[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 156 (Thursday, September 26, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5731-S5733]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
FUTURE Act
Mr. President, earlier today on this Senate floor, our colleague, the
junior Senator from Alabama, Mr. Jones, asked unanimous consent for the
immediate passage of the FUTURE Act.
The FUTURE Act is an important bill that is essential to the success
of minority-serving colleges and universities across the country,
including historically Black colleges and universities.
The House bill passed within the last couple weeks. The bill number
is H.R. 2486, and it is at the Senate desk, meaning we could take it up
and pass it at any moment if the leader would simply allow us to vote
on that measure. What it does is it extends an existing mandatory
funding program that provides essential resources to these
underresourced schools.
We, as the Congress, the Senate and House, Republicans and Democrats,
recognize on a bipartisan basis the value of these institutions of
higher learning and the importance of this mandatory funding because we
enacted this program a number of years ago on a bipartisan basis. The
goal was to make sure that we provided additional resources for
academic pursuits, to improve management, and to ensure that they had
the resources for high-demand areas of study in the areas of science,
technology, engineering, and math--the STEM disciplines.
In my State of Maryland, we have four terrific HBCUs: Morgan State,
Bowie State, Coppin State, and the University of Maryland Eastern
Shore. We also have a number of other schools with a high number of
students receiving need-based aid, like Allegany College in Western
Maryland and the College of Southern Maryland. All of these colleges
and universities need the resources that are provided through the
FUTURE Act.
It not only has a bipartisan heritage, but right now in the Senate,
it has a bipartisan cosponsorship. In fact, Senator Scott is the lead
Republican on this bill. It passed the House of Representatives
unanimously on a voice vote.
The reason I am on the floor now and the reason the Senator from
Alabama, Senator Jones, asked for unanimous consent to take this up and
vote on it earlier today is because the current mandatory program
expires on Monday. It expires at the end of this month. There is no
reason for delaying action. It is possible that we can buy ourselves a
little bit more time with respect to the funding, but there is no
reason that we should put this important program at risk.
I have a number of letters. In fact, I have 43 letters from 34
schools and advocacy organizations supporting this bill. I ask
unanimous consent to have some of them printed in the Record.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in
the Record, as follows:
National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher
Education,
September 1, 2019.
Hon. Mitch McConnell,
Majority Leader, U.S. Senate,
Washington, DC.
Hon. Chuck Schumer,
Minority Leader, U.S. Senate,
Washington, DC.
Dear Leader McConnell and Leader Schumer: In less than two
weeks, congressional authority and vitally needed funding for
Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs),
Predominantly Black Institutions (PBIs), Tribal Colleges and
Universities (TCUs) Hispanic-serving Institutions (HSIs),
Asian American, Native American, and Pacific Islander-serving
Institutions (AANAPISIs), will end, unless Congress acts by
September 30, 2019, to extend the authority and funding.
Yesterday, the United States House of Representatives moved
the Nation toward extending the funding for another two
years, when it voted with bipartisan support, to pass the
Fostering Undergraduate Talent by Unlocking Resources for
Education (FUTURE) Act, a bipartisan measure to preserve
funding for the referenced quintessential American equal
educational opportunity institutions.
I am writing as President & CEO of the National
Associational for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education
(NAFEO). I am writing to respectfully request and urge that
you schedule for a vote the Senate companion of the House-
passed FUTURE Act, introduced by Senators Tim Scott (SC) and
Doug Jones (AL), and that you support this measure that has
made critical investments in HBCUs and MSIs, enabling them to
graduate more excellent and diverse students,
disproportionate low-income, first generation and under-
represented minority students, in growth and high need
disciplines. With your support the Senate FUTURE Act will
pass.
The FUTURE Act will be wholly paid for. It preserves and
extends vital investments in institutions that collectively
enroll more than 4.8 million undergraduate students in the
U.S.--one-quarter of all students--and represent over 800
richly diverse American universities: 106 Historically Black
Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), 50 Predominantly Black
Institutions (PBIs); 523 Hispanic-Serving Institutions
(HSIs), 37 Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), and over
200 Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-
Serving Institutions (AANAPISls), including Kentucky State
University, and CUNY Medgar Evers College, CUNY York College,
CUNY LaGuardia, CUNY New York City College of Technology,
Metropolitan College of New York, and Long Island University-
Brooklyn Campus.
