The impact of HSIs discussed with members of Congress

The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities’ (HACU) President and CEO Antonio R. Flores was in Washington D.C., the week of June 5, 2017, to continue working with members of the U.S. House of Representatives on the launch of a Congressional Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) Caucus. This new HACU legislative initiative will serve to keep policy makers and their staff informed on the impact and value of HSIs in their districts, states and across the nation.

The meetings held this week provided an opportunity to discuss the importance of increasing federal funding for HSIs in the FY2018 federal budget. The newly funded National Science Foundation HSI Program and the importance of increasing the funding to $30M for FY2018, and the need to increase diversity in the federal government workforce were also topics of discussions.

Flores and Government Relations staff met several members of Congress including Sen. Tom Udall (D-NM); Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-CA); Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ); Rep. Will Hurd (R-TX), co-chair of the Congressional HSI Caucus; Office of Rep. Jose Serrano (D-NY); Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D-CA); Office of Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL); and Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX).

While in D.C., Flores also attended a Homeland Security Academic Advisory Council (HSAAC) meeting, a Washington Higher Education Secretariat meeting and a Business Roundtable about the U.S. skills gap and why solving it is so important to economic growth and individual prosperity in America.