[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 197 (Tuesday, December 10, 2019)]
[House]
[Pages H9961-H9967]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




FOSTERING UNDERGRADUATE TALENT BY UNLOCKING RESOURCES FOR EDUCATION ACT

  Ms. ADAMS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill 
(H.R. 5363), to reauthorize mandatory funding programs for historically 
Black colleges and universities and other minority-serving 
institutions, and for other purposes, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 5363

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; REFERENCES.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Fostering Undergraduate 
     Talent by Unlocking Resources for Education Act'' or the 
     ``FUTURE Act''.

     SEC. 2. CONTINUED SUPPORT FOR MINORITY-SERVING INSTITUTIONS.

       Section 371(b)(1)(A) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 
     (20 U.S.C. 1067q(b)(1)(A)) is amended by striking ``for each 
     of the fiscal years 2008 through 2019.'' and all that follows 
     through the end of the subparagraph and inserting ``for 
     fiscal year 2020 and each fiscal year thereafter.''.

     SEC. 3. SECURE DISCLOSURE OF TAX-RETURN INFORMATION TO CARRY 
                   OUT THE HIGHER EDUCATION ACT OF 1965.

       (a) In General.--Paragraph (13) of section 6103(l) of the 
     Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended to read as follows:
       ``(13) Disclosure of return information to carry out the 
     higher education act of 1965.--
       ``(A) Applications and recertifications for income-
     contingent or income-based repayment.--The Secretary shall, 
     upon written request from the Secretary of Education, 
     disclose to any authorized person, only for the purpose of 
     (and to the extent necessary in) determining eligibility for, 
     or repayment obligations under, income-contingent or income-
     based repayment plans under title IV of the Higher Education 
     Act of 1965 with respect to loans under part D of such title, 
     the following return information from returns (for any 
     taxable year specified by the Secretary of Education as 
     relevant to such purpose) of an individual certified by the 
     Secretary of Education as having provided approval under 
     section 494(a)(2) of such Act (as in effect on the date of 
     enactment of this paragraph) for such disclosure:
       ``(i) Taxpayer identity information.
       ``(ii) Filing status.
       ``(iii) Adjusted gross income.
       ``(iv) Total number of exemptions claimed, if applicable.
       ``(v) Number of dependents taken into account in 
     determining the credit allowed under section 24.
       ``(vi) If applicable, the fact that there was no return 
     filed.
       ``(B) Discharge of loan based on total and permanent 
     disability.--The Secretary shall, upon written request from 
     the Secretary of Education, disclose to any authorized 
     person, only for the purpose of (and to the extent necessary 
     in) monitoring and reinstating loans under title IV of the 
     Higher Education Act of 1965 that were discharged based on a 
     total and permanent disability (within the meaning of section 
     437(a) of such Act), the following return information from 
     returns (for any taxable year specified by the Secretary of 
     Education as relevant to such purpose) of an individual 
     certified by the Secretary of Education as having provided 
     approval under section 494(a)(3) of such Act (as in effect on 
     the date of enactment of this paragraph) for such disclosure:
       ``(i) The return information described in clauses (i), 
     (ii), and (vi) of subparagraph (A).
       ``(ii) The return information described in subparagraph 
     (C)(ii).
       ``(C) Federal student financial aid.--The Secretary shall, 
     upon written request from the Secretary of Education, 
     disclose to any authorized person, only for the purpose of 
     (and to the extent necessary in) determining eligibility for, 
     and amount of, Federal student financial aid under a program 
     authorized under subpart 1 of part A, part C, or part D of 
     title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 the following 
     return information from returns (for the taxable year used 
     for purposes of section 480(a) of such Act) of an individual 
     certified by the Secretary of Education as having provided 
     approval under section 494(a)(1) of such Act (as in effect on 
     the date of enactment of this paragraph) for such disclosure:
       ``(i) Return information described in clauses (i) through 
     (vi) of subparagraph (A).
       ``(ii) The amount of any net earnings from self-employment 
     (as defined in section 1402(a)), wages (as defined in section 
     3121(a) or 3401(a)), and taxable income from a farming 
     business (as defined in section 236A(e)(4)).
       ``(iii) Amount of total income tax.
       ``(iv) Amount of any credit allowed under section 25A.
       ``(v) Amount of individual retirement account distributions 
     not included in adjusted gross income.
       ``(vi) Amount of individual retirement account 
     contributions and payments to self-employed SEP, Keogh, and 
     other qualified plans which were deducted from income.
       ``(vii) Amount of tax-exempt interest received.
       ``(viii) Amounts from retirement pensions and annuities not 
     included in adjusted gross income.
       ``(ix) If applicable, the fact that any of the following 
     schedules (or equivalent successor schedules) were filed with 
     the return:

       ``(I) Schedule A.
       ``(II) Schedule B.
       ``(III) Schedule D.
       ``(IV) Schedule E.
       ``(V) Schedule F.
       ``(VI) Schedule H.

       ``(x) If applicable, the amount reported on Schedule C (or 
     an equivalent successor schedule) as net profit or loss.
       ``(D) Additional uses of disclosed information.--
       ``(i) In general.--In addition to the purposes for which 
     information is disclosed under subparagraphs (A), (B), and 
     (C), return information so disclosed may be used by an 
     authorized person, with respect to income-contingent or 
     income-based repayment plans, awards of Federal student 
     financial aid under a program authorized under subpart 1 of 
     part A, part C, or part D of title IV

[[Page H9962]]

     of the Higher Education Act of 1965, and discharges of loans 
     based on a total and permanent disability (within the meaning 
     of section 437(a) of such Act), for purposes of--

       ``(I) reducing the net cost of improper payments under such 
     plans, relating to such awards, or relating to such 
     discharges,
       ``(II) oversight activities by the Office of Inspector 
     General of the Department of Education as authorized by the 
     Inspector General Act of 1978, and
       ``(III) conducting analyses and forecasts for estimating 
     costs related to such plans, awards, or discharges.

