Congressman Krishnamoorthi Leads 237 Members of Congress in Letter Urging Senate Education Committee to Take Up the Thompson-Krishnamoorthi Act
SCHAUMBURG, IL – Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi, lead Democratic sponsor of the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act, joined Republican sponsor Glenn ‘GT' Thompson of Pennsylvania in leading 235 other Members of the House of Representatives in urging the Senate education committee to take up the bill which passed the House unanimously in June.
The Thompson-Krishnamoorthi act would modernize career, technical, and vocational education through increasing local control and employer involvement to focus curricula on in-demand skills. By requiring educators to work directly with local employers to identify the skills needed in the work force, the Thompson-Krishnamoorthi Act will ensure that career and technical education programs prepare students not just for their next job, but for a good-paying, family-sustaining career. The bill will also benefit employers through providing the skilled workforce they need to help their businesses thrive and grow.
"It's not often these days that we see a piece of serious legislation pass the House with bipartisan support, never mind unanimously, but that's exactly what happened with this bill because Democrats and Republicans agree that we need to modernize our career and technical education system," said Congressman Krishnamoorthi. "The House has done its part by passing this legislation unanimously and through our letter, my colleagues and I are calling upon the Senate to do the same. A four-year degree may not be for everyone but an education must be and this bill will help make that a reality."
The letter led by Congressmen Krishnamoorthi and Thompson is available here and its text follows.
November 11, 2017
The Honorable Lamar Alexander, Chairman The Honorable Patty Murray, Ranking Member
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
United States Senate United States Senate
428 Dirksen Office Building 428 Dirksen Office Building
Washington, D.C., 20510 Washington, D.C., 20510
Dear Chairman Alexander and Ranking Member Murray:
On Thursday, June 22, 2017, the House of Representatives unanimously passed H.R. 2353, the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act. As Members of Congress committed to increasing access to high-quality career and technical education (CTE), we respectfully request that the Senate HELP Committee begin consideration of this legislation.
If signed into law, H.R. 2353 will reauthorize the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act for the first time since 2006, ensuring that the federal policy governing CTE is modern, robust and well-engineered. As you know, CTE plays an important role in the success of both traditional and non-traditional students and improves the profitability of all sectors of the American economy.
Business owners depend on Perkins Act programs to bridge the skills gap and increase the number of job-ready candidates. Thanks to skills-based learning, employers can be confident that students will have the tools they need to succeed in a number of career pathways, including manufacturing, information technology (IT) and agriculture as they enter the job market.
With this in mind, we believe it is incumbent upon this body to pass legislation that will help millions of Americans access the skills and technical knowledge they need to build promising futures. We greatly appreciate your dedication to this issue and look forward to working in a bipartisan, bicameral manner to reauthorize the Perkins Act.
Thank you for your leadership and we look forward to your timely reply.
Sincerely,
Raja Krishnamoorthi Glenn ‘GT' Thompson
Vicente Gonzalez Mark DeSaulnier
Debbie Dingell John Moolenaar
Bradley Byrne Tom O'Halleran
Eric Swalwell Bruce Westerman
John Yarmuth Donald M. Payne
Ann McLane Kuster Paul Mitchell
Salud O. Carbajal Josh Gottheimer
Michelle Lujan Grisham Mia Love
Elizabeth H. Esty Alma Adams
David Scott Thomas R. Suozzi
Daniel T. Kildee Jimmy Panetta
John Rutherford Mike Thompson
Robert B. Aderholt Ted W. Lieu
Frank Pallone, Jr. Val Demings
Mike Doyle David Young
Anna G. Eshoo Roger Marshall, M.D.
Ruben J. Kihuen A. Donald McEachin
Elise Stefanik Pramila Jayapal
Ryan Costello James Renacci
Mark Amodei John Lewis
Scott Taylor Jacky Rosen
Jack Bergman Thomas A. Garrett, Jr.
