Bill Text: NJ AR125 | 2020-2021 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Urges Congress and President of United States to eliminate funding disparities among land-grant institutions of higher education.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2020-07-30 - Filed with Secretary of State [AR125 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2020