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Legislative Alerts
SENATE VOTES 99 – 0 TO REAUTHORIZE PERKINS
March 10, 2005 - In a strong show of bipartisan support for CTE, the Senate voted to approved S. 250, the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Improvement Act of 2005, by a bipartisan vote of 99 to 0. Senator Hillary Clinton was the only senator who did not vote, as she was with President Clinton, who had surgery today. Had circumstances been different, the vote would have been 100 – 0, as Senator Clinton is a very vocal and strong CTE supporter.
Senators Enzi (R-WY) and Kennedy (D-MA) introduced the bill to the Senate floor at 3:30 pm today. In his opening remarks, Senator Enzi, Chairman of the HELP Committee, noted the improvements S. 250 would make to current law including a stronger academic focus, improved articulation between secondary and post secondary programs, and that it is consistent with the goals outlined in No Child Left Behind. He also commented that this bill is not a substitute for comprehensive high school reform, but rather is a valuable component.
Ranking member, Senator Kennedy followed-up by saying that if America is going to be competitive in today’s global economy career technical education is essential. He shared statistics from Massachusetts, outlining CTE’s many successes. He noted the valuable role CTE has in the lives of all students, both youth and adults, and the importance of preparing individuals with skills to succeed in both employment and post secondary education.
To read a copy of the bill as reported to the Senate, visit http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?c109:2:./temp/~c109DxuCRQ.
NEXT STEPS: The Senate’s passage of S. 250 leaves the ball in the court of the House of Representatives to complete its work on H. R. 366. Once H.R. 366 clears the House, which is expected in early April, the two chambers will begin reconciling the differences between the two bills. The Congress hopes to complete its work on Perkins by Memorial Day.
THANK YOU: Thank you for all your advocacy efforts. Our time and energy spent to establish good relations with our Senate colleagues has clearly paid off with a piece of legislation that supports our legislative priorities and a strong state role. Great job!
Please be sure to send your letter of appreciation to your senators for their hard work and expeditious passage of S. 250. You can access their addresses at www.senate.gov.
THE HALL OF STATES
444 N. CAPITOL STREET, NW SUITE 830
WASHINGTON, DC 20001
PHONE: (202) 737-0303 • FAX: (202) 737-1106
WWW.CAREERTECH.ORG
© Copyright 2005 Wisconsin Technology Education Association
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