Alma Adams

10/27/2022 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 10/27/2022 07:37

Congressional Tri-Caucus & HBCU Caucus Leaders Announce Endorsement of Landmark IGNITE Legislation

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Congresswoman Alma Adams (NC-12), founder and co-chair of the Congressional Bipartisan HBCU Caucus, along with Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chair Rep. Raul Ruiz (CA-36), Congressional Black Caucus Chair Rep. Joyce Beatty (OH-03), Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus Chair Rep. Judy Chu (CA-27), and HBCU Caucus co-chair Rep. French Hill (AR-02) announced the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, Congressional Black Caucus, and the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus have officially endorsed H.R. 8803, the IGNITE HBCU, TCU, and MSI Excellence Act. A predecessor to the bill, H.R. 3294, is cosponsored by 218 members of the House of Representatives.

This bill establishes a grant program to support infrastructure improvements of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), tribal colleges and universities (TCUs), and other minority-serving institutions (MSIs), including Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) and Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs).

Beatty, Chu, and Ruiz released the following statement celebrating the endorsement:

"As leaders of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), and Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), we are proud to announce the Congressional Tri-Caucus is endorsing the IGNITE HBCU, TCU, and MSI Excellence Act. The IGNITE bill is the most transformative legislation for Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs), Tribal Colleges & Universities (TCUs), Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs), and Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs) in our lifetime. This legislation invests in our HBCU, TCU, and MSI facilities to give students state-of-the-art learning environments and enables these institutions to continue to be a critical source of diversity in the workforce for another century and beyond."

"We urge the consideration and passage of the IGNITE HBCU, TCU, and MSI Excellence Act prior to the conclusion of the 117th Congress," the chairs concluded.

The Congressional Tri-Caucus is composed of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), and Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC).

Adams and Hillreleased the following statement celebrating the endorsement:

"Congress supports our Historically Black Colleges and Universities as well as our Minority Serving Institutions," said Representatives Adams and Hill, co-chairs of the HBCU Caucus. "Republicans and Democrats; Senators and Members of Congress; all of them are coming together to show their support for the IGNITE HBCU, TCU, and MSI Excellence Act. HBCU and MSI supporters know that while our institutions face unique challenges due to decades of underfunding, these colleges and universities produce a high return on investment in higher education.. It is time for the IGNITE Act to receive a vote as either an amendment or a stand-alone bill, and we implore our Congressional leadership to give Democrats and Republicans alike a chance to show our strong support for HBCUs and MSIs."

Congresswoman Alma S. Adams, Ph.D.represents North Carolina's 12th Congressional District (Charlotte, Mecklenburg County). In 2015, she founded the first bipartisan Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Caucus in Congress. She is a double graduate of North Carolina A&T, the largest HBCU by enrollment in the United States, and serves on the House Committee on Education & Labor; the House Financial Services Committee; and the House Committee on Agriculture, which has jurisdiction over the 1890s HBCUs.

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