House Passes H.R. 1, Action Shifts to Senate

On February 19, the House passed its FY 2011 appropriations bill, H.R. 1, by a vote of 235-189. The bill cuts the Perkins Career and Technical Education Act by $102.9 million by completely eliminating the Tech Prep program, and makes deep cuts to other education and workforce development programs as well. However, there is still hope for stopping these cuts!

The Senate is expected to begin working on the bill this week, and Senate leaders are in the process of developing their own funding proposal for the rest of the fiscal year. While the Senate proposal will contain spending cuts, the cuts will likely not be as deep as those proposed by the House in H.R. 1. Negotiations will then be required to work out differences between the House and Senate FY 2011 funding bills. Continued advocacy is needed to ensure the Senate bill does not include a cut to Perkins.

The debate around the short-term extension has the potential to cloud work on a year-long bill, but we must remain vigilant on the broader legislation. It is crucial that you continue to fight for a restoration of funds to Perkins! Although the process has moved to the Senate, the House will still be involved because both chambers have to agree on the final bill.  Please continue to contact your congressman.  Visit www.acteonline.org/saveCTEfunding.aspx for more information about what you can do and encourage others to join your advocacy efforts!