       ``(ii) Limitation.--The purposes described in clause (i) 
     shall not include the conduct of criminal investigations or 
     prosecutions.
       ``(iii) Redisclosure to institutions of higher education, 
     state higher education agencies, and designated scholarship 
     organizations.--Authorized persons may redisclose return 
     information received under subparagraph (C), solely for the 
     use in the application, award, and administration of 
     financial aid awarded by the Federal government or awarded by 
     a person described in subclause (I), (II), or (III), to the 
     following persons:

       ``(I) An institution of higher education participating in a 
     program under subpart 1 of part A, part C, or part D of title 
     IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965.
       ``(II) A State higher education agency.
       ``(III) A scholarship organization which is an entity 
     designated (prior to the date of the enactment of this 
     clause) by the Secretary of Education under section 
     483(a)(3)(E) of such Act.

     This clause shall only apply to the extent that the taxpayer 
     with respect to whom the return information relates provides 
     written consent for such redisclosure to the Secretary of 
     Education.
       ``(E) Authorized person.--For purposes of this paragraph, 
     the term `authorized person' means, with respect to 
     information disclosed under subparagraph (A), (B), or (C), 
     any person who--
       ``(i) is an officer, employee, or contractor, of the 
     Department of Education, and
       ``(ii) is specifically authorized and designated by the 
     Secretary of Education for purposes of such subparagraph 
     (applied separately with respect to each such subparagraph).
       ``(F) Joint returns.--In the case of a joint return, any 
     disclosure authorized under subparagraph (A), (B), or (C) 
     with respect to an individual shall be treated for purposes 
     of this paragraph as applying with respect to the 
     taxpayer.''.
       (b) Confidentiality of Return Information.--Section 
     6103(a)(3) of such Code is amended by inserting ``, (13)'' 
     after ``(12)''.
       (c) Conforming Amendments.--
       (1) Section 6103(p)(3)(A) of such Code is amended by 
     striking ``(13)''.
       (2) Section 6103(p)(4) of such Code is amended by inserting 
     ``, (13)'' after after ``(l)(10)'' each place it appears.
       (d) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section 
     shall apply to disclosures after the date of the enactment of 
     this Act.
       (e) Requirement to Designate the Inspector General of the 
     Department of Education as an Authorized Person.--The 
     Secretary of Education shall authorize and designate the 
     Inspector General of the Department of Education as an 
     authorized person under subparagraph (E)(ii) of section 
     6103(l)(13) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 for purposes 
     of subparagraphs (A), (B), and (C) of such section.
       (f) Report to Treasury.--The Secretary of Education shall 
     annually submit a written report to the Secretary of the 
     Treasury--
       (1) regarding redisclosures of return information under 
     subparagraph (D)(iii) of section 6103(l)(13) of the Internal 
     Revenue Code of 1986, including the number of such 
     redisclosures, and
       (2) regarding any unauthorized use, access, or disclosure 
     of return information disclosed under such section.
       (g) Report to Congress.--The Secretary of the Treasury (or 
     the Secretary's designee) shall annually submit a written 
     report to Congress regarding disclosures under section 
     6103(l)(13) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, including 
     information provided to the Secretary under subsection (f).

     SEC. 4. AUTOMATIC RECERTIFICATION OF INCOME.

       (a) Income-contingent Repayment.--
       (1) In general.--Section 455(e) of the Higher Education Act 
     of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1087e(e)) is amended by adding at the end 
     the following:
       ``(8) Automatic recertification.--
       ``(A) In general.--The Secretary shall establish and 
     implement, with respect to any borrower described in 
     subparagraph (B), procedures to--
       ``(i) use return information disclosed under section 
     6103(l)(13) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, pursuant to 
     approval provided under section 494, to determine the 
     repayment obligation of the borrower without further action 
     by the borrower;
       ``(ii) allow the borrower (or the spouse of the borrower), 
     at any time, to opt out of disclosure under such section 
     6103(l)(13) and instead provide such information as the 
     Secretary may require to determine the repayment obligation 
     of the borrower (or withdraw from the repayment plan under 
     this subsection); and
       ``(iii) provide the borrower with an opportunity to update 
     the return information so disclosed before the determination 
     of the repayment obligation of the borrower.
       ``(B) Applicability.--Subparagraph (A) shall apply to each 
     borrower of a loan made under this part who, on or after the 
     date on which the Secretary establishes procedures under such 
     subparagraph--
       ``(i) selects, or is required to repay such loan pursuant 
     to, an income-contingent repayment plan; or
       ``(ii) recertifies income or family size under such 
     plan.''.
       (2) Conforming amendment.--Section 455(e)(6) of the Higher 
     Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1087e(e)(6)) is amended--
       (A) by striking ``including notification of such borrower'' 
     and all that follows through ``that if a borrower'' and 
     inserting ``including notification of such borrower, that if 
     a borrower''; and
       (B) by striking ``as determined using the information 
     described in subparagraph (A), or the alternative 
     documentation described in paragraph (3)''.
       (b) Income-based Repayment.--Section 493C(c) of the Higher 
     Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1098e(c)) is amended--
       (1) by striking ``The Secretary shall establish'' and 
     inserting the following:
       ``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall establish''; and
       (2) by striking ``The Secretary shall consider'' and 
     inserting the following:
       ``(2) Procedures for eligibility.--The Secretary shall--
       ``(A) consider'';
       (3) by striking ``428C(b)(1)(E).'' and inserting the 
     following: ``428C(b)(1)(E); and
       ``(B) carry out, with respect to borrowers of any loan made 
     under part D (other than an excepted PLUS loan or excepted 
     consolidation loan), procedures for income-based repayment 
     plans that are equivalent to the procedures carried out under 
     section 455(e)(8) with respect to income-contingent repayment 
     plans.''.

     SEC. 5. AUTOMATIC INCOME MONITORING PROCEDURES AFTER A TOTAL 
                   AND PERMANENT DISABILITY DISCHARGE.

