July 7, 2016
The Honorable John Kline
Chairman
Committee on Education and the Workforce
2181 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
The Honorable Robert C. “Bobby” Scott
Ranking Member
Committee on Education and the Workforce
2101 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Dear Chairman Kline and Ranking Member Scott:
On behalf of the CEO members of Business Roundtable, I write to express our support for bipartisan Committee passage of H.R. 5587, The Strengthening Career and Technical Education (CTE) for the 21st Century Act, an update of the Perkins Act.
Business Roundtable has been actively engaged with lawmakers to ensure CTE programs are updated in a way that works for all stakeholders in the system, from students to the business community. Business Roundtable, along with the National Association of Manufacturers and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, identified principles to guide Perkins Act reauthorization. The Committee’s bill reflects these principles:
- CTE must be relevant and meaningful for students.
- Recipients of Perkins funding must be accountable for results.
- The business community must be actively engaged in helping to inform and support CTE at the state, regional and local levels.
- The Perkins Act must provide for state/local innovation and reward excellence.
As this legislation moves through the legislative process, we look forward to continuing to work with you, your staff and other Members to ensure these principles are reflected to the fullest extent possible. Again, we thank you for your bipartisan efforts to update this critical law.
Sincerely,
John Engler