[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 505 Introduced in House (IH)]

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114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 505

   Honoring the 50th anniversary of the Higher Education Act of 1965.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 29, 2015

  Mr. Hinojosa (for himself, Mr. Scott of Virginia, Mr. Grijalva, Mr. 
   Gene Green of Texas, Ms. Jackson Lee, Mr. Vela, Ms. Eddie Bernice 
Johnson of Texas, Mr. Veasey, Mr. Jeffries, Mr. Takano, Mr. Sablan, Mr. 
Cardenas, Mrs. Davis of California, Mr. Polis, Ms. Fudge, Ms. Judy Chu 
of California, Mr. Danny K. Davis of Illinois, Mr. Pocan, Ms. Clark of 
Massachusetts, Ms. Lee, Mrs. Napolitano, Mr. Doggett, Mr. Gallego, Ms. 
Bonamici, Mr. Fattah, Ms. Clarke of New York, Mr. Castro of Texas, Mr. 
O'Rourke, Ms. Adams, Ms. Roybal-Allard, Mr. Courtney, Mr. Cuellar, Mr. 
DeSaulnier, Mr. Al Green of Texas, and Ms. Wilson of Florida) submitted 
   the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 
                      Education and the Workforce

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
   Honoring the 50th anniversary of the Higher Education Act of 1965.

Whereas 2015 marks the 50th anniversary of the Higher Education Act of 1965;
Whereas President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Act into law on November 8, 1965, 
        as part of the ``Great Society'';
Whereas prior to its passage, attending institutions of higher education 
        remained an unreachable dream for those without the financial means or 
        legal ability to improve their educational and occupational status;
Whereas generations of Americans sought Federal legislation to increase access 
        to these institutions of higher education for populations barred from 
        attending due to social and economic inequality;
Whereas efforts by those in the civil rights movement cast a bright light on the 
        restrictive, inhumane treatment of Americans facing the oppressive 
        burden of poverty and racial injustice;
Whereas while early Great Society legislation signed into law by President 
        Lyndon B. Johnson prohibited discrimination based on race, color, 
        national origin, religion, and sex, many Americans still lacked the 
        education and skills needed to fully participate in a rapidly 
        modernizing economy through no fault of their own;
Whereas the Higher Education Act of 1965 authorized a vast array of programs and 
        provisions supporting millions of low-income students and their families 
        in their efforts to attend and complete studies at institutions of 
        higher education;
Whereas the funding authorized by the Higher Education Act of 1965 continues to 
        serve as the primary source of Federal student aid in the form of 
        Federal grants, student loans, and Federal Work-Study;
Whereas the Higher Education Act of 1965, in addition to offering aid directly 
        to students, provided grants to institutions of higher education to 
        promote research, established a National Teacher Corps, and allocated 
        aid to historically Black colleges and universities, two-year colleges, 
        and other ``developing'' institutions;
Whereas Congress has amended the Higher Education Act of 1965 at various times, 
        with key changes that strengthened the Act;
Whereas the creation of the Talent Search Program in 1965 and the Special 
        Services for Disadvantaged Students Program under the reauthorization in 
        1968 formed, with the Upward Bound Program, a trio of programs (commonly 
        known as ``TRIO'') designed to identify and provide services to low-
        income individuals, first-generation college students, and individuals 
        with disabilities in their progress from secondary to postbaccalaureate 
        study;
Whereas the amendments to the Act in the Patsy Takemoto Mink Equal Opportunity 
        in Education Act of 1972, commonly known as ``title IX'', made 
        groundbreaking changes that prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex 
        in any academic or athletic program receiving Federal funding or support 
        and continue the march toward true equality of opportunity for all;
Whereas the Basic Educational Opportunity Grant, signed into law in 1972 and now 
        known as the Pell Grant Program, began providing need-based grants to 
        low-income students in order to further improve access to institutions 
        of higher education;
Whereas the amendments to the Higher Education Act of 1965 have underscored the 
        importance of preparing students from migrant and seasonal farmworker 
        families to enter and succeed in postsecondary education by providing 
        Federal support for the High School Equivalency Program (HEP) and the 
        College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP);
Whereas the 1998 amendments created the Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness 
        for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP), a discretionary grant program 
        tasked with increasing the number of successful low-income students in 
        higher education by providing critical supports to cohorts of students 
        in high poverty middle schools;
Whereas amendments to the Higher Education Act of 1965 created pathways toward 
        loan forgiveness for the Nation's servicemembers, public and civil 
        servants, and teachers, allowing more graduates to serve in these 
        important roles while working toward the prospect of greater financial 
        independence;
Whereas amendments to the Higher Education Act of 1965 created title V, a 
        Federal designation and increased support for Hispanic-serving 
        institutions, colleges and universities that provide a significant 
        proportion of postsecondary opportunities for Latino undergraduate and 
        graduate students and low-income students;
Whereas amendments to the Act in the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act, 
        enacted as part of the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 
        2010, made landmark investments in Pell Grants, historically Black 
        colleges and universities, Hispanic-serving institutions, tribal 
        colleges and universities, predominantly Black institutions, Asian-
        American and Native American Pacific Islander-serving institutions, 
        Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-serving institutions, and other 
        minority-serving institutions;
Whereas amendments to the Higher Education Act of 1965 have created Federal 
        programs to strengthen the capacity of institutions enrolling 
        undergraduates at two-year and four-year public and private colleges and 
        universities, as well as institutions of higher education offering 
        graduate study; and
Whereas the Higher Education Act of 1965 solidified and expanded the Federal 
        Government's role in higher education policy at an integral time in our 
        Nation's history, and continues to provide Americans with the means for 
        access to a postsecondary education: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) honors the 50th anniversary of the Higher Education Act 
        of 1965;
            (2) acknowledges those whose support and efforts led to 
        passage of the Higher Education Act of 1965;
            (3) recognizes the significant investment the Higher 
        Education Act of 1965 has made in the lives of American 
        students, families, and this Nation as a whole; and
            (4) encourages all Americans to recognize and celebrate the 
        important historical milestone represented by the congressional 
        passage of the Higher Education Act of 1965 and its ideals of 
        improving educational access and affordability.
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