       Section 437(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 
     U.S.C. 1087(a)) is amended by adding at the end the 
     following:
       ``(3) Automatic income monitoring.--
       ``(A) In general.--The Secretary shall establish and 
     implement, with respect to any borrower described in 
     subparagraph (B), procedures to--
       ``(i) use return information disclosed under section 
     6103(l)(13) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, pursuant to 
     approval provided under section 494, to determine the 
     borrower's continued eligibility for the loan discharge 
     described in subparagraph (B);
       ``(ii) allow the borrower, at any time, to opt out of 
     disclosure under such section 6103(l)(13) and instead provide 
     such information as the Secretary may require to determine 
     the borrower's continued eligibility for such loan discharge; 
     and
       ``(iii) provide the borrower with an opportunity to update 
     the return information so disclosed before determination of 
     such borrower's continued eligibility for such loan 
     discharge.
       ``(B) Applicability.--Subparagraph (A) shall apply--
       ``(i) to each borrower of a loan that is discharged due to 
     the total and permanent disability (within the meaning of 
     this subsection) of the borrower; and
       ``(ii) during the period beginning on the date on which 
     such loan is so discharged and ending on the first day on 
     which such loan may no longer be reinstated.''.

     SEC. 6. PROCEDURE AND REQUIREMENTS FOR REQUESTING TAX RETURN 
                   INFORMATION FROM THE INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE.

       (a) In General.--Part G of title IV of the Higher Education 
     Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1088 et seq.) is amended by adding at 
     the end the following:

     ``SEC. 494. PROCEDURE AND REQUIREMENTS FOR REQUESTING TAX 
                   RETURN INFORMATION FROM THE INTERNAL REVENUE 
                   SERVICE.

       ``(a) Notification and Approval Requirements.--
       ``(1) Federal student financial aid.--In the case of any 
     written or electronic application under section 483 by an 
     individual for Federal student financial aid under a program 
     authorized under subpart 1 of part A, part C, or part D, the 
     Secretary, with respect to such individual and any parent or 
     spouse whose financial information is required to be provided 
     on such application, shall--
       ``(A) notify such individuals that--
       ``(i) if such individuals provide approval under 
     subparagraph (B), the Secretary will have the authority to 
     request that the Secretary of the Treasury disclose return 
     information of such individuals to authorized persons (as 
     defined in section 6103(l)(13) of the Internal Revenue Code 
     of 1986) for the relevant purposes described in such section; 
     and
       ``(ii) the failure to provide such approval for such 
     disclosure will result in the Secretary being unable to 
     calculate eligibility for such aid to such individual; and
       ``(B) require, as a condition of eligibility for such aid, 
     that such individuals affirmatively approve the disclosure 
     described in subparagraph (A)(i).
       ``(2) Income-contingent and income-based repayment.--
       ``(A) New applicants.--In the case of any written or 
     electronic application by an individual for an income-
     contingent or income-based repayment plan for a loan under 
     part D, the Secretary, with respect to such individual and 
     any spouse of such individual, shall--
       ``(i) provide to such individuals the notification 
     described in paragraph (1)(A)(i);

[[Page H9963]]

       ``(ii) require, as a condition of eligibility for such 
     repayment plan, that such individuals--

       ``(I) affirmatively approve the disclosure described in 
     paragraph (1)(A)(i) and agree that such approval shall serve 
     as an ongoing approval of such disclosure until the date on 
     which the individual elects to opt out of such disclosure 
     under section 455(e)(8) or the equivalent procedures 
     established under section 493C(c)(2)(B), as applicable; or
       ``(II) provide such information as the Secretary may 
     require to confirm the eligibility of such individual for 
     such repayment plan.

       ``(B) Recertifications.--With respect to the first written 
     or electronic recertification (after the date of the 
     enactment of the FUTURE Act) of an individual's income or 
     family size for purposes of an income-contingent or income-
     based repayment plan (entered into before the date of the 
     enactment of the FUTURE Act) for a loan under part D, the 
     Secretary, with respect to such individual and any spouse of 
     such individual, shall meet the requirements of clauses (i) 
     and (ii) of subparagraph (A) with respect to such 
     recertification.
       ``(3) Total and permanent disability.--In the case of any 
     written or electronic application by an individual for a 
     discharge of a loan under this title based on total and 
     permanent disability (within the meaning of section 437(a)) 
     that requires income monitoring, the Secretary shall--
       ``(A) provide to such individual the notification described 
     in paragraph (1)(A)(i); and
       ``(B) require, as a condition of eligibility for such 
     discharge, that such individual--
       ``(i) affirmatively approve the disclosure described in 
     paragraph (1)(A)(i) and agree that such approval shall serve 
     as an ongoing approval of such disclosure until the earlier 
     of--

       ``(I) the date on which the individual elects to opt out of 
     such disclosure under section 437(a)(3)(A); or
       ``(II) the first day on which such loan may no longer be 
     reinstated; or

       ``(ii) provide such information as the Secretary may 
     require to confirm the eligibility of such individual for 
     such discharge.
       ``(b) Limit on Authority.--The Secretary shall only have 
     authority to request that the Secretary of the Treasury 
     disclose return information under section 6103(l)(13) of the 
     Internal Revenue Code of 1986 with respect to an individual 
     if the Secretary of Education has obtained approval under 
     subsection (a) for such disclosure.''.
       (b) Conforming Amendment.--Section 484(q) of the Higher 
     Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1091(q)) is repealed.

     SEC. 7. INCREASED FUNDING FOR FEDERAL PELL GRANTS.

       Section 401(b)(7)(A)(iv) of the Higher Education Act of 
     1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070a(b)(7)(A)(iv)) is amended--
       (1) in subclause (X), by striking ``$1,430,000,000'' and 
     inserting ``$1,455,000,000''; and
       (2) in subclause (XI), by striking ``$1,145,000,000'' and 
     inserting ``$1,170,000,000''.

     SEC. 8. REPORTS ON IMPLEMENTATION.

