ACTE Legislative Alert: Ask Your Representatives to Sign Letter Supporting Perkins Funding

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May 18, 2005

WHAT: Reps. Nydia Velazquez (D-NY), Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY), and John Spratt (D-SC) are circulating a “Dear Colleague” letter to Members of the House of Representatives asking that they join them on a letter requesting the preservation of funds for the Perkins Act. This bi-partisan letter will be sent to Representatives Ralph Regula (R-OH) and David Obey (D-WI), who are Chairman and Ranking Member, respectively, of the House Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Subcommittee. The letter requests funding for Perkins at current levels.

ACTION NEEDED: The Congressional appropriations process is already underway, and the House Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Subcommittee has been given a very tight budget cap, forcing appropriators to make touch choices on funding for education and workforce development programs. With the President’s proposed elimination of Perkins, it is more important than ever that Congress demonstrate bi-partisan support for Perkins. Contact your Representative in the House starting TODAY, and:

Urge him or her to sign the bi-partisan Velazquez, Boehlert, Spratt “Dear Colleague” letter supporting funding for Perkins.
Let them know that Perkins is working well in your community, and that career and technical education makes positive investments in America’s future by providing relevant learning experiences for students at both the secondary and postsecondary levels, effective and proven links to skills-building and enhanced academic opportunities and improved employment outcomes; and that employers in your local area continue to need well-trained workers with good skills to compete in the 21st century economy.

If your Representative wishes to sign on to the letter, have him or her contact the legislative assistant handling education issues in one of these offices: Rep. Velazquez (contact Julie Okoniewski), or Rep. Boehlert (contact Katie Waszkiewicz).

To find contact information for your Representatives, please visit ACTE’s Legislative Action Center at: http://capwiz.com/acte/home/.

Please note that often members of the appropriations committees won’t sign on to these letters as they are addressed to the committee on which they sit. Therefore, if your Representative sits on the appropriations committee and is not willing to sign on, it does not mean they don’t support funding for career and technical education (CTE). Encourage them to support funding for Perkins and thank them for their support.

A copy of the “Dear Colleague” and the letter to the Appropriations Subcommittee can be viewed at http://www.acteonline.org/policy/legislative_issues/upload/House_Dear_Colleague.pdf.

BACKGROUND: A similar “Dear Colleague” letter was recently circulated in the Senate, and efforts to secure support from Senators were very successful, thanks in large part to the grassroots efforts of ACTE members. The bi-partisan “Dear Colleague” letter authored by Senators Conrad Burns (R-MT), Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY), Susan Collins (R-ME), and Richard Durbin (D-IL) was delivered on May 12, 2005 to the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Subcommittee. The letter called for the rejection of the Administration’s proposals to eliminate funding for the Carl D. Perkins Act and for funding of Perkins to continue at a minimum of FY 2005 levels. In addition to the authors, a total of 41 additional Senators–both Republicans and Democrats, signed on to the letter and are listed below.

Sign-ons: Daniel Akaka (D-HI), Max Baucus (D-MT), Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Jim Bunning (R-KY), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Norm Coleman (R-MN), Kent Conrad (D-ND), Jon Corzine (D-NJ), Mark Dayton (D-MN), Mike DeWine (R-OH), Christopher Dodd (D-CT), Elizabeth Dole (R-NC), Byron Dorgan (D-ND), Russ Feingold (D-WI), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Tim Johnson (D-SD), Ted Kennedy (D-MA), John Kerry (D-MA), Herbert Kohl (D-WI), Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), Carl Levin (D-MI), Joseph Lieberman (D-CT), Blanche Lincoln (D-AR), Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Patty Murray (D-WA), Ben Nelson (D-NE), Barack Obama (D-IL), Mark Pryor (D-AR), John Reed (D-RI), John Rockefeller (D-WV), Paul Sarbanes (D-MD), Charles Schumer (D-NY), Olympia Snowe (R-ME), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Jim Talent (R-MO), Craig Thomas (R-WY), John Warner (R-VA), Ron Wyden (D-OR).

For more information and the latest updates on federal funding for career and technical education, please visit www.acteonline.org/policy/legislative_issues/funding.cfm.

As always, 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.