Senate Scheduled to Vote on Appropriations Bill; Senator Smith to Propose CTE Amendment

October 17, 2007

The Senate is preparing to send the FY 2008 Labor, HHS, and Education Appropriations bill to the floor this morning, with a vote likely to come by the end of the week or over the weekend. Senator Gordon Smith (R-OR) is planning on offering an amendment to provide a $25 million increase for career technical education that would mirror the one passed in the House by Congressman John Peterson (R-PA-5).

A conference committee to resolve differences between the House and Senate versions of the bill is expected to take place shortly after a Senate vote. Then the bill will be sent to President Bush, where he is likely to veto the bill. An override vote would then take place.

Action Alert:

It is vital to place as many phone calls as possible to your Senators in support of the Smith Amendment and in support of the FY 2008 Labor, HHS, and Education Appropriations bill. A strong showing of support will help bolster our case not only for this amendment, but for future efforts to generate an increase for career technical education. Also, we will need as many votes as possible on the overall bill to sustain a Presidential veto, as any increase to Perkins would likely be in jeopardy if the President’s veto is sustained. You can find contact information for your Senators at the following website: http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

Please view our formal FY 2008 Appropriations request here. Also, I have provided some talking points below to use in your phone calls:

• Enrollments have increased nationwide by over 150% since 1999. Consequently, many CTE programs, especially vital nursing programs, have waiting lists and deny interested students an opportunity to pursue these high demand, highly skilled, and high wage careers. If you have enrollment figures for your state, please use those.
• Students demand relevancy in education. Dropouts continually cite a lack of relevancy to their future careers and general boredom with their classes as the top reason they leave high school. CTE programs provide that relevancy and are critical to any effort to increase the rate of graduation.
• CTE uniquely provides direct transitions from high school to college. Our programs of study (or career clusters) provides students with a personalized plan to pursue advanced educational opportunities.
• Providing increased access to CTE program will be vital to any efforts to remain competitive within the global economy. CTE programs provide training to all 14 sectors listed in President Bush’s High Growth Job Initiative and to all 20 of the fastest growing occupations identified by the Department of Labor.
• CTE programs have a direct return on investment rate. In Washington state, for every $1 invested in secondary CTE programs produces $7 in additional state and federal tax receipts. In Oklahoma, $2 billion are added to the local economy by CTE programs. And Iowa saves $49.5 million every year through CTE programs, citing a direct correlation between students that graduate from CTE programs to decreasing welfare rates, increased wages (and the taxes that come with it), lower unemployment, better health, and lower crime. If you have any such figures for your state, please use those!
• CTE programs are critical to economic development programs. A well-educated workforce is essential to luring companies to set up operations within a state, or within the United States. According to the National Association of Manufacturers in its 2005 Skills Gap report, over 80 percent of respondents are experiencing serious shortages of skilled workers. If a company cannot find the workers necessary to expand existing operations, they will be forced to relocate to a place where a well-trained workforce can be found.

If you have any questions or comments, please contact Domenic Giandomenico, Director of Government Relations at domenic@careertech.org.