March 30, 2012
NJ Revilla-Garcia 

HACU presents its Legislative Agenda at Capitol Forum

HACU recently presented its Legislative Agenda for the second session of the 112^th Congress during HACU’s Capitol Forum on Hispanic Higher Education. More than 190 attendees convened in Washington D.C. for the annual gathering.

The HACU Legislative Agenda is available online. For a PDF version, click here.

A recent Pew Hispanic Center study shows that Hispanics will provide almost three-fourths of the growth in the U.S. labor force between 2010 and 2020. As part of the Capitol Forum, HACU delegations headed to Capitol Hill to reinforce the need for federal funding for Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) to help ensure an educated workforce for the nation.  

“HSIs remain among the most under-funded cohort of postsecondary institutions,” said HACU President and CEO Antonio R. Flores to attendees. “They receive, on average, only two-thirds the federal funding all institutions receive per student annually.”

HACU’s appropriations requests for FY 2013 include funding for Title V under the Higher Education Act (HEA), HSI and Hispanic-Serving Agricultural Colleges and Universities programs authorized in the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act (Farm Bill), as well as HSI programs in other federal agencies. 

HACU also addresses Hispanic higher education needs across the K-20 pipeline.  HACU Public Policy priorities include recommendations for the reauthorizations of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), the Farm Bill, the Workforce Investment Act (WIA), and Veterans Affairs. 

HACU continues to put a strong emphasis on passage of the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act as a key element of comprehensive immigration reform.

Related Article: Amid budget cuts, HACU sees new challenges for Hispanic college students (Source: VOXXI)