December 10, 2019
HACU applauds final passage of the FUTURE Act (HR 5363) for critical funding to HSIs, HBCU’s and other minority-serving institutions
The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) has issued the following statement by HACU President and CEO Antonio R. Flores on the passage of the Fostering Undergraduate Talent by Unlocking Resources for Education (FUTURE) Act (H.R. 5363) passed by the House and the Senate on Dec. 10, 2019, and expected to be signed into law by the president of the United States:
“HACU applauds the passage of the FUTURE Act by the House of Representatives and the Senate today, which permanently extends Title III, Part F of the Higher Education Act. This is a historic win for Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) and the millions of students they serve.
The bill mandates $255 million of critical annual funding to be invested in HSIs as well as Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribal Colleges and Universities, and other Minority-Serving Institutions. The bill’s passage will benefit nearly 6 million students, 4.5 million enrolled at HSIs alone. This funding will help community colleges and universities to increase the rate of Hispanic representation as engineers, scientist, health professionals, and technicians across the Nation.
As our nation becomes increasingly diverse and the numbers of HSIs continues to grow, federal funding for our institutions is more important than ever to ensure that we can prepare today’s student for tomorrow’s jobs and reduce our dependence on importing foreign talent.
HACU thanks the leadership of the FUTURE Act lead sponsors, Senate HELP Committee, House Education and Labor Committee, and the House Ways and Means Committee for reaching an agreement that includes in one bill the FUTURE Act and the FAFSA Act to be able to simplify Financial Aid applications for students.”
About HACU
The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, founded in 1986, represents more than 500 colleges and universities in the United States, Latin America, Spain and school districts throughout the U.S. The Association’s headquarters are located in San Antonio, Texas, with regional offices in Sacramento, California and Washington D.C. HACU is the only national association representing existing and emerging Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs). Information is available at www.hacu.net.