ASK YOUR REPRESENTATIVE TO SIGN LETTER SUPPORTING PERKINS FUNDING

ASK YOUR REPRESENTATIVE TO SIGN LETTER SUPPORTING PERKINS FUNDING

WHAT: We have another opportunity to encourage Members of Congress to demonstrate their support for career and technical education (CTE). Reps. Nydia Velazquez (D-NY), Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY), and John Spratt (D-SC) are circulating a bi-partisan “Dear Colleague” letter to their fellow Representatives urging their colleagues to join them on a letter in support of preserving funds for Perkins programs. This 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 deadline for signatures is the end of the day on Tuesday, March 14th.

A copy of the “Dear Colleague” letter to the Appropriations Committee can be viewed in this PDF copy

The Congressional budget and appropriations process is underway, and FY 2007 promises to be a tight budget year for discretionary programs like Perkins. With the President’s proposed elimination of the program, it is more important than ever that this kind of bi-partisan support for Perkins be demonstrated by Congress.

ACTION NEEDED: Call your Representative starting TODAY, and Urge him or her to sign the Velazquez/Boehlert/Spratt “Dear Colleague” letter supporting funding for Perkins. Let them know that Perkins is working well in your community, and that CTE 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 Rep. Velazquez’s office or Rep. Boehlert’s office.

To find contact information for your Representative, please visit ACTE’s Legislative Action Center

Please note that members of the Appropriations Committee often will not sign on to letters that are addressed to the Appropriations Committee. Therefore, if your Representative sits on the committee and is not willing to sign on, it does not necessarily mean they do not support funding for CTE. Encourage them to support funding for Perkins as the appropriations bill moves through their committee. The letter is addressed to Representatives Regula (R-OH) and Obey (D-WI), so they will be unlikely to sign on, but if you live in Ohio or Wisconsin, we encourage you to continue to work with these Representatives to demonstrate the value of CTE in your states and to thank them for their continued support. To view a list of members of the House Appropriations Committee, please visit This Website

We encourage you to also forward this alert to others who are concerned about funding for CTE.

For more information on federal funding for CTE, and on the recent Senate “Dear Colleague” please visit This Website