As you know, HBCUs, PBIs, HSIs, TCUs, and AANAPISIs are an
essential part of America's higher education system. For the
past decade, Title III, Part F has played a vital role in
strengthening their capacity and increasing credentialing and
degree attainment, including in important STEM fields. If
this critical funding stream is allowed to expire on
September 30, 2019, millions of students will be left behind,
in the margins of our nation, without the opportunity to earn
a college degree or credential. Please do not let this
happen. Title III, Part F is the lifeblood for these
institutions. The most certain way, the most effective and
efficient way of extending the only mandatory congressional
funding for HBCUs and MSIs, is to vote for the Senate
companion of the House-passed FUTURE Act, introduced by
Senators Scott (SC) and Jones (AL). Please lead the United
States Senate in making this happen.
Sincerely,
Lezli Baskerville,
President & CEO.
____
United Negro College Fund, Inc.,
September 19, 2019.
Hon. Mitch McConnell,
Majority Leader, U.S. Senate,
Washington, DC.
Hon. Charles E. Schumer,
Minority Leader, U.S. Senate,
Washington, DC.
Hon. Lamar Alexander,
Chairman, Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
(HELP) Committee,
Washington, DC.
Hon. Patty Murray,
Ranking Member, Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
(HELP) Committee,
Washington, DC.
Dear Majority Leader McConnell, Minority Leader Schumer,
Chairman Alexander, and Ranking Member Murray: UNCF (the
United Negro College Fund, Inc.) submits this letter urging
you to cosponsor, support, and pass the House-passed H.R.
2486, the Fostering Undergraduate Talent by Unlocking
Resources for Education (FUTURE) Act. This bipartisan,
bicameral bill passed the House Floor on September 17th by
voice vote and has now been sent to the Senate for
consideration.
UNCF is a non-profit organization with a mission to build a
robust and nationally recognized pipeline of underrepresented
students who, because of UNCF support, become highly-
qualified college graduates and to ensure that our network of
37-member, private Historically Black Colleges and
Universities (HBCUs) is a respected model of best practice in
moving students to and through college.
The 101 HBCUs that exist today are valuable institutions
with a large economic footprint. Despite only representing 3
percent of all two-and four-year non-profit colleges and
universities, HBCUs (1) enroll 10 percent of all African
American undergraduates; (2) produce 17 percent of all
African American college graduates with bachelor's degrees;
and (3) graduate 21 percent of all African Americans with
bachelor's degrees in STEM fields. Moreover, these
institutions have a strong economic impact, especially on the
regions in which they are located, by creating 134,090 jobs,
producing $10.1 billion in terms of gross regional product,
and having a total annual economic impact of $14.8 billion.
Despite the large economic impact of these institutions,
they continue to be underresourced and have endowments that
lag behind those of non-HBCUs by at least 70 percent.
Unfortunately, this is common for HBCUs and Congress has
recognized this and sought out ways to find parity between
HBCUs and non-HBCUs. One strategic way in attempting to help
HBCUs receive adequate resources was initially through the
College Cost and Reduction Act of 2007. This bill allowed for
HBCUs, Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), Hispanic-
Serving Institutions (HSIs), and other Minority-Serving
Institutions (MSIs) to receive $255 million annually in
mandatory funds for Fiscal Year (FY) 2008 and FY 2009. These
mandatory funds were directed in the Higher Education Act of
1965 to be used solely for science, technology, education,
and mathematics (STEM) education, among other uses largely
centered around STEM. Instead of allowing this funding stream
to expire, Congress continued to recognize the need of these
institutions to offer quality STEM programs on their campuses
and continued this funding stream in the Student Aid Fiscal
Responsibility Act (SAFRA) of 2009. SAFRA extended funding
[[Page S5732]]
for these institutions from FY 2009 to FY 2019 at $255
million annually and was included in the Health Care
Reconciliation Act of 2010 that ultimately passed both the
House and Senate to became law. Every vote taken on the
mandatory funding stream for these institutions has been
bipartisan, and it is our desire to have the same outcome for
H.R. 2486.
