June 24, 2005
Legislative Update:
Save Tech Prep – Contact Your Congressmen Now
See link to sample letters to Congressmen at the bottom of this message.
Dear Friends of Tech Prep:
We need your help to save Tech Prep NOW!
I'm sure you have heard that both Houses of Congress have overwhelmingly passed their separate versions of bills to reauthorize the "Carl D.Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act" for another 6 years.
However, there are two significant differences with the House (H.R. 366) and Senate (S. 250) versions.
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The Senate version continues Tech Prep with a separate fundingstream within Perkins, but the House eliminates this funding.
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The Senate version continues the allowable administrative costsat 5%, but the House reduces this to 2% (a 60% reduction).
The House and Senate staffs will begin discussing the differences in these bills during the week of June 27. They will attempt to reach a compromise bill that both Houses can vote on and send to the President for signature. The overall Perkins bill has many good features and passage does not appear to be in jeopardy. It is the two issues above that concern many Tech Prep and other career and technical education practitioners and recipients.
Contacts to the education committees of the Senate and House can make a big difference. We need you to ACT NOW if you want to save Tech Prep and the administrative allowance! Senators and Representatives are definitely influenced when they receive a large number of contacts. In addition to asking them to accept the Senate wording on the two issues above, thank them for the bipartisan support of the overall Perkins bill and tell them why you think Tech Prep has been and/or can be helpful to your students, schools, and employers.
There are several things you can do. Please do ALL YOU CAN on the below list of suggested actions (instructions on making these contacts follow the list of suggested actions). 1. If your Senator and/or Representative are listed on one of the committees, please contact them by phone, fax, or e-mail. 2. If your Senators and/or Representatives are not on the list, contact them anyway and ask them to contact the committee staffs and chairs. 3. Contact the House and Senate committee staffs with your comments. 4. Contact the committee chairs and ranking minority members.
Representatives Boehner, Petri, and Castle are the ones who need the most convincing to change their positions on these issues since they are in majority (Republican) leadership positions in the House. 5. If you can, contact ALL of the Senators and Representatives on the list, even if they are not from your state.
In addition to making these contacts, it is VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU ASK YOUR FRIENDS AND COLLEAGUES TO MAKE THESE CONTACTS. Contacts from employers may be particularly helpful. There needs to be a large volume of contacts to convince the staff and members to consider this position.
We have listed some contact information for the committee staffs, the committee chairs and ranking minority members, but for contact information on all members, go to the links to the committee website and click on the links for each committee member and find the contact information on each member's website. Some do not have fax numbers listed.
If you have questions, or want to be removed from this list, please send an e-mail directly to me at dbond@cord.org. Do not "reply" to this message since it is a one-way communication and will not be read.
Thanks.
David Bond, Director, National Tech Prep Network
U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, & Pensions
Committee staff:
Majority staff (Republican): Phone 202-224-6770, Fax 202-224-6510
Minority staff (Democrat): Phone 202-224-0767, Fax 202-224-5128
Committee Chairman
Mike Enzi (R-WY), Phone 202-224-3424, Fax 202-228-0359
Republicans
