[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 169 (Thursday, October 24, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6142-S6144]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  UNANIMOUS CONSENT REQUEST--H.R. 2486

  Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. President, I am on the Senate floor now, where in 
a moment I will be asking for unanimous consent for the Senate to take 
up and vote on a House-passed bill that would provide full mandatory 
funding for historically Black colleges and universities and other 
minority-serving institutions.
  The reason I am here is that the authority for this mandatory 
spending expired 24 days ago, and we have it within our power right now 
to remedy that situation. We can take up a vote on what is called the 
FUTURE Act. We have a bipartisan Senate bill that is

[[Page S6143]]

championed by Senators Jones and Scott, and we have before us at the 
desk a bill passed by the House of Representatives by voice vote, which 
passed unanimously by the House of Representatives.
  Without the passage of this bill, the FUTURE Act, our Nation's 
historically Black colleges and universities will lose $85 million a 
year in critical funding aimed at bolstering their resources, improving 
their management, and enhancing their academic programs.
  In my home State of Maryland, we have four terrific HBCUs--Bowie 
State, Coppin, Morgan State, and University of Maryland Eastern Shore. 
Collectively, they stand to lose over $4 million a year, which they 
need for things like classroom upgrades, experiential learning 
opportunities, and services for supporting students and helping them 
stay in school.
  I realize there are some who say that since we just enacted fiscal 
year 2019 funding, there is no urgency to take up and pass this bill 
now. But just this past Saturday, I met with board members of the 
Thurgood Marshall College Fund. That is the organization that 
represents our Nation's public HBCUs. When they asked me why, when 
there is so much agreement and support for this program, we couldn't 
pass the extension, I couldn't give them a good answer.
  They gave me a letter they had sent to the U.S. Senate just last 
week, trying to dispel the myth that there is no urgency to the current 
situation. Their president, Dr. Harry Williams, wrote:

       The expiration of this program is already having real 
     consequences. . . . We already have examples of campuses 
     notifying employees that their positions and programs will be 
     terminated as of September 30, 2020, if not sooner. These are 
     real jobs, held by people who interact with students 
     everyday, in programs that play a critical role in graduating 
     and retaining students in the STEM fields, among other 
     disciplines.

  He goes on to write:

       The longer we wait to give certainty to these universities, 
     the more institutions will be left with no choice but to 
     begin winding-down programs that materially benefit students 
     and employees alike, and strip away the institutional 
     knowledge bases that our schools have built over time.

  That is from Dr. Harry Williams, the president of the Thurgood 
Marshall College Fund.
  I heard the same thing from our Maryland HBCUs, that they have to 
plan now for what is going to happen next year. They can't budget and 
they can't plan on hope; they have to budget and plan on reality.
  So I understand--our colleague, the Senator from Tennessee and the 
chairman of the HELP Committee, is on the floor, and, like him, I hope 
we do a broader higher ed reauthorization. I think we need to do that. 
I know the House wants to do that. I spoke earlier today with the House 
Education and Labor Committee Chairman,  Bobby Scott. He wants to do 
something too. He has introduced it. But he and the House also 
understand that time is of essence when it comes to this piece dealing 
with minority-serving institutions, which is why the House sent it over 
to us in the first place. So there is really no time to waste. We need 
to give these universities and colleges certainty.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the 
immediate consideration of Calendar No. 212, H.R. 2486; that the bill 
be considered read a third time and passed; and that the motion to 
reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no 
intervening action or debate.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  The Senator from Tennessee.
  Mr. ALEXANDER. Mr. President, reserving the right to object, with all 
respect, this is no way to help historically Black colleges and 
minority-serving institutions. What the Senator from Maryland is 
suggesting is that we pass a bill that would have 2 years' funding that 
is supported by a budget gimmick that will never pass the U.S. Senate. 
If we are relying on that proposal to fund historically Black colleges, 
it is all over.
  What I have offered instead--and I introduced 3 weeks ago on the 
floor of the Senate--is a bipartisan package of bills that begins with 
permanent funding for historically Black colleges and minority-serving 
institutions that is fully paid for.
  So if the choice is between 2 years of a gimmick that will never pass 
the Senate and permanent funding that is fully paid for, that is not 
much of a hard decision for me.
  In addition to that, I suggested at the same time that we pass some 
other proposals that are bipartisan and have been drafted by 32 
Senators--18 Democrats, 14 Republicans. In addition to the long-term, 
permanent solution for minority-serving institutions of $225 million a 
year, we include simplifying FAFSA, which would help 20 million 
families a year. Senator Jones and I introduced a bill to do that just 
yesterday. That can pass this week and go to the President and be 
signed into law. There is also Pell grants for prisoners, short-term 
Pell grants. Senator Daines and Senator Portman and many others have 
suggested that. We have a proposal that simplifies the aid letters. We 
have a way to pay for the package. We have a way to keep parents from 
having to send two sets of tax information to two different agencies of 
government--all in this package.
  The eight bills--and three bills I hope to include later--ended up 
being cosponsored by 48 Senators, 25 Democrats and 23 Republicans. All 
of this is ready to be considered by the Senate and sent to the 
President and can pass this year.
  So I am about to object, but what I want to make clear to the 
historically Black colleges--and there are six of them in Tennessee--is 
that the Secretary of Education has written a letter assuring them that 
there are sufficient funds for another year and that the proposal by 
the Senator from Maryland would only be 2 years, is a budget gimmick, 
and will never pass the Senate.
  So let's work together to permanently fund historically Black 
colleges, simplify the FAFSA, 2-year Pell grants, increase the number 
of students who get Pell grants--all of that can be done now. Let's not 
keep pretending that we are helping the colleges with a proposal that 
is short-term, a budget gimmick, and will never pass the Senate.
  I object.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objection is heard.
  The Senator from Maryland.
  Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. President, I would just say to the chairman of 
the HELP Committee that I believe the best judge of what is good for 
HBCUs is HBCUs themselves. They have asked the Senate to act 
immediately on the legislation that passed the House unanimously on a 
voice vote. So while we all would like to work toward comprehensive 
reform and reauthorization of higher education, there is no need to 
wait on this provision that is sitting in the Senate.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record 
the letters we received from the Thurgood Marshall College Fund and 
from the UNCF, both organizations that advocate on behalf of HBCUs.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

