Senate and House Budget negotiators will attempt to resolve differences between their respective budget resolutions in a conference committee before the Senate leaves for a one-week recess May 2. While the budget resolution is not necessarily binding, it does serve as a blueprint for federal spending by setting caps on overall spending and on spending in broad categories to aid appropriations committees in determining individual spending levels for specific programs such as Perkins and the Workforce investment Act (WIA).
The Senate’s Budget Resolution sets overall discretionary spending levels at $848.8 billion, $5.8 billion over the House Budget Resolution, and restores funding for a range of education and workforce priorities, including the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act, student aid programs and the Workforce Investment Act (WIA). As Congress nears completion of the FY2006 budget negotiations, the Senate’s larger amount of spending on education and workforce development must be kept in tact to preserve funding for these important investments in our nation.
If you live or work in the districts or states of the Members of Congress listed below, please contact them starting TODAY and ask them to:
- Support the Senate Budget Resolution’s level of overall spending, which restores funding for a range of education and workforce priorities, including the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act, student aid programs and the Workforce Investment Act, as they negotiate the FY2006 Budget Resolution.
- Oppose any funding cuts to discretionary and mandatory spending related to education or workforce development programs. Thank the Senators, particularly the Republicans, that supported Sen. Kennedy’s amendment that increased spending by $5.4 billion to a numbers of education programs, including career and technical education (for a list of Senators supporting this amendment, please visit www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=109&session=1&vote=00068).
- Let them know that Perkins and WIA programs prepare youth and adults for the future by building their skills for the careers of today and tomorrow – they are essential to strengthening the American workforce. Let them know that education and workforce development programs are crucial to our nation’s economic health, and that cuts to such programs would be harmful your community’s ability to educate a highly skilled workforce.
- Additionally, contact your other Members of Congress and ask that they encourage their colleagues on the Budget Committees and in the Congressional Leadership to support the Senate’s level of funding for education and workforce programs.
Judd Gregg (R-NH), Pete Domenici (R-NM), Charles Grassley (R-IA), Wayne Allard (R-CO), Kent Conrad (D-ND), Paul Sarbanes (D-MD), and Patty Murray (D-WA).
Jim Nussle (R-IA, Chairman), Rob Portman (R-OH, Vice Chairman), Jim Ryun (R-KS), Ander Crenshaw (R- FL), Adam Putnam (R-FL), Roger Wicker (R-MS), Kenny Hulshof (R-MO), Jo Bonner (R-AL), Scott Garrett (R-NJ), J. Gresham Barrett (R-SC), Thaddeus McCotter (R-MI), Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL), Jeb Hensarling (R-TX), Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Dan Lungren (R-CA), Pete Sessions (R-TX), Paul Ryan (R-WI), Mike Simpson (R-ID), Jeb Bradley (R-NH), Patrick McHenry (R-NC), Connie Mack (R-FL), Mike Conaway (R-TX), John Spratt (D-SC, Ranking Member), Dennis Moore (D-KS), Richard Neal (D-MA), Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), Chet Edwards (D-TX), Harold E. Ford Jr. (D-TN), Lois Capps (D-CA), Brian Baird (D-WA), Jim Cooper (D-TN), Artur Davis (D-AL), William Jefferson (D-LA), Thomas Allen (D-ME), Cynthia McKinney (D-GA), Henry Cuellar (D-TX), Ron Kind (D-WI), and Allyson Schwartz (D-PA).
Sen. Bill Frist (R-TN, Senate Majority Leader), Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV, Senate Minority Leader), Rep. Dennis Hastert (R-IL, Speaker of the House), and Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA, House Minority Leader).
For additional talking points on funding for career and technical education, please visit www.acteonline.org/policy/legislative_issues/upload/ACTE%20funding%20leave%20behind%20FY%2006.doc.
To find contact information for your Members of Congress and to send a direct e-mail, visit ACTE’s Legislative Action Center at http://capwiz.com/acte/home/.
The Bush Administration released its budget request for FY 2006 in February with cuts to or elimination of many domestic programs, including education and job training. The President’s budget seeks to completely eliminate funding for the Perkins program and cuts job training programs under the Workforce Investment Act.
Both the House and the Senate passed budget resolutions in March. The House Budget Resolution calls for the Education and Workforce committee to cut $2.1 billion in mandatory spending in FY2006 and $21.4 billion over five years. If enacted, these cuts would affect programs such as student loans and school lunch. The Senate Budget Resolution’s overall discretionary spending ceiling is $848.8 billion, $5.8 billion over the House Budget Resolution. This total includes a successful amendment offered by Sen. Kennedy (D-MA) that increased total spending by $5.4 billion to make funding available for the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act and the Workforce Investment Act, to increase the Pell Grant award by $1.4 billion ($4,500 maximum grant), and restore cuts to TRIO, GEAR UP, LEAP, Perkins loans, adult literacy and career and technical education. It also would fund a new math, science, and special education teachers a guarantee of up to $23,000 in student loan forgiveness for four years of teaching. The Senate Budget Resolution also calls for the Health Education, Labor and Pensions Committee to cut $2.1 billion in mandatory spending in FY 06 and $8.6 billion over five years, which could affect student loans. (The HELP Committee does not have jurisdiction over child nutrition programs, but these programs are under the purview of the Agriculture Committee, which also may be required to cut mandatory spending.)
A budget resolution sets a framework for overall spending for the upcoming fiscal year, capping the total amount the Appropriations Committees can allocate to specific programs. The Senate and House Appropriations Committees then work within that framework to set specific spending levels for individual programs such as Perkins. Therefore, it is crucial that you reach out to your Members of Congress during the budget process to help increase overall funds available to the Appropriations Committees for education and workforce development to help protect Perkins, student aid, the Workforce Investment Act, and other important programs.
ACTE will keep you updated as the FY 2006 federal funding process moves forward. If you have any questions, please contact the Public Policy staff. For further information on funding for career and technical education, please visit www.acteonline.org/policy/legislative_issues/funding.cfm.
We appreciate your efforts! For more information, contact the Association for Career and Technical Education’s Public Policy Department, 1410 King Street, Alexandria, VA 22315, 1-800-826-9972, www.acteonline.org.