It is imperative that the Senate pass the FUTURE Act
because funding for HBCUs, TCUs, HSIs, and other MSIs expires
September 30, 2019. While we support a permanent extension of
mandatory funding, H.R. 2486, due to its passage in the House
of Representatives, is the surest way for these institutions
to maintain funding for FY 2020 and FY 2021. We strongly
believe that passing this bill now will address the immediate
funding needs of our institutions and allow Congress to
continue to work towards a permanent extension of this
funding moving forward.
Should you have any additional questions regarding this
letter, please feel free to reach out to Emmanual Guillory,
Director of Public Policy and Government Affairs.
Sincerely,
Michael L. Lomax, Ph.D.
President and CEO.
____
Tennessee State University,
September 25, 2019.
Hon. Lamar Alexander,
Chairman Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee,
Member, U.S. Senate,
Washington, DC.
Dear Senator Alexander: I am writing to you in my official
capacity as President of Tennessee State University, and as a
member of the Board of Directors of the United Negro College
Fund (UNCF). I ask you to join in the effort calling for
unanimous consent to vote to pass the Scott-Jones FUTURE Act,
the Senate companion bill to the FUTURE Act that passed the
House last week by unanimous consent.
I understand and appreciate the noteworthy components to
the bill you are proposing, however my request is for you to
consider the timing aspect which presents a challenge that
threatens the Title III F provision in the Higher Education
Act that will end on September 30th unless it is extended.
Again, I am appreciative of the various provisions that you
are proposing that will have a positive effect on HBCUs. In
fact, I am personally excited that you are advancing HEA
reauthorization as a priority, as well as broadening Pell
eligibility. Hopefully, that proposal will be debated shortly
after the immediate future of HBCUs and MSIs are secured.
My primary issue at this point is the timing of your
legislation which could cause an inordinate delay that would
affect Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)
and Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs). I am quite
concerned that with only a few days remaining before Title
III F ends, the only way we can ensure passage of this FUTURE
Act is by a unanimous consent by the Senate.
Based on your long, illustrious and rich record of service
to our state as Governor of the State of Tennessee, and to
the country as Secretary of the United States Department of
Education, I am sure you would agree that it is a priority to
continue the Title III F funding for HBCUs, thereby providing
much needed assistance to students around the country. Many
of this population are low-income, first-generation college
students, all with a strong desire to be successful in
college. If Title III F sunsets on September 30, 2019, it
will cause irreparable harm to the very students you
represent in our great State of Tennessee. I urge you to
support the FUTURE Act today and engage in further
discussions on other aspects of the legislation in the near
future.
Thank you for your consideration of this request. Please
feel free to contact me.
Sincerely,
Dr. Glenda Glover, JD, CPA
President.
____
American Indian Higher Education
Consortium,
September 19, 2019.
Hon. Mitch McConnell,
Majority Leader, U.S. Senate,
Washington, DC.
Hon. Chuck Schumer,
Minority Leader, U.S. Senate,
Washington, DC.
Hon. Lamar Alexander,
Chairman, Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and
Pensions,
Washington, DC.
Hon. Patty Murray,
Ranking Member, Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor,
and Pensions,
Washington, DC.
Dear Majority Leader McConnell, Minority Leader Schumer,
Chairman Alexander, and Ranking Member Murray: On behalf of
the nation's 37 Tribal Colleges and Universities, which are
the American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC), we
respectfully request that you to support swift Senate passage
of the Fostering Undergraduate Talent by Unlocking Resources
for Education (FUTURE) Act, H.R. 2486, as passed by the House
with strong bipartisan support, while working to secure a
permanent extension of Title III Part F of the Higher
Education Act 1965.
