[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 13]
[House]
[Pages 18669-18670]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




      PRESERVATION RESEARCH AT INSTITUTIONS SERVING MINORITIES ACT

  Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 1541) to amend title 54, United States Code, to make 
Hispanic-serving institutions eligible for technical and financial 
assistance for the establishment of preservation training and degree 
programs, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 1541

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

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Preservation Research at 
     Institutions Serving Minorities Act'' or the ``PRISM Act''.

     SEC. 2. ELIGIBILITY OF HISPANIC-SERVING INSTITUTIONS AND 
                   ASIAN AMERICAN AND NATIVE AMERICAN PACIFIC 
                   ISLANDER-SERVING INSTITUTIONS FOR ASSISTANCE 
                   FOR PRESERVATION EDUCATION AND TRAINING 
                   PROGRAMS.

       Section 303903(3) of title 54, United States Code, is 
     amended by inserting ``to Hispanic-serving institutions (as 
     defined in section 502(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 
     (20 U.S.C. 1101a(a))) and Asian American and Native American 
     Pacific Islander-serving institutions (as defined in section 
     320(b) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
     1059g(b))),'' after ``universities,''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
California (Mr. LaMalfa) and the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Grijalva) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California.


                             General Leave

  Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and 
include extraneous materials on the bill under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  H.R. 1541 provides colleges and universities with a high enrollment 
of Hispanic, Asian American, and Native American Pacific Islander 
students access to a grant program that encourages student involvement 
in historic and cultural projects.
  This grant program already includes Historically Black Colleges and 
Universities, Tribal Colleges and Universities, and nontribal colleges 
with a high enrollment of Native Americans or Native Hawaiians. H.R. 
1541 will ensure that historically underrepresented groups are eligible 
for technical and financial assistance to establish preservation 
training and degree programs.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

[[Page 18670]]

  In March of this year, I introduced this legislation, the 
Preservation Research at Institutions Serving Minorities, the PRISM 
Act, to ensure that over 400 Hispanic-serving institutions have access 
to a competitive grant program for historic preservation education and 
for training programs. HSIs are colleges and universities where at 
least 25 percent of the student enrollment is comprised of Hispanic 
students.
  Current law provides, as was stated by the gentleman, preservation 
education and training grants for HBCUs, tribal and Hawaiian Native 
education institutions. My legislation would add HSIs to the list.
  HSIs represent about 12 percent of all higher education institutions 
in the U.S. They educate over 3 million Hispanic students that are 
enrolled in those universities and colleges.
  At the markup, the committee adopted an amendment offered by my good 
friend, Congresswoman Bordallo of Guam. Ms. Bordallo's amendment adds 
universities and colleges that are designated as Asian American, Native 
American Pacific Islanders-serving institutions to the list of 
institutions eligible for historic preservation education and training 
programs. I commend the gentlewoman from Guam for bringing this issue 
up. Her amendment makes the bill more inclusive and better.
  I urge my colleagues to support its adoption. The bill is designed to 
enhance the educational experience of students at HSIs and contribute 
to the preservation of Hispanic history, as it is being preserved for 
all Americans under this program.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, I have no additional speakers. I appreciate 
the efforts of my colleague from Arizona (Mr. Grijalva).
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge my colleagues to 
support H.R. 1541, the Preservation Research at Institutions Serving 
Minorities, or PRISM, Act. H.R. 1541 would make Hispanic serving 
institutions and Asian American Native American Pacific Islander 
serving institutions of higher education on par with other minority 
serving institutions and make them eligible for important historic 
preservation education and training.
  I would like to recognize my colleague, Mr. Grijalva, for his 
leadership in introducing H.R. 1541, and also working closely with me 
on my amendment to also include Asian American Native American Pacific 
Islander-serving institutions.
  Hispanic Americans and Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have 
contributed to our nation's rich history and unique cultural heritage. 
AAPI contributions to this nation's history are evident from New 
Orleans being a stop on the Spanish Galleon trade route, to the salmon 
canneries in Alaska, to early Chamorro villages in the Mariana Islands, 
to pineapple fields in Hawaii, or to the tremendous efforts AAPIs made 
in constructing the railroads that crisscross our country. Making 
Hispanic serving institutions and Asian American Native American and 
Pacific Islander serving institutions eligible for preservation 
training and degree programs will further enrich and ensure our diverse 
history is shared for generations to come.
  This bill has bipartisan support, and I commend my colleagues for 
their support. I encourage support of H.R. 1541.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from California (Mr. LaMalfa) that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1541, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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