       (a) In General.--Not later than each specified date, the 
     Secretary of Education and the Secretary of the Treasury 
     shall issue joint reports to the Committees on Health, 
     Education, Labor, and Pensions and Finance of the Senate and 
     the Committees on Education and Labor and Ways and Means of 
     the House of Representatives regarding the amendments made by 
     this Act. Each such report shall include, as applicable--
       (1) an update on the status of implementation of the 
     amendments made by this Act;
       (2) an evaluation of how such implementation had affected 
     the processing of applications for Federal student financial 
     aid, applications for income-based repayment and income-
     contingent repayment, and applications for discharge of loans 
     under title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
     1070 et seq.) based on total and permanent disability; and
       (3) implementation issues and suggestions for potential 
     improvements.
       (b) Specified Date.--For purposes of subsection (a), the 
     term ``specified date'' means--
       (1) the date that is 90 days after the date of the 
     enactment of this Act;
       (2) the date that is 120 days after the first day that the 
     disclosure process established under section 6103(l)(13) of 
     the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended by section 3(a) 
     of this Act, is operational and accessible to officers, 
     employees, and contractors of the Department of Education (as 
     specifically authorized and designated by the Secretary of 
     Education); and
       (3) the date that is 1 year after the report date described 
     in paragraph (2).

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
North Carolina (Ms. Adams) and the gentleman from South Dakota (Mr. 
Johnson) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from North Carolina.


                             General Leave

  Ms. ADAMS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and 
insert extraneous material on H.R. 5363, the Fostering Undergraduate 
Talent by Unlocking Resources for Education, or FUTURE Act.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from North Carolina?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. ADAMS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise to support H.R. 5363, the Fostering Undergraduate 
Talent by Unlocking Resources for Education, or the FUTURE Act. We can 
also simply call it FUTURE Act 2.0.
  Mr. Speaker, 3 months ago, on September 17, the House of 
Representatives unanimously passed the first version of the FUTURE Act, 
H.R. 2486, which would have reauthorized title III, part F of the 
Higher Education Act for the next 2 years. We acted on that day because 
this important program, which prepares the 8 million students at our 
Nation's minority-serving institutions for careers in STEM, expired on 
September 30.
  Unfortunately, inaction on the part of the Senate left us in a 
situation where colleges and universities have already had to begin 
laying off staff, and smaller schools have planned to cut back 
programmatic offerings to stay afloat.
  Fortunately, Congress has shown that we can actually come together 
and work in a bipartisan, bicameral fashion to make the lives of our 
citizens better. The agreement reached in H.R. 5363 will not only 
reauthorize 255 million in mandatory funding for historically Black 
colleges and universities and all MSIs for 2 years, it will reauthorize 
this funding permanently.
  A permanent reauthorization means that for the rest of time, long 
after we are all gone, Mr. Speaker, diverse college students can count 
on a robust investment from their Federal Government. And it was all 
done because we, as Members, were able to put aside partisanship, come 
together for the common cause of ensuring a bright and prosperous 
future for millions of low-income, first-generation college students of 
color.
  Mr. Speaker, the FUTURE Act 2.0 is, once again, responsible 
legislation that is completely paid for. There are a number of people 
to thank for getting this bill to the floor today, but I want to 
particularly recognize the leadership of Chairman Neal of the Committee 
on Ways and Means and Representative DelBene for her partnership. 
Because of these collaborative efforts, the House today can once again 
address the number one priority of our minority-serving institutions, 
which educate nearly 30 percent of all undergraduate students in 
America.
  Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record a letter from the American 
Council on Education and 42 other national organizations in support of 
the FUTURE Act's passage today by the House.


                                American Council on Education,

                                Washington, DC, December 10, 2019.
     Representative Nancy Pelosi,
     Speaker, House of Representatives,
     Washington, DC.
     Representative Kevin McCarthy,
     Minority Leader, House of Representatives,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Speaker Pelosi and Minority Leader McCarthy: On behalf 
     of the organizations listed below, we write to express our 
     strong support for H.R. 5363, the FUTURE Act. This 
     legislation is fully offset and offers practical solutions to 
     critical issues facing students and institutions. H.R. 5363 
     has strong bipartisan support, which is reflected in the fact 
     that previous iterations of this bill passed the House under 
     suspension in September, and an amended version passed the 
     Senate under unanimous consent last week.
       This legislation addresses several important issues. First, 
     it would restore, and make permanent, critical mandatory 
     funding for Historically Black Colleges and Universities, 
     Hispanic-Serving Institutions, Tribal Colleges and 
     Universities and other Minority-Serving Institutions that had 
     expired at the end of September, allowing those institutions 
     to strengthen STEM education programs and build institutional 
     capacity to better serve students. It is vital that this 
     funding be restored immediately as campuses are already 
     making decisions regarding staffing, facilities and 
     programming, which are directly influenced by the 
     availability of this support.
       Beyond the benefits to historically under-resourced 
     institutions, the FUTURE Act would make significant 
     improvements to the federal student aid system, by 
     simplifying and streamlining the processes for applying for 
     student aid and repaying student loans. This will 
     dramatically simplify the Free Application for Federal 
     Student Aid (FAFSA) and make it far easier for low- and 
     middle-income families to apply for and receive federal 
     student aid. In addition, the changes proposed in the 
     legislation will also make the process of paying for college 
     significantly easier for students and their families. This 
     bill would also strengthen the accuracy and effectiveness of 
     the administration of these programs.

