House Members Sponsor Dear Colleague Letter

March 09, 2006

In another strong show of bipartisan support for Perkins, Representatives Velasquez (D-NY), Boehlert (R-NY) and Spratt (D-SC) have sponsored a "Dear Colleague" letter urging their fellow representatives to preserve funding for Perkins. These three House members are asking their colleagues to sign on to a letter to be sent to House Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Chairman Ralph Regula (R-OH) and Ranking Member David Obey (D-WI). This letter's title "Preserve Job Opportunities for Millions of Americans" highlights the widening skills gap and the important role career technical education has in making sure our country stays competitive. The letter specifically asks that Perkins be funded by no less than $1.3 billion.

ACTION NEEDED: Contact your representative today and ask him/her to sign on to the Perkins Dear Colleague letter being sponsored by Representatives Velasquez, Boehlert and Spratt. The deadline for signatures is March 14.

If your representative would like to sign on to the letter, staff should contact Ruby Squyres with Representative Velazquez at (202) 225-2361, or Katie Waszkiewicz with Representative Boehlert (202) 225-3665. If you would like to see a copy of the letter, please contact Nichole Jackson at njackson@careertech.org.