[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 74 (Monday, May 19, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Page S6632]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. DOMENICI:
  S. 1081. A bill to amend section 504(a) of the Higher Education Act 
of 1965 to eliminate the 2-year wait out period for grant recipients; 
to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce a bill that 
will amend Title V of the Higher Education Act. Specifically, this bill 
will eliminate the 2-year wait-out period now required between 
applications by eligible Hispanic Serving Institutions for grants under 
Title V of the Higher Education Act.
  Title V of the Higher Education Act is the primary vehicle used to 
target urgently needed funds to Hispanic Serving Institutions. Grants 
under this section can be used by higher education institutions to 
strengthen academic quality, institutional management, and financial 
stability. These grants are essential to institutions that provide and 
increase the number of educational opportunities available to Hispanic 
students.
  Under current guidelines, in order to qualify for a grant under Title 
V, an institution must have at least 25 percent full time, Hispanic 
undergraduate student enrollment, and not less than 50 percent of its 
Hispanic student population must be low income. Title V grants are 
awarded for 5 years, with a minimum 2-year wait-out period after the 
termination of a grant period before eligibility to apply for another 
grant. During Fiscal Year 2002, 191 institutions were awarded grants.
  Title V's 2-year wait-out period impedes Hispanic Serving 
Institutions' efforts to implement continuing programs with long range 
solutions to Hispanic higher education challenges. Eliminating the 2-
year wait-out period will be of great importance to equipping our 
Nation's Hispanic Serving Institutions with the continuous funding that 
they need to best answer complex challenges. In 2000, Congress 
eliminated the wait-out period for Tribally Controlled Colleges and 
Universities, Alaskan Native and Native Hawaiian-serving institutions. 
Historically Black Colleges and Universities also do not have a wait-
out period. It is now time for us to eliminate the wait-out period for 
Hispanic Serving Institutions.
  Hispanic Serving Institutions provide the quality education essential 
to full participation in today's society. Many students in my home 
State of New Mexico have benefited from the academic excellence that 
Hispanic Serving Institutions seek to provide. Title V grants are 
intended to provide assistance to these less advantaged, developing 
institutions, and preventing these institutions from reapplying for 
grants for 2 successive years is obstructing their development.
  I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the 
Record.
  There being no objection, the bill was ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:

                                S. 1081

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. ELIMINATION OF THE 2-YEAR WAIT OUT PERIOD FOR 
                   GRANT RECIPIENTS.

       Section 504(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 
     U.S.C. 1101c(a)) is amended--
       (1) by striking ``Period.--'' and all that follows through 
     ``The Secretary'' and inserting ``Period.--The Secretary''; 
     and
       (2) by striking paragraph (2).

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