Senator Judd Gregg (NH), Fax 202-224-4952; Senator Bill Frist (TN) Majority Leader of the Senate, Phone 202-224-3344, Fax 202-228-1264; Senator Lamar Alexander (TN), Ed. Subcommittee chair, Phone 202-224-4944, Fax 202-228-3398; Senator Richard Burr (NC), Fax 202-228-2981; Senator Johnny Isakson (GA), Fax 202-228-0724; Senator Mike DeWine (OH), Fax 202-224-6519; Senator John Ensign (NV), Fax 202-228-2193; Senator Orrin Hatch (UT), 202-224-6331; Senator Jeff Sessions (AL), Fax 202-224-3149; Senator Pat Roberts (KS), Fax 202-224-3514
Democrats
Senator Edward Kennedy (MA), Ranking Member, Phone 202-224-4543, Fax 202-224-2417;Senator Christopher Dodd (CT), Ed. Subcommittee Ranking Minority Member, Phone 202-224-2823, Fax 202-228-1683; Senator Tom Harkin (IA), Fax 202-224-9369; Senator Barbara Mikulski (MD), Fax 202-224-8858; Senator James Jeffords (I) (VT), Fax 802-860-7624; Senator Jeff Bingaman (NM), Fax 202-224-2852; Senator Patty Murray (WA), Fax 202-224-0238; Senator Jack Reed (RI), Fax 202-224-4680; Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (NY), Fax 202-228-0282
Committee on Education and the Workforce U.S. House of Representatives
House Education Committee staff: Phone 202-225-4527; Fax 202-225-9571
Committee Chairman
John A. Boehner, Ohio, Phone 202-225-6205; Fax 202-225-0704
Republican Members (27)
Thomas E. Petri, Wisconsin, Vice Chairman, Phone 202/225-2476, Fax:202/225-2356; Howard P. "Buck" McKeon, California, Fax 202-226-0683; Michael N. Castle, Delaware, Ed. Reform Subcommittee Chair, Phone 202-225-4165, Fax 202-225-2291; Sam Johnson, Texas, Fax 202-225-1485; Mark E. Souder, Indiana, Fax 202-225-3479; Charlie Norwood, Georgia, Fax 202-226-0776; Vernon J. Ehlers, Michigan, Fax 202-225-5144; Judy Biggert Illinois, Fax 202-225-9420; Todd Russell Platts, Pennsylvania, Fax 202-226-1000; Patrick J. Tiberi, Ohio, Fax 202-226-4523; Ric Keller, Florida, Fax 202-225-0999; Tom Osborne, Nebraska, Fax 202-226-1385; Joe Wilson, South Carolina, Fax 202-225-2455; Jon C.Porter, Nevada, Fax 202-225-2185; John Kline, Minnesota, Fax 202-225-2595; Marilyn N. Musgrave, Colorado, Fax 202-225-5870; Bob Inglis, South Carolina, Fax 202-226-1177; Cathy McMorris, Washington, Fax 202-225-3392; Kenny Marchant, Texas, Fax 202-225-0074; Tom Price, Georgia, Fax 202-225-4656; Luis G. Fortuno, Puerto Rico, 202-225-2154; Bobby Jindal, Louisiana, Fax 202-226-0386; Charles W. Boustany, Jr., Louisiana, Fax 202-225-2031; Virginia Foxx, North Carolina, Fax 202-225-2995; Thelma D. Drake, Virginia, Fax 202-225-4218; John R. "Randy" Kuhl, Jr., New York, Fax 202-226-6599
Democrat Members (22)
George Miller, California, Ranking Minority Member, Phone 202-225-2095, Fax 202-225-5609; Dale E. Kildee, Michigan, Fax 202-225-6393; Major R. Owens, New York, Fax 202-226-0112; Donald M. Payne, New Jersey, Fax 202-225-4160; Robert E. Andrews, New Jersey, Fax 202-225-6583; Robert C. Scott, Virginia, Fax 202-225-8354; Lynn C. Woolsey, California, Ed. Reform Subcommittee Ranking Minority Member, Phone 202-225-5161, Fax 202-225-5163; Ruben Hinojosa, Texas, Fax 202-225-5688; Carolyn McCarthy, New York, Fax 202-225-5758; John F. Tierney, Massachusetts, Fax 202-225-5915; Ron Kind, Wisconsin, Fax 202-225-5739; Dennis J. Kucinich, Ohio, Fax 202-225-5745; David Wu, Oregon, Fax 202-225-9497; Rush D. Holt New Jersey, Fax 202-225-6025; Susan A. Davis, California, Fax 202-225-2948; Betty McCollum, Minnesota, Fax 202-225-1968; Danny K. Davis, Illinois, Fax 202-225-5641; Raul M. Grijalva, Arizona, Fax 202-225-1541; Chris Van Hollen, Maryland, Fax 202-225-0375; Tim Ryan, Ohio, Fax 202-225-3719; Timothy H. Bishop, New York, Fax 202-225-3143; John Barrow, Georgia, Fax 202-225-3377
Other comments in support of a Tech Prep funding stream:
Ensuring And Charting The Future Of Tech Prep In New York State
A Position Paper Developed by New York State's Network of Tech Prep Directors
ACTE-NASDCTEC Perkins Conference Priorities
Letters sent to Congressmen:
Letter to House Education Committee Members
Letter of Support to Senators
