[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 178 (Thursday, November 7, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6458-S6459]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                               FUTURE Act

  Mr. President, I said that I want to talk a little bit about our 
historically Black colleges and universities and other minority-serving 
institutions.
  Many of my colleagues have been on the floor this week talking about 
a bill called the FUTURE Act, which is bipartisan. It passed from the 
House over to the Senate, fostering undergraduate talent by unlocking 
resources for education. It also has bipartisan support in the Senate. 
I am hoping that because it has bipartisan support, we might be able to 
move forward with it promptly.
  Congress put in place a mandatory funding stream in title III of the 
Higher Education Act to invest in these institutions. Historically 
Black colleges and universities--commonly called HBCUs--Tribal colleges 
and universities, Hispanic-serving institutions, and other minority-
serving institutions help boost educational opportunity for all 
students but especially for students of color. These schools serve a 
disproportionate number of students from low-income families, and 75 
percent of the students at HBCUs and 90 percent of the students at 
Tribal colleges and universities are Pell grant-eligible and receive 
Pell grants. Combined, our minority-serving institutions serve nearly 6 
million students, which is about one-quarter of all undergraduate 
students in the country. The $255 million in annual mandatory funding 
of these institutions accounts for nearly half of all Federal funding 
for these institutions.
  Unfortunately, the mandatory funding expired more than a month ago on 
September 30 because of inaction by the Senate--inaction by the Senate; 
the House has acted--and that jeopardizes the future of these colleges, 
particularly the students they serve.
  The FUTURE Act, which I cosponsored with Senator Doug Jones and 
Senator Tim Scott, extends this mandatory funding for all minority-
serving institutions for 2 years. The bill is bipartisan. The bill has 
the support of the White House. It is fully paid for, and it is budget 
neutral. There are no budget gimmicks involved. Yet we are not able to 
take up the bill for a reason I don't understand.
  Let me talk about HBCUs in Virginia because we have five: Virginia 
Union University, which is in my neighborhood where I live in Richmond; 
Virginia State University in Ettrick, south of Richmond; Hampton 
University in Hampton, VA; Norfolk State in Norfolk; and Virginia 
University of Lynchburg. These five institutions received almost $50 
million in this annual mandated funding over the last 10 years.

  Norfolk State University's president, Dr. Adams-Gaston, said that if 
the FUTURE Act is not passed, ``Norfolk State's educational programs in 
both teacher preparation and the STEM fields will be put at risk at a 
time when we are working to increase diversity in the front of our 
classrooms, and grow the pipeline of diverse STEM graduates to fill the 
jobs of the new economy.''
  Virginia State University uses its funding to keep student-faculty 
ratios low, to provide distance education programs, to support 
curricular updates, faculty training, and technology enhancement, 
especially for social work, computer science, nursing, and education 
degree programs. It also uses the funds to prepare and support students 
to attend graduate or professional schools and to award scholarships to 
deserving students.
  Virginia Union University is in my neighborhood. Yesterday, Jaylynn 
Hodges, who is a junior biology major at Union, was in the Senate. She 
spoke about the impact of title III funds and its impact on her own 
education. Jaylynn wants to pursue a career in medicine, and 
fortunately Virginia Union uses the funds on neuroscience and chemistry 
laboratories, where Jaylynn has been able to develop her technical and 
analytical skills.
  Virginia Union also uses funding for technology resources, workforce 
development programs in STEM and future careers, academic support 
services, such as academic counseling, updates to historic buildings, 
and hiring faculty. Without passing the FUTURE Act, all of these 
programs are in serious jeopardy.
  The HBCUs serve as strong economic drivers and generate significant 
economic returns year after year in Virginia's communities. I have also 
had the good fortune to be on HBCU campuses in Florida, and I know they 
have the same impact within their communities and with students and in 
the entire State as those in Virginia. The UNCF--the United Negro 
College Fund--found that, in Virginia alone, the direct economic impact 
of our five HBCUs is more than $913 million.
  It is not just the impact on the Commonwealth that matters but the 
impact these institutions have on individual students. In one more 
quote, the current student body president at Norfolk State University, 
Linei Woodson, expressed:

       Norfolk State University's supportive and culturally aware 
     learning environment helped me to grow as a leader and put me 
     on a path to success. I would likely not have had these 
     opportunities at other schools. All students regardless of 
     their socio-economic background deserve access to quality 
     higher education and the opportunity to realize their full 
     potential.

  In closing, the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, which was named after 
the titanic civil rights leader and Supreme Court Justice--on a 
personal note, I was proud to have Thurgood Marshall's son John 
Marshall serve as my secretary of public safety when I was Governor--
wrote a letter to Senate leadership. It read that even in the week 
since this program expired, which was at the end of September, campuses 
have already notified employees that their positions and programs might 
be terminated as of September 30, 2020, if not sooner. In the letter, 
it is noted: ``These are real jobs, held by people who interact with 
students every day, in programs that play a critical role in graduating 
and retaining students in the STEM fields, among other disciplines.''
  As a former Governor--and the Presiding Officer and I share that 
experience--I know that the budget-creating process begins well in 
advance of the budget's becoming effective. These minority-serving 
institutions, most of which do not have significant endowments, face 
unique fiscal challenges, and they count on this mandatory funding. Any 
uncertainty in the funding creates a significant planning challenge for 
them, and they run the risk of creating a financial nightmare for the 
students.
  Today marks 51 days since the House passed the FUTURE Act 
unanimously--these days, it is hard to act unanimously on things in 
Congress, but this bill passed the House unanimously--and 38 days since 
funding lapsed for the schools in my State and for minority-serving 
institutions across the country. It is time for the Senate to pass the 
bipartisan FUTURE Act and pass it now. I urge my colleagues to join me 
in that endeavor.

[[Page S6459]]

  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Scott of Florida). The clerk will call the 
roll.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection it is so ordered.