[[Page H9964]]

       Finally, the bill includes additional funding for the 
     Federal Pell Grant program, which is the cornerstone of 
     federal student aid. These grants enable millions of low-
     income students to access and afford college, and we 
     appreciate the inclusion of additional support for this 
     valuable program.
       For all of these reasons, we urge you, and the Members you 
     represent, to support this legislation when it comes to the 
     floor for a vote today. We appreciate your attention to this 
     important legislation and look forward to working with you to 
     ensure passage into law of the FUTURE Act.
           Sincerely,
                                                     Ted Mitchell,
                                                        President.
       On behalf of:
       Achieving the Dream, Inc.; ACPA-College Student Educators 
     International; American Association of Colleges of Nursing; 
     American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions 
     Officers; American Association of Community Colleges; 
     American Association of State Colleges and Universities; 
     American Association of University Professors; American 
     Council on Education; American Dental Education Association; 
     American Indian Higher Education Consortium; Association of 
     American Universities; Association of American Colleges and 
     Universities; Association of Catholic Colleges and 
     Universities; Association of Governing Boards of Universities 
     and Colleges.
       Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities; 
     Association of Public and Land-grant Universities; College 
     and University Professional Association for Human Resources; 
     Common App; Consortium of Universities of the Washington 
     Metropolitan Area; Council for Advancement and Support of 
     Education; Council for Higher Education Accreditation; 
     Council for Opportunity in Education; Council of Graduate 
     Schools; Council of Independent Colleges; Council on Social 
     Work Education; EDUCAUSE ETS; Hispanic Association of 
     Colleges and Universities; NAFSA: Association of 
     International Educators.
       NASPA-Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education; 
     National Association for College Admission Counseling; 
     National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher 
     Education; National Association of College and University 
     Business Officers; National Association of Colleges and 
     Employers; National Association of Independent Colleges and 
     Universities; National Association of Student Financial Aid 
     Administrators; National Council for Community and Education 
     Partnerships; Phi Beta Kappa Society; The College Board; 
     TMCF; UNCF; UPCEA.
  Ms. ADAMS. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as 
I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, we live in a highly divided time, of course, high levels 
of polarization, but I would submit, Mr. Speaker, that one thing that 
every Member of this esteemed body can agree upon is they want people 
to be able to work their way out of poverty, that that pathway out of 
poverty is a critically important part of the American story.
  And one thing that I know deep in my heart, and I know that my 
colleague, Congresswoman Adams, agrees, and that is that education is a 
powerful tool. Education and hard work creates opportunity for people 
to be able to build better lives, and that is why we gather here today: 
the FUTURE Act, Fostering Undergraduate Talent by Unlocking Resources 
for Education Act.
  Now, Congress has long recognized the importance of historically 
Black colleges and Tribal colleges, of which there are a number in 
South Dakota, and we will hear more about them in a bit, and there are 
other minority-serving institutions. They play a critically important 
role in building that pathway out of poverty that we have been talking 
about.
  We also know what a large role STEM--science, technology, engineering 
and math--is playing in our country today, and we know that it will 
play an even larger role in the future. And so what this bill does, 
what the FUTURE Act does, is make sure that the Congressional 
commitment to that STEM education continues for a decade.
  Mr. Speaker, $255 million a year has gone to historically Black 
institutions, Tribal colleges, and other minority-serving institutions. 
It has unlocked great potential and great opportunity. We do know that 
these institutions work. We know that they are worth investing in. We 
know that graduates of those minority-serving institutions earn more 
and have more successful careers than people who do not graduate from 
those institutions.
  And, in fact, we know that for many of the institutions, their 
outcomes for their students are better than the outcomes for students 
who graduate from non-minority-serving institutions. This a powerful 
story, and it is worth investing in.
  We talked about that for a decade this program has been in place and 
it has been working. The 10-year authorization lapsed earlier this 
year--September 30, 2019. We have an opportunity here today for this 
Chamber to reinvest in what works and to get our work done on, at 
least, close to on time.
  So, Mr. Speaker, I have other comments to make, particularly about 
Tribal colleges, but at this point, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. ADAMS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from 
Washington (Ms. DelBene).
  Ms. DelBENE. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Adams for her 
incredible work on this legislation.
  Yesterday, I reintroduced an updated version of the Faster Access to 
Federal Student Aid Act, also known as the FAFSA Act.
  My bill, through better integration with the Department of Education 
and the IRS, would simplify the application, verification, and student 
loan repayment process. My bill also provides a more secure way for 
taxpayer data to be shared between the IRS and the Department of 
Education for the purposes of verifying income for applicants 
requesting or renewing eligibility for income-driven loan repayment 
plans.
  My home State of Washington ranged 48 in FAFSA application completion 
among high school seniors last year, leaving millions of dollars in 
grants to attend college on the table. With the ever-rising cost of 
education, that is unacceptable. Each year, roughly 19 percent of 
borrowers in income-driven repayment fail to recertify their income on 
time, resulting in payment spikes and interest capitalization for 
approximately 1.3 million borrowers.
  This important legislation is the first step in reducing the 
burdensome verification process for students and parents filing for 
aid, addressing a difficult challenge many students face accessing and 
affording higher education.
  I am honored to be working with my colleagues in the Senate, Chairman 
Alexander and Ranking Member Murray, to simplify and streamline the 
FAFSA application process and increase access to higher education for 
students across the country. This bipartisan approach to FAFSA 
simplification has been a long time coming.
  I am pleased we were able to get the entirety of my bill included in 
the FUTURE Act, which I urge my colleagues to support today. In these 
challenging times, this kind of bipartisan solution is something that 
we can all support.
  Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota. Mr. Speaker, for 22 years, Texas has 
been ably represented by Congressman Kevin Brady, who has done a 
fantastic job serving Texas in this country. But I do have to brag, he 
is still a favored son of his native State of South Dakota, where Rapid 
City and Vermillion remember him well.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman 
from Texas (Mr. Brady).
  Mr. BRADY. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Johnson for yielding me 
time, and I thank him for his leadership for that great State.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition--to be clear--not to the underlying 
bill. I strongly support the education provision; the one that would 
strengthen historically Black colleges and universities and other 
minority-serving institutions. In fact, that provision has passed this 
House with, I believe, unanimous support. But I do rise in opposition 
to the dangerous precedent set by the tax provision included in this 
bill. I don't believe taxpayer rights should be trampled in this 
process.
  The Senate, as you know, airdropped an unrelated $2.5 billion 
provision that threatens taxpayer privacy and creates a dangerous 
opportunity to potentially misuse our private tax information. The 
bill, for the first time, now authorizes new large-scale sharing of 
previously protected taxpayer information. With hundreds of 
contractors, thousands of educational institutions, and other 
bureaucrats, in many cases, without taxpayer consent and, potentially, 
without the safeguards that protect it.

