FY 2013 Perkins Appropriations—Now Is the Time to Contact Your Representatives

On behalf of the COHEAO Board of Directors

Attached is a draft letter designed for you to send to your representative(s) in the US House of Representatives. Please send this letter as soon as possible. The letter is to elicit support for funding for the Perkins Loan Program, starting with making up the cancellations reimbursements and also requesting a capital contribution. Please send to the House member who represents where you live as well as where you work and any other ones that you may happen to be in touch with. Especially for those of you who work at schools, send the letter to as many House members as you are able in your state.

This year is an important opportunity to attempt to restore some Perkins Loan funding because for the first time in several years, there is not expected to be a major Pell Grant funding shortfall. However, the budget will no doubt be tight given the concern over the federal deficit, so that is why we ask you to send these letters now – today or tomorrow would be best, but as soon as possible.

To get the name and contact information for your House Member, please go to: https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml. A link to this site is also available on the COHEAO website, www.coheao.org (at the bottom of the home page). There is a form there where you can cut and paste your letter. However, it is most effective to send these letters directly to staff. If possible, please send a copy to the Representative’s legislative assistant in charge of education issues. A listing of House education staffers, listed alphabetically by Member of Congress, is also attached and available online on the COHEAO site: https://coheao.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/House-Ed-LAs-031512.pdf. Short of emailing staff, you can email it to the Member of Congress using this format: firstname.lastname@mail.house.gov.

If you have any questions, please contact Wes or Harrison: whuffman@wpllc.net or hwadsworth@wpllc.net, or contact one of the COHEAO Board members whose names are at https://coheao.com/about-2/leadership/.

Thank you for your support!