“Mid-term election results and HACU’s legislative agenda”

Antonio.Flores@HACU’s Blog
http://floreshacu.wordpress.com/
Posted November 8, 2010 by floreshacu
Federal Legislation, Hispanic Higher Education

The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) expects that the 112th Congress will continue to support its legislative agenda on behalf of Hispanic higher education success and Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs). Support for education, especially for HSIs and Hispanic-Serving School Districts (HSSDs), has usually been bipartisan and progressive. HACU remains committed to working in that manner with all members of Congress, both Hispanic and other.

But before the 111th Congress ends in December, HACU is also hopeful that the unfinished business of passing the DREAM Act and approving much-needed funding requests for HSIs will be completed. The leadership of the current Congress has publicly reiterated their commitment to acting on the DREAM Act during the lame duck session, which begins on November 15. HACU continues to work hard with 27 other national organizations that comprise the Act on the DREAM Coalition for this to become a reality. Please urge your members of Congress to pass this legislation by selecting “take action” to send an instant message from www.actonthedream.org.

HACU is also pushing for greater funding support for HSIs as Congress turns to approve appropriations for fiscal year 2011. As it stands, HSIs receive only 52 cents for every dollar that all other colleges get annually from all federal sources per student. This gap must be closed without delay. Visit www.hacu.net for more information on HACU’s legislative agenda.

If, as expected, the 112th Congress takes up the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA, or No Child Left Behind), HACU will be advocating for the inclusion and support of HSIs and HSSDs for the preparation of quality teachers and for greater collaboration between K-12 and higher education. We’ll keep you posted on developments.

The United States once led the world in college degree attainment but has now fallen to number 12. To regain its leadership and remain competitive in the global economy, Hispanics, the fastest-growing and youngest demographic in the nation, must attain much higher educational success — and the schools and colleges that have the lead role in educating them must be funded accordingly. This is what HACU expects from both the 111th and the 112th Congresses.

Comments are closed.


Skip to toolbar