Since FY2010, the Strengthening Institutions--Tribal
Colleges and Universities program (HEA Title III Part F) has
provided $30 million per year to help TCUs address the higher
education needs of American Indian and Alaska Native
students, TCUs use this funding for vitally needed student
support services, faculty development, curriculum and program
development to strengthen tribal nations, library services,
facility modernization and construction and other important
education activities. Without these funds, TCUs will be
forced to reduce services, jeopardizing student completion
and success, and some of our smaller institutions may face
closure.
Tribal Colleges and Universities truly are developing
institutions--the oldest TCU recently reached its 50th year;
we are located in some of the most rural, remote, and
economically challenged regions of the country; we are
severely under-resourced; and yet, we are committed to
affordable, high quality, place-based and culturally grounded
higher education. Our ability to achieve our collective
vision--strong sovereign Tribal nations through excellence in
Tribal higher education--would be impossible without the
Title III Part F program.
We have always supported and worked for permanent
reauthorization of the Title III Part F program for Tribal
Colleges and Universities, Historically Black Colleges and
Universities, Hispanic Serving Institutions, and other
minority serving institutions. We are not wavering from this
critical goal. However, the House-passed FUTURE Act, H.R.
2486, is the best path forward at this time. Indeed, the
House-passed FUTURE Act is the only tangible strategy before
us, and time is running out.
Thank you for your attention to this request and for your
support of our institutions and the students we serve.
Sincerely,
Carrie L. Billy,
President & CEO.
David E. Yarlott, Jr.,
Chair, AIHEC Board of Directors.
____
Thurgood Marshall College Fund,
September 18, 2019.
RE: Title III Part-F Funding to HBCUs and MSIs
Hon. Mitch McConnell,
Majority Leader, U.S. Senate.
Hon. Chuck Schumer,
Minority Leader, U.S. Senate.
Hon. Lamar Alexander,
Chair, U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education Labor and
Pensions.
Hon. Patty Murray,
Ranking Member, U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education
Labor and Pensions.
Dear Senators:
The Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) is incredibly
pleased and grateful that the Title III, Part F funding that
is currently slated to expire on September 30th has garnered
considerable interest from and corresponding action this week
in Congress. As you may be aware, his critical stream of
funding helps eligible colleges and universities enhance
their fiscal stability, improve their institutional
management, and strengthen their academic programming,
including, in particular, programming focused on high-demand
careers, like careers in STEM fields.
As you may know, on Tuesday, September 17th, the House of
Representatives passed the Fostering Undergraduate Talent by
Unlocking Resources for Education (FUTURE) Act by voice vote.
If passed by both houses of Congress and signed into law by
President Trump, the FUTURE Act will renew Title III, Part F
(a/k/a SAFRA) funding for an additional two years, and
thereby preserving critical funds upon which our HBCUs and
other MSIs rely to improve the lives of our students.
TMCF strongly encourages the Senate to take-up the FUTURE
Act immediately and pass the bill before the opportunity
slips away. While we appreciate the prospects of a longer-
term or ``permanent'' solution to Title III, Part F, we are
skeptical that such a proposal would receive the requisite
approval by Congress before September 30th. Therefore, it is
imperative that the Senate to act with all deliberate speed
on the bi-partisan and bi-cameral FUTURE Act. Following the
Senate's passage of FUTURE Act, TMCF is willing to work with
leaders on both sides of the aisle to develop a longer-term
solution for Title III, Part F and for other HEA-related
issues.
We greatly appreciate your attention to this matter, and
thank you for your historic and, we anticipate, continued
commitment to our Nation's HBCUs, other MSIs and our
students.
Sincerely,
Dr. Harry L. Williams,
President & CEO.
[[Page S5733]]
____
Hispanic Association of Colleges
and Universities,
September 19, 2019.
Hon. Mitch McConnell,
Majority Leader, U.S. Senate.
Hon. Lamar Alexander,
Chairman, Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and
Pensions.
Hon. Charles Schumer,
Minority Leader, U.S. Senate.
Hon. Patty Murray,
Ranking Member, Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor,
and Pensions.
Dear Leader McConnell, Leader Schumer, Chairman Alexander,
and Ranking Member Murray: In just 10 days, on September 30,
2019, Title III, Part F of the Higher Education Act of 1965
will expire unless the Senate acts before then to extend it.