  The scale we are talking about here is huge. We are talking about at 
least 31 million individual disclosures of taxpayer information every 
year and hundreds of thousands a year after that.

[[Page H9965]]

This would be the third largest disclosure of taxpayer information for 
non-tax purposes in the history, second only to the Census and the 
Affordable Care Act.
  It doesn't have to be this way. We have another option that pays for 
this bill but protects taxpayer information.
  And why is that privacy so important? The IRS has more information 
about you than almost any other agency in the Federal Government. They 
know how many kids you have, how much money you make, whether you have 
a home office, you bought a hybrid car. They know how much money you 
donate; they know your marital status. That kind of information is 
valuable. Almost every Federal agency would like access to it.
  More importantly, a lot of bad actors would like to have access to 
it. And out of this bill, these bad actors could have access for many 
years after you go to school. We know Watergate the hearings revealed a 
White House attorney who had tried to use IRS information to target 
political enemies. And administrations have tried to do this for 
farmers, unsuccessfully.
  Congress recognized this vast amount of private information could be 
abused, and we acted to protect it. Those protections ensure taxpayer 
information is kept confidential unless it meets certain exemptions.
  Over the years, we have added exemptions and we have deleted them, 
but every time Congress has carefully considered the cost and the 
consequences of those actions. But this bill's amendment is being 
rushed through the House without that appropriate care or 
consideration.
  Today, when you file a form for a loan or a repayment or all that, 
you fill out that information, or you download the taxpayer 
information. That will be blocked. No more can you do that. So in the 
future, these millions of records will be out in the nether lands for 
years after you graduate from college. And as you know, once your data 
is out there--the horse is out of the barn--you can never get it back.
  Mr. Speaker, so I rise today in opposition to this bill, basically to 
ask, ``let's pause.'' Let's pause this play, which we all support, 
replace this privacy risk with another pay-for we can all agree on 
while more work is done in this measure.
  Ms. ADAMS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from 
Washington (Ms. DelBene).
  Ms. DelBENE. Mr. Speaker, I think this bill is all about making sure 
that we support consumer privacy and that we do it in a streamlined 
way. So the legislation in this bill would actually make this more 
secure for consumers.
  And, again, I reiterate, the underlying legislation, the FAFSA Act, 
was passed out by the Republican majority and the Senate Finance 
Committee almost a year ago, and then passed the Senate by unanimous 
consent shortly after. So it is a truly bipartisan effort.
  Currently, each year when verifying their income for an income-based 
repayment plan, students have to manually go into their FAFSA account 
and submit their IRS documents. They are submitting those documents. 
The FAFSA Act would create a more secure way for folks to have their 
IRS information be sent to the Department of Education for verification 
by having their data go directly. That is a more secure and streamlined 
process.
  That streamlined process means that 8 to 9 million applicants who are 
currently unable to access their IRS data for their FAFSA applications 
for verification, that means this process will be automated and they 
would be able to move forward with going to school and receiving the 
support that they need.

                              {time}  1315

  So, I strongly disagree with the concerns the gentleman raised. This 
is strengthening security, strengthening privacy.
  Also, students and parent borrowers always have the opportunity to 
opt out of that transfer. They consent to it originally. They can opt 
out of that transfer, if they so wish, later on.
  Mr. Speaker, I strongly urge folks to support this bill, which 
strengthens privacy and supports streamlining for parents and students.
  Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as 
I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, Chief Sitting Bull said: ``Let us put our minds together 
and see what life we can make for our children.''
  Now, Chief Sitting Bull has cast a long shadow in South Dakota and 
that general geographic area. His words are as true today as they were 
when he uttered them. And he is the namesake for one of the impressive, 
successful, hardworking Tribal colleges in South Dakota.
  They are collectively serving and improving the lives of thousands 
of, largely, Native students, although, some White students as well. 
And the outcomes are fantastic. They really are changing lives. They 
work every single day, often in difficult geographic environments, 
often in difficult financial environments, to help students who are so 
often first-generation students take those important educational steps 
to find that pathway toward a more successful life.
  This is worth investing in. I have been to these colleges. Over my 20 
years in and out of the public sector, I have been to Oglala Lakota 
College, and I have been to Sitting Bull College and Sinte Gleska and 
Sisseton Wahpeton.
  The names of these presidents--Vermillion, Azure, Bordeaux, and 
Shortbull--these are legends in the educational arena. Those leaders 
and their staffs are using these dollars to deploy this STEM education 
in a way that really works.
  And we all know, Mr. Speaker, how important STEM education is. I 
suspect we all understand that 15 of the 20 fastest growing careers are 
in the STEM fields. They require advanced study in science, in 
mathematics. We understand that job growth over the course of the next 
10 years in these STEM fields will be 100 percent higher than job 
growth in other fields.
  Now, that is not in any way an attempt to minimize the importance of 
other types of education, of course; but, if we want to have students 
at historically Black colleges and Tribal universities and other 
minority-serving institutions be prepared to be a key part of this 
growing American economy, the FUTURE Act and the STEM education that it 
supports is critically important.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. ADAMS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his comments, and I 
will add my testimony to that, a 40-year college professor at Bennett 
College in Greensboro, North Carolina, an HBCU, a fine HBCU, a women's 
college; and having done my studies at North Carolina A&T State 
University twice--my bachelor's and master's there--and knowing that 
North Carolina has more HBCUs than any other State, we are proud of 
that.
  Having said that, Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman 
from Oregon (Ms. Bonamici), who is also a member of the Education and 
Labor Committee and chair of the Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Human 
Services.
  Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 5363, the 
FUTURE Act.
  This bill will provide critical support to our Nation's minority-
serving institutions by permanently reauthorizing mandatory funding for 
historically Black colleges and universities, Tribally controlled 
colleges and universities, and other minority-serving institutions. 
These schools serve an important role in expanding opportunities for 
African American students and historically unrepresented student 
populations.
  Congress must do all we can to make sure these institutions have the 
resources they need to support their students, and I thank 
Representative Adams for her tireless leadership on this issue.
  In addition to the critical support for the historically Black 
colleges and universities and minority-serving institutions, this bill 
will also allow for the secure--and I repeat, secure--direct transfer 
of taxpayer data from the IRS to the Department of Education to enroll 
and reenroll borrowers in income-driven repayment plans. This change 
will make a real difference for borrowers.
  We know that borrowers with small loan balances are more likely to 
default than borrowers with six-figure debts. Those who owe less than 
$10,000

