U.S. Senator Ken Salazar Member of the Agriculture, Energy and Veterans Affairs Committees 2300 15^th Street, Suite 450 Denver, CO 80202 | 702 Hart Senate Building, Washington, D.C. 20510
For Immediate Release March 10, 2005		CONTACT: Cody Wertz – Press Secretary 202-228-3630 Jen Clanahan – Deputy Press Secretary 303-455-7600
SENATOR SALAZAR VOTES TO RESTORE $17M IN PERKINS LOAN FUNDING FOR COLORADO STUDENTS WASHINGTON, DC – United States Senator Ken Salazar today proudly voted for S.250, the Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Improvement Act. The Perkins Loan program provides funding for vocation and technical education at the secondary and community college level. Senator Salazar said, “I am proud that so many of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle joined me in supporting this bill. Vocational and technical skills are an important part of education in Colorado, especially in our rural school districts. This is the first step towards fully funding the Perkins Loan program, and I look forward to working with my fellow Senators and the Administration to take the next step and fully fund this important program.” Under the President’s proposed FY2006 budget, the Perkins Loan program was eliminated, costing Colorado students $17 million in education funding. During the 2003-04 academic year, over 100,000 Colorado students were enrolled in 1,200 secondary programs in 166 school districts that benefited from the Perkins Loan program. The Perkins Loan program is named after former Kentucky Congressman Carl D. Perkins, a champion of education funding programs in the 1960s and former Chair of the House Committee on Education and Labor. The Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Improvement Act, S. 250, passed today by a vote of 99-0. # # #