I strongly urge you and your Senate colleagues to act swiftly
in passing the FUTURE Act (H.R. 2486), which was passed by
the House two days ago, to ensure that critical funding is
uninterrupted for the more than 4.5 million undergraduate
students enrolled at Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs)
alone. In addition, hundreds of thousands of students at
Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribal
Colleges and Universities (TCUs), and other Minority-Serving
Institutions (MSIs) would be impacted.
The House-passed FUTURE Act represents the best path to
ensure the above institutions don't lose critical funding on
September 30, 2019.
HSIs, HBCUs, TCUs, and other MSIs are an essential part of
America's higher education system and workforce development.
For the past decade, Title III, Part F has played a vital
role in strengthening the STEM pipeline at these institutions
and increasing their capacity for credentialing and degree
attainment.
The mandatory funding for Title III, Part F was initially
included in the 2008 College Cost Reduction and Access Act
for two years and was extended until FY 2019 in the Health
Care Education and Reconciliation Act of 2010. Title III,
Part F of the legislation has always had bipartisan and
bicameral support because of its important role in increasing
student persistence and graduation rates, particularly in
STEM fields, at HSIs, HBCUs, TCUs, and other MSIs. Thus, it
is imperative that Congress extends Title III, Part F via the
FUTURE Act since it is a lifeline for these institutions.
HSIs alone account for 15 percent of all non-profit
colleges and universities, and yet enroll 66 percent of all
Hispanic students and nearly one-fourth of all U.S. students.
Despite having access to fewer resources compared to other
institutions, HSIs impressively produce 40 percent of the
STEM bachelor's degrees earned by Latino students. Their
future is in the balance.
As our nation becomes increasingly diverse and the number
of HSIs continues to grow, Title III, Part F funding is more
essential than ever to ensure that we can prepare today's
students for tomorrow's jobs and reduce our nation's
dependence on foreign talent.
With time running out, we appeal to you to use the power
and influence of your leadership positions to pass the House-
passed FUTURE Act before September 30, 2019. We look forward
to continuing our shared efforts to find a permanent
extension of Title III, Part F.
If you have any questions please feel free to contact
Alicia Diaz, HACU's Interim Chief Advocacy Officer.
We thank you in advance for your time and look forward to a
timely passage of the FUTURE Act.
Sincerely,
Antonio R. Flores,
President & CEO.
Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. President, I am going to read from just two of
those letters that expressed the urgency of Senate action on this.
This is a letter from the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, from the
president and CEO, stating that the Thurgood Marshall College Fund
``strongly encourages the Senate to take-up the FUTURE Act immediately
and pass the bill before the opportunity slips away. While we
appreciate the prospects of a longer-term or `permanent' solution to
Title III, Part F, we are skeptical that such a proposal would receive
the requisite approval by Congress before September 30th.''
I think we can understand their skepticism given the fact that the
30th is Monday and the Senate is going to be out this afternoon.
They go on to say:
Therefore, it is imperative that the Senate act with all
deliberate speed on the bi-partisan, bi-cameral FUTURE Act.
Mr. President, I have another letter from the UNCF, which is another
organization dedicated to supporting these important institutions.
Quoting from the letter from their president and CEO:
It is imperative that the Senate pass the FUTURE Act
because funding for HBCUs, TCUs, HSIs, and other [minority-
serving institutions] expires September 30, 2019. While we
support a permanent extension of mandatory funding, H.R.
2846, due to its passage in the House of Representatives, is
the surest way for these institutions to maintain funding for
FY 2020 and FY 2021. We strongly believe that passing this
bill now will address the immediate funding needs of our
institutions.
This is a bill that has broad support. This is a bill where--the
program expires on Monday, just a few days from now. There is really no
excuse for not taking this up and voting on it now. I hope, since that
is obviously not going to happen--my colleague tried to get unanimous
consent earlier today to take up and vote on this bill--I hope we will
move with all deliberate speed as soon as the Senate reconvenes so that
we can get this important work done.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Missouri.