Tulsi Gabbard Jason Lewis
Colleen Hanabusa Denny Heck
Rick W. Allen Charlie Crist
Filemon Vela James McGovern
Suzanne Bonamici Tom MacArthur
Matt Gaetz Claudia Tenney
Ro Khanna Brian Fitzpatrick
Lloyd Smucker Warren Davidson
Mike Gallagher Cheri Bustos
Julia Brownley Mark Meadows
Sean Patrick Maloney Susan W. Brooks
A. Drew Ferguson IV, D.M.D. Matt Cartwright
Lois Frankel Luis Correa
Dwight Evans Jaime Herrera Beutler
Rod Blum Earl Blumenauer
Debbie Wasserman Schultz Donald S. Beyer, Jr.
Scott H. Peters Lisa Blunt Rochester
David Joyce Tim Ryan
Dave Reichert Brendan Boyle
Keith Rothfus Daniel Webster
Karen C. Handel Brenda L. Lawrence
Susan A. Davis Joaquin Castro
Bill Foster Sander Levin
Stephanie Murphy Robin L. Kelly
Grace Meng Dan Newhouse
Raul Ruiz Nanette Diaz Barragán
Beto O'Rourke Al Lawson, Jr.
Zoe Lofgren Carlos Curbelo
Jared Huffman Seth Moulton
Ed Perlmutter Katherine Clark
Mark Pocan Darin LaHood
Andy Barr Darren Soto
Ami Bera, M.D. Joe Wilson
Mike Bost John B. Larson
Ron Kind Anthony G. Brown
Mark Takano Tony Cárdenas
Raul Grijalva Glenn Grothman
James Comer Don Bacon
Lee Zeldin Marc Veasey
Derek Kilmer Lynn Jenkins
David Loebsack Carl Shea-Porter
Donald Norcross Bonnie Watson Coleman
Jim Cooper Juan Vargas
Hakeem Jeffries Grace Napolitano
Adriano Espaillat John Delaney
Mike Kelly Randy K. Weber, Sr.
Bill Johnson Norma J. Torres
Kevin Cramer Trent Kelly
Dave Trott Kyrsten Sinema
Jared Polis David G. Valadao
Rodney Davis Robert A. Brady
Lou Barletta Kathy Castor
Robert J. Wittman Jim Jordan
Yvette D. Clarke James R. Langevin
G. K. Butterfield Jim Costa
Lucille Roybal-Allard David E. Price
Jerry Nadler Diana DeGette
Rick Larsen Peter DeFazio
André Carson Eleanor Holmes Norton
Francis Rooney Chellie Pingree
Elijah E. Cummings Marcy Kaptur
Sheila Jackson Lee Bobby L. Rush
Terri Sewell Mac Thornberry
Steve King Blaine Luetkemeyer
Ben Ray Luján Gregory Meeks
Vicky Hartzler Karen Bass
Barbara Lee Tom Marino
David N. Cicilline Gwen Moore
Betty McCollum Keith Ellison
Adam Smith Jerry McNerney
Peter Welch Pat Meehan
Carolyn B. Maloney Bob Goodlatte
Doris Matsui Tim Walz
Linda T. Sánchez Emanuel Cleaver, II
Albio Sires Marcia Fudge
Dan Lipinski Al Green
Joe Courtney William Keating
Alcee L. Hastings José E. Serrano
Nita Lowey Richard M. Nolan
Jan Schakowsky Adam Schiff
Steve Cohen Sanford Bishop
Luis V. Gutierrez Steve Womack
C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger Brad R. Wenstrup
Judy Chu Kurt Schrader
Steve Pearce Tim Walberg
John Garamendi Todd Rokita
Madeleine Z. Bordallo Mike Coffman
Frederica Wilson Ted Deutch
Ron Estes Randy Hultgren
Kristi Noem Mike Quigley
Brian Higgins Eliot L. Engel
Paul Tonko Dina Titus
Jackie Speier Tom Cole
Eddie Bernice Johnson Louise Slaughter
Gene Green Suzan DelBene
Ralph Abraham