[[Page H9966]]

are most likely to default, are less likely to have completed their 
degrees, and are often burdened by low incomes or unemployment.
  I have heard from many borrowers in northwest Oregon who describe 
loan repayment as anxiety-inducing, daunting, and overwhelming; and I 
have heard from several constituents who faced financial consequences 
for missing the deadline to annually recertify their income for income-
driven repayment plans.
  This change will protect many borrowers from default by getting and 
keeping them in manageable, income-driven repayment plans. This bill 
will also remove burdensome paper requirements for borrowers who are 
totally and permanently disabled.
  This has been a longtime priority of mine through the bipartisan 
SIMPLE Act, and I applaud my colleague, Representative DelBene, for her 
leadership on the language included in the bill before us today.
  Finally, I am pleased that this bill includes a much-needed increase 
in Pell grant funding.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this critical 
legislation when it comes to the floor, as we continue our work to make 
college more affordable and equitable for everyone.
  Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as 
I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, in August, I was at Sitting Bull College, and I had an 
opportunity, over the course of half a day or so, to speak with the 
instructors, the professors, the administrators, and, most importantly, 
the students there. The stories of these students brought such a smile 
to my face.
  If anybody is having a bad day, you have got to go to one of these 
Tribal colleges. You have got to hear from the students who are seeing 
the prospects for a better tomorrow improve every single day they sit 
in the classroom; to see these facilities, which are not the fanciest 
campuses in America, but are places where people with large hearts and 
with limited resources have built a center of learning and economic 
opportunity.
  One student had had a very difficult life, and I asked her: So why do 
you persevere? Why are you here? Why are you doing homework late into 
the night so you can be prepared for class? Wouldn't it be easier to go 
do something else?
  She said: Congressman Johnson, the life I have had isn't the life 
that I want to have. My children deserve better, and, sir, I am going 
to give it to them.
  Hard work alone can only do so much. Hard work, when paired with 
education, can unlock the universe. This is happening in our country, 
and it is worth investing in.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. ADAMS. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire how much time remains on either 
side.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentlewoman from North Carolina has 11 
minutes remaining. The gentleman from South Dakota has 9 minutes 
remaining.
  Ms. ADAMS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from 
Virginia (Mr. Scott), the capable chair of the Committee on Education 
and Labor.
  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for her 
leadership in bringing this bill to the floor, and I want to thank all 
of my House and Senate colleagues who have worked diligently on this 
legislation.
  Historically Black colleges and universities, Tribally controlled 
colleges and universities, and other minority-serving institutions play 
a significant role in expanding access to higher education for low-
income students and students of color.
  Collectively, they educate more than one-fourth of all 
undergraduates--nearly 6 million students--including many first-time 
college students and students from our Nation's most underserved 
communities.
  Historically Black colleges and universities specifically make up 
less than 3 percent of colleges and universities, yet they produce 
almost 20 percent of all Black graduates, half of all Black 
professionals, and over a third of all Black STEM graduates.
  Unfortunately, despite their outsized role in serving our Nation's 
most underserved students, HBCUs and MSIs have historically been 
underresourced compared to other institutions of higher education.
  That is why, 3 months ago, the House unanimously passed the FUTURE 
Act, a proposal to provide vital funding for HBCUs and other MSIs. 
Regrettably, that funding had expired on September 30. This bill will 
restore that funding.
  In fact, after careful negotiation and compromise, this bill we are 
voting on today does not just restore the guarantee of more than $250 
million a year for HBCUs and MSIs; it permanently authorizes that 
funding. It also facilitates stronger cooperation between the IRS and 
the Department of Education to simplify the Free Application for 
Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, to make it easier for students to access 
student aid and repay their loans.
  I want to note that, as mentioned, the FUTURE Act streamlines the 
income-driven repayment process for millions of Direct Loan borrowers.
  For the 12.4 million borrowers with a Federal Family Education Loan, 
the loan from our old program that is winding down, this bill does not 
disturb the Treasury's authority to continue operating the data 
retrieval tool. This tool allows borrowers, including FFEL borrowers, 
to retrieve their own tax information for the purposes of certifying 
their income for an income-driven repayment plan.
  Many FFEL borrowers are currently enrolled in income-driven repayment 
plans and rely on this existing tool made available by the Internal 
Revenue Service and the Department of Education. This legislation does 
not eliminate the authority for the data retrieval tool, and, indeed, 
we urge the Secretaries of Treasury and Education to maintain that tool 
to ensure that all FFEL borrowers, especially those whose loans are 
owned by the Department of Education, have streamlined access to 
manageable monthly payments.
  Before I close, I would like to give special thanks to Chairman Neal 
of the Ways and Means Committee for his dedication and hard work in 
negotiating to bring this bill to the floor. Thanks to his leadership, 
we are voting on a bill today that will expand access to both 
institutions of higher learning and student aid for generations to 
come.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the FUTURE Act.
  Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota. Mr. Speaker, just a short note about 
Congresswoman Adams.
  I have the honor of serving with her on both the Education and Labor 
Committee as well as the Agriculture Committee, and, every time we have 
a committee hearing, I get an opportunity to see her hard work, her 
respect, her conscientiousness, her approach toward making this 
institution be the best that it can be. She has done yeoman's work in 
getting us to this point.
  I would advise the Congresswoman as well as the Speaker that I have 
no further speakers and that I am prepared to close at the appropriate 
time, sir.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. ADAMS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his kind remarks, 
and it is a real pleasure serving with him and working with him on this 
particular issue.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. 
Doggett).
  Mr. DOGGETT. Mr. Speaker, today's bill, which I am pleased to 
cosponsor, accomplishes much good. While providing critical support for 
minority-serving institutions like Huston-Tillotson in Austin, it 
includes provisions from the bipartisan Student Aid Simplification Act, 
which I introduced earlier this year. It will assist students in all 
universities, and it is also mighty important to graduates repaying 
student debt.
  I salute the chairman, Mr. Scott, for the work of his committee; 
College Forward and National College Access Network, who have worked 
with me on this for months; and, certainly, Senators Murray and 
Alexander for moving this through the Senate.
  Too many students find the current Free Application for Federal 
Student Aid, FAFSA, so complicated and the difficulty of getting all of 
the financial information required so demanding that they never 
complete the application. In fact, I was in San Antonio this past 
weekend. The completion rate there is a mere 35 percent. So $2.6 
billion in free money available for student

