[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 185 (Tuesday, November 19, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6645-S6646]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
Unanimous Consent Request--H.R. 2486
Mr. CASEY. Mr. President, I rise today to urge immediate passage of
the bipartisan FUTURE Act, which is H.R. 2486, to restore critical
funding for historically Black colleges and universities, known by the
acronym here in Washington as HBCUs, as well as minority-serving
institutions, so-called MSIs.
The $255 million in funding that HBCUs and MSIs rely on lapsed on
September 30 of this year. Both the historically Black colleges and
universities and the minority-serving institutions are underresourced
and don't have the flexibility to operate in the red in the hopes of
potential reimbursement later on.
Campuses are already feeling this impact. Just 2 weeks after this
program expired, some campuses notified employees that their positions
and programs may be terminated. We are talking about real people losing
their jobs and programs being cut that play a critical role in
graduating and retaining students in the STEM field--science,
technology, engineering, and math fields. All of this is impacting
students across the country. Presidents of some of these institutions
have told us that planning has ``all but stopped.'' This funding lapse
is urgent, and it must be addressed now.
From the perspective of my home State of Pennsylvania, we have two of
the oldest historically Black colleges and universities--two of the
oldest in the whole country--Cheyney University, as well as Lincoln
University, and, in addition to that, a growing Hispanic-serving
institution, in this case, the Reading Area Community College.
We know that the investment made by the FUTURE Act will support
college completion and academic opportunities at these and all
historically Black colleges and universities and minority-serving
institutions across the country. The FUTURE Act is fully paid for. It
would not add to the deficit. It has strong bipartisan support in both
Chambers.
My colleagues in the majority are holding this funding hostage in an
effort to pass what I would argue is a partisan bill. That is not just
my argument or my opinion; some of my Republican colleagues have said
this is the reason they are holding up this critical legislation.
Instead of passing a bipartisan comprehensive reauthorization of our
future higher education law, which my colleague Senator Murray is
pushing for, some Republicans want to force Democrats to support a
partisan bill.
Instead of working in a bipartisan fashion to fix our current system
so it works better for students, families, and teachers, they want us
to support a so-called micropackage, the Student Aid Improvement Act.
This act, in my judgment and the judgment of others, fails to address a
number of critical areas, including improved campus safety and access
to higher education affordability and accountability. Because of that,
it maintains the status quo.
Make no mistake, the Student Aid Improvement Act is a partisan bill.
The bill fails to address the challenges students are facing in
obtaining a college degree--including childcare, housing, food and
mental health, among others--nor does it address the needs of first-
generation students, students of color, and students with disabilities.
[[Page S6646]]
Let's debate these issues. Let's come to the table to negotiate on a
bipartisan overhaul, but let's not hold historically Black colleges and
universities and minority-serving institutions hostage in the meantime.
We can get something done in the short run that would be beneficial to
these institutions.
We need to ensure that colleges and universities have the resources
to provide support to all students they serve, including students with
disabilities. A couple of examples of some of my bills--the Higher
Education Mental Health Act, which is supported by over 250 college and
university presidents, including 15 of the historically Black colleges
and universities--would help institutions of higher education identify
the resources and services needed to support their students with mental
health needs.
A second bill of mine, the RISE Act, would make it easier for
colleges to provide support to students with disabilities by accepting
student assessments from high school and smoothing the transition to
higher education.
A third bill, my Expanding Disability Access to Higher Education Act,
would increase the funding for TRIO Programs that serve first-
generation students with disabilities and make higher education more
accessible.
These bills would provide the resources needed for students to be
successful as they pursue higher education, but without a comprehensive
bill, the needs of these students will continue to go unmet. Rather
than blocking vital resources from flowing to our Nation's historically
Black colleges and universities, we should immediately pass the FUTURE
Act. This would restore funding, while providing us time to work on a
comprehensive reauthorization that addresses the needs of all students.
Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that as in legislative
session, the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar
No. 212, H.R. 2486. I ask unanimous consent that the Murray amendment
at the desk be agreed to; that the bill, as amended, be considered read
a third time and passed; and that the motions to reconsider be
considered made and laid upon the table.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
Mr. ALEXANDER. Mr. President.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Tennessee.
Mr. ALEXANDER. Mr. President, I am reserving the right to object.
I have a better idea, which I am going to offer to the Senate once
again. It is permanent funding for historically Black colleges at the
level of $255 million a year. The distinguished Senator from
Pennsylvania has stated he doesn't want a piecemeal bill. He wants a
more comprehensive bill. I have offered such a bill and introduced it
in the Senate. I will describe it in a few moments when I ask unanimous
consent to pass it, and it will include not a 2-year short-term fix
based upon a budget gimmick, which will have difficulty passing the
Senate, but permanent funding of historically Black colleges and
minority-serving institutions.
It will include simplification of the FAFSA, the form that 8 million
minority students fill out every year, which in our State is the
biggest obstacle to minority students having an opportunity for higher
education and a variety of other bipartisan proposals.
I am ready to pass a comprehensive bill. I offered one before. It was
blocked by my Democratic friends. I am going to offer it again in a
minute, and we will see if they agree to it, but I don't think we
should pass a piecemeal bill. I agree with the Senator from
Pennsylvania. I think we should be more comprehensive, and not only
that, we should do permanent funding of historically Black colleges.
The last point I will make before I object is that the U.S.
Department of Education has written all the presidents of the
historically Black and minority-serving institutions and said there is
sufficient funding in the Federal Government for the rest of the year--
fiscal year--until October 1 of next year. So while we need to finish
our work, there is no crisis at the moment, so let's do the job right.
I will offer, in just a moment, the way to do that, which is
permanent funding of historically Black colleges and minority-serving
institutions. I object.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The objection is heard.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Tennessee.