) and Clinton (D-NY) began circulating a “Dear Colleague” letter throughout the Senate. The letter contains an instruction portion for Senators, and the actual letter which will be sent to Chairman Harkin (D-IA) and Ranking Member Specter (R-PA) of the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Subcommittee. The letter requests an increase in funding for Perkins career and technical education (CTE) Fiscal Year (FY) 2009 appropriations. To date, 14 Senators have signed the letter supporting the effort.

“Dear Colleague” letters are often distributed to show support for a particular legislative initiative or funding request. The House of Representatives circulated a similar letter last week that asked Representatives to support an increase in funding for Perkins, but also invited Members to join the CTE Caucus. ACTE members should be aware that the Senate letter is a separate effort from the House letter that was circulated last week.

The Senate “Dear Colleague” letter will be open until Friday, March 28, 2008.

It is crucial that you contact your Senators' offices and ask them to support an increase in Perkins by signing onto the Senate “Dear Colleague” letter sponsored by Senators Durbin, Collins and Clinton.

TAKE ACTION

• Please view the current list of Senators who have shown support for Perkins by signing onto the FY 2009 “Dear Colleague” letter.
• If your Senators have not signed onto the FY 2009 letter, please contact their offices to urge support.
• Please visit the ACTE Action Center to get the contact information for your Senators' Washington, DC offices.
• When calling each office, ask to speak to the legislative aide who handles education issues.
• Tell the staff member that you are a constituent and would like the Senator to support an increased investment in career and technical education by signing onto the FY 2009 funding letter sponsored by Senators Durbin, Collins and Clinton.
• Highlight and discuss your experiences with CTE. Include examples of how CTE affects students, businesses and your entire community. Be sure to mention how an increase in funding for Perkins would have a positive impact. What would more funding do in your area? Use data and personal examples.
• If the staff member has not seen this letter, be sure to direct them to ACTE’s Web site, or encourage him/her to contact Senators Durbin’s, Collins’ or Clinton’s office.
• Please contact Jamie Baxter at ACTE with feedback you received from your Congressional office.

If you need any additional information, please contact Jamie Baxter, Advocacy Associate, and visit ACTE’s Budget and Appropriations Web page.