     Re Title III Part-F Funding to HBCUs and MSIs


                               Thurgood Marshall College Fund,

                                 Washington, DC, October 14, 2019.
     Hon. Mitch McConnell,
     Majority Leader, U.S. Senate.
     Hon. Lamar Alexander,
     Chair, U.S. Senate HELP Committee.
     Hon. Chuck Schumer,
     Minority Leader, U.S. Senate.
     Hon. Patty Murray,
     Ranking Member,
     U.S. Senate HELP Committee.
       Dear Senators: We are sincerely disappointed that the 
     Senate did not pass the FUTURE Act prior to the September 
     30th deadline to prevent the Title Ill Part-F program from 
     expiring.
       While it is true that Historically Black Colleges and 
     Universities (HBCUs) are funded through the academic school 
     year ending in April 2020, the expiration of this program as 
     set forth in the plain language of 20 U.S.C. Sec. 1067q, 
     means that no more grants will be made available to HBCUs 
     going forward and, as such, our institutions will be without 
     the ability to preserve the status quo as it relates to the 
     student programs and jobs supported by this funding.
       In fact, the expiration of this program is already having 
     real consequences on the campuses of the publicly-supported 
     HBCUs that we represent. Despite having expired only two 
     weeks ago, we already have examples of campuses notifying 
     employees that their positions and programs will be 
     terminated as of September 30, 2020, if not sooner. These are 
     real jobs, held by people who interact with students 
     everyday, in programs that play a critical role in graduating 
     and retaining students in the STEM fields,

[[Page S6144]]

     among other disciplines. The longer we wait to give certainty 
     to these universities, the more institutions will be left 
     with no choice but to begin winding-down programs that 
     materially benefit students and employees alike, and strip 
     away the institutional knowledge bases that our schools have 
     built over time with the support of Title III, Part F.
       While we welcome a potential long-term or ``permanent'' 
     solution to Title III, Part F, what we are hearing from our 
     campuses is clear--they simply do not have the time to wait 
     for Congress to work out a deal, particularly on bills that 
     have an uncertain future in both houses of Congress. 
     Therefore, the Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) strongly 
     encourages the Senate to finally take-up the House-passed, 
     bi-partisan and bi-cameral FUTURE Act immediately and pass 
     the bill before permanent damage is done to our campuses. 
     This course of action is the cleanest and most expedient way 
     to provide immediate certainty to our nation's HBCUs and 
     MSIs.
       Following the Senate's passage of FUTURE Act, TMCF looks 
     forward to working with leaders on both sides of the aisle to 
     develop a longer-term solution for Title Ill, Part F, and for 
     other HEA-related issues in a broader bill like the Student 
     Aid Improvement Act or a comprehensive HEA reauthorization 
     that includes the permanent extension of Title III, Part F 
     funds.
           Sincerely,
                                            Dr. Harry L. Williams,
     President & CEO.
                                  ____



                               United Negro College Fund, Inc.

                               Washington, DC, September 19, 2019.
     Hon. Mitch McConnell,
     Majority Leader, U.S. Senate,
     Washington, DC.
     Hon. Lamar Alexander,
     Chairman, Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 
         (HELP) Committee, Washington, DC.
     Hon. Chuck Schumer,
     Minority Leader, U.S. Senate,
     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 under-resourced 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 
     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.

  Mr. VAN HOLLEN. I just underscore the fact, with respect to the 
chairman, that the best judge of what is good for HBCUs, I think, is 
HBCUs. They are worried because they are already having to provide 
notice to their professors and their staff that funding might not be 
available next year. I know, in the Senate, sometimes we think that no 
one needs to plan ahead, but most of the world needs to plan ahead.
  We will be back on this floor in the future again, asking that we 
pass this urgent matter.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from West Virginia.

                          ____________________