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Congressman Krishnamoorthi Leads 237 Members of Congress in Letter Urging Senate Education Committee to Take Up the Thompson-Krishnamoorthi Act

November 20, 2017

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