[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 193 (Wednesday, December 4, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1533]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





       IN SUPPORT OF HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. MARCIA L. FUDGE

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 3, 2019

  Ms. FUDGE. Madam Speaker, more than one quarter of all undergraduate 
students in the United States attend Historically Black Colleges and 
Universities and other Minority Serving Institutions. These schools 
play a critical role in unlocking higher education opportunities for 
millions of degree-seekers, including students of color and low-income 
students, of which many are the first in their family to attend 
college.
  To protect these essential institutions from the threat of closure 
and financial despair, we must continue to provide them with the 
resources they need to prepare students for the modern economy.
  Title III, Part F of the Higher Education Act authorizes important, 
mandatory funding for Historically Black Colleges and Universities, 
Tribal Colleges and Universities, and Minority Serving Institutions to 
educate and prepare students for professions in the Science, 
Technology, Engineering, and Math, or STEM, fields.
  Unfortunately, this critical source of funding expired on September 
30, 2019. This lapse jeopardizes the viability of these institutions, 
as well as the STEM readiness of the students they serve.
  At a time when diverse representation is low in the STEM economy, 
Congress must immediately restore mandatory funding to prevent 
permanent and irreversible damage to STEM programs at these historic 
institutions that give students from underserved communities an 
opportunity to rise above their circumstances.
  On September 17, 2019, the House passed the FUTURE Act, an extension 
of the $255 million in essential mandatory funding for HBCUs and MSls. 
Despite receiving unanimous support in the House, the bill has yet to 
be considered by the Senate and was not included in the continuing 
resolution that passed in November.
  As Congress considers spending bills for next year, we must restore 
this vital source of funding that expands opportunities for 
underrepresented students. It is past time to uphold our promise to 
support these historic institutions and the students they serve.

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