[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 145 (Wednesday, September 11, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5421-S5422]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                               Future Act

  Mr. President, I rise today almost a year ago since I first came to 
the Senate floor to discuss the state of our Nation's historically 
Black colleges and universities and other minority-serving 
institutions.
  As I did then, and many times since, I am again making an urgent call 
to colleagues to act. At the end of this month, at the end of the 
fiscal year, nearly half of all Federal funds these schools receive 
each year, and have for a long time, is going to end. That is $255 
million annually that they have had available to count on for well over 
a decade. That is going to come to a screeching halt if we don't act, 
and we need to act now.
  These historic institutions serve nearly 4 million students of color. 
Many of our Nation's brightest minds have matriculated at these 
institutions. HBCUs are the leading educators for African-American PhDs 
in science and engineering. They are foundational to building 
generational wealth in communities that have long faced headwinds in 
doing so. They are doing amazing work. They are doing incredible work 
with very limited resources and with their own individual financial 
headwinds to contend with.
  In Alabama, we are home to 14 HBCUs--more than any State in the 
country--so they are an integral part of my home State's higher 
education system. Just as important, they are integral to the economy 
of Alabama.
  Minority-serving institutions play a central role in America's higher 
education system. For example, Hispanic-Serving Institutions account 
for 13 percent of all nonprofit colleges. Yet they enroll 62 percent of 
all Hispanic students.
  More than 75 percent of students at HBCUs and nearly 80 percent of 
students at Tribal colleges and universities receive Pell grants, 
compared to only 32 percent of all students. These schools have a very 
serious purpose for these kids who otherwise might get shut out, likely 
would get shut out of our higher education system. They are so 
important, and they face such strong headwinds financially to achieve.
  Last year, we held our first HBCU summit where we brought all of our 
HBCUs in Alabama together to talk about the challenges, to talk about 
what they were facing but also to talk about opportunities to work 
together, to work with the State, to work with the Congress, to try to 
meet the challenges of our workforce of the 21st century, to try to 
meet the challenges of our educational system in general. What I saw 
was an amazing group of people--amazing group of people who were doing 
the work for their students and for their communities, people who

[[Page S5422]]

are committed from deep down in their heart. They love these kids. They 
love the purpose they are serving, and they are thinking ahead. They 
are thinking outside the box. These are not institutions that are so 
cookie cutter that they are not willing to explore new opportunities 
for their students. They are seizing every one of those opportunities.
  I have seen firsthand, though, increasing concern from our HBCU 
community. Given their significance, it is frustrating that some of 
these schools continue to struggle. Public and private HBCUs face 
extensive capital project needs but have few funding sources to rely 
on.
  On top of that, the Government Accountability Office found that 
HBCUs' average endowment is half the size of a similar sized non-HBCU. 
We have to change that. We have to make sure we provide to these 
schools because the bottom line is, they have no safety net. They 
struggle. They work. They do the things. The bottom line is, they have 
no safety net. If they have no safety net, neither do the students they 
serve.
  This time last year, I was talking about legislation I had introduced 
called the Strengthening Minority-Serving Institutions Act, which would 
have permanently extended and increased mandatory funding to all 
minority-serving institutions. That bill was supported by one-quarter 
of the Senate. Unfortunately, it was simply all Democrats. We could not 
get the bipartisan support that I hope we will get in the future. 
However, now we are here and only have 19 days left in the fiscal year, 
and these schools still have no certainty about whether these critical 
funds will continue to be available.
  We hear a lot in this body about the need to make sure we continue to 
fund government, that we continue to fund our military, and about how 
devastating even a continuing resolution might be to the Defense 
Department because it doesn't allow the military to plan. I agree with 
that. I see it. This is $255 million that all of a sudden is going to 
be cut off completely from schools that have relied on it, that have 
planned, that have done their budgets around it. We owe it to them. We 
owe it to them to make sure that we get this funding because they give 
so much back to us.
  Ensuring equal access to quality education should not be a partisan 
issue, and I worked over the last year to find a solution that I think 
should receive and could receive broad bipartisan support. I believe we 
have that in the Fostering Undergraduate Talent by Unlocking Resources 
for Education Act. It is called the FUTURE Act, which I have introduced 
with my colleague Senator Tim Scott and Representatives Alma Adams and 
Mark Walker in the House.
  The FUTURE Act reauthorizes funding for the next 2 fiscal years, 
maintaining just level funding of $255 million a year. It is the least 
we could do. Our bill checks all the boxes. It helps institutions in 43 
States. It is bipartisan, it is bicameral, and it is paid for.
  Let's not delay any longer. With this important bill, let's get this 
to the floor. Let's come up with something so we can show the American 
people how important these institutions are and just as important, we 
show the American people that, doggone it, we can get something done. 
That is the most frustrating part I heard about when I went back to 
Alabama over the recess: When are you going to get something done, 
Jones?
  Well, it is difficult. You all know it. It is difficult, but this is 
a piece of legislation that ought to receive support in this body and 
across the aisle, across the Capitol in the House.
  This week we have a lot of the HBCU presidents and administrators who 
are on Capitol Hill. They are coming up for their own benefit but also 
for the Congressional Black Caucus events that are later this week. 
They are here on the Hill. It would be the perfect time to get this to 
the floor. I don't see it on the schedule anywhere, but it would be the 
perfect time.
  As people are looking here, as they are watching us and listening to 
us, they know we support their institutions. Let's show them we support 
their institutions.
  I urge my colleagues to support the FUTURE Act. Get onboard with us. 
Sponsor this legislation and, in turn, support our Nation's minority-
serving institutions of higher education. Their graduates deserve the 
same quality education as any other student, and they deserve a fair 
shot at a successful future. Let's get this done. Let's do our job and 
get this done.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Connecticut.