[[Page H9967]]

financial assistance goes unclaimed each year.
  This bill will eliminate up to 22 FAFSA questions and require the 
Department of Education and IRS to work together and do some of the 
heavy lifting for the students by sharing the taxpayer information 
required for FAFSA completion. This means an increase in access to Pell 
grants and other educational opportunities, especially for first-time 
students whose parents may work multiple jobs.
  And the provisions included from the bill that we introduced earlier 
this year will also eliminate problems that about 7 million students 
who graduated have faced in the annual recertification process for 
income-driven loans.

                              {time}  1330

  These are folks who may owe a lot, but they don't earn a lot. They 
include many teachers who have been kicked out of the Public Service 
Loan Forgiveness program for not recertifying each year. We eliminate 
that. These borrowers will now be protected from payment spikes.
  We do all this through administrative simplification, through greater 
accuracy, so the bill actually raises the $2.8 billion that we need for 
our minority-serving institutions.
  When more students can access all the education that they are willing 
to work for, the students win, their families win, and our economy 
wins. Investing in our students is one of the best investments we can 
make, and investing in our minority-serving institutions means that 
opportunity is available for all.
  Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my 
time.
  Ms. ADAMS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas 
(Mr. Castro).
  Mr. CASTRO of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 
5363, the FUTURE Act.
  I thank all the Members of Congress, the Members of the Senate, the 
educational institutions, and the advocates who helped shepherd this 
legislation.
  Under the FUTURE Act, MSIs will permanently receive the $255 million 
they need for the next 10 years. Without this funding, schools would 
miss out on funding for STEM programs, academic counseling, and 
financial support for students in need.
  This funding can be the difference between millions of students being 
able to afford college or attend college at all. This funding provides 
many students of color with the only opportunity they have ever had to 
enter fields where they are so often sorely underrepresented.
  We must support these critical efforts by MSIs to help students 
complete their college degrees and diversify STEM careers.
  Today, many students continue to leave STEM fields while in college, 
especially minority students. About 37 percent of Latino STEM students 
and 40 percent of Black STEM students will switch majors during 
college, compared to 29 percent of White STEM students. About 20 
percent of Latino students and 26 percent of Black students will drop 
out before completing their STEM degrees.
  By providing schools with a means to support their students, we can 
prevent these trends from continuing and help diversify all fields of 
study. It will help dismantle the lingering discrimination found in 
some career fields that these folks want to pursue.
  When we diversify, we develop different perspectives, gather better 
talent, and become more competitive globally, and I urge my colleagues 
to support this piece of legislation.
  Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance 
of my time.
  Mr. Speaker, this bill does three important things.
  First, it invests in these historically Black colleges, Tribal 
colleges, and other minority-serving institutions we have been talking 
about, and the value proposition for those is clear. It is a great 
American success story.
  The second important thing that the FUTURE Act does is invest in STEM 
education. We have talked a fair amount today about what an important 
and powerful engine that can be for economic growth within this 
country.
  We have also talked a fair amount today about the third component of 
this bill, which is streamlining and modernizing this complicated 
Federal student aid system that costs American taxpayers real money. 
That streamlining will help.
  Mr. Speaker, with that three-pronged value proposition, we have 
before us the FUTURE Act, which will continue this wonderful American 
investment in STEM education at these minority-serving institutions. I 
ask my colleagues to support the FUTURE Act.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. ADAMS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from South Dakota (Mr. Johnson) 
for all of his work and his support. Let me again thank all of my 
colleagues who have helped to bring us to the precipice of solidifying 
a robust Federal investment into HBCUs and MSIs for all time. I thank 
Chairman Neal and Representative DelBene, as well as Chairman  Bobby 
Scott for his leadership every step of the way in this effort. I thank 
the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, Congresswoman Karen Bass, 
and the chairs of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and the 
Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, Congressman Joaquin Castro 
and Congresswoman Judy Chu. I thank the leadership of the House for 
making HBCUs and MSIs and the students they serve a priority for this 
body.
  It is telling how important this issue is for the fate of our Nation 
that we are considering this measure in the midst of all that Congress 
has to do before the end of the year.
  To the advocates, the United Negro College Fund, the Thurgood 
Marshall College Fund, and NAFEO, whose members have sent over 65,000 
letters and made calls to Members of Congress, I hope we can let them 
know that while they have worked hard, their hard work has paid off.
  Mr. Speaker, 8 million students from across America are counting on 
us today. They are counting on Congress to keep its promise.
  In 2008, when mandatory funding language was first authorized in 
title III, this body approved the measure by a vote of 354-to-58. 
Congress in 2008 understood the importance of our HBCUs and MSIs and 
the educational opportunities that they specifically tailor to students 
who have traditionally been denied access to adequately funded schools 
throughout their lives. Congress understood how the program was needed 
to help these institutions fulfill their mission to assist students in 
meeting their goals. That fact remains true now more than ever.
  Let's have a strong vote to pass FUTURE Act 2.0 out of this House 
today. Bring it to the Senate and send it to the President's desk so 
that our HBCUs and MSIs and their students can finally have certainty 
from their government and know that when Congress makes a promise to 
provide for their future, we mean what we say.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the legislation, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentlewoman from North Carolina (Ms. Adams) that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 5363, as amended.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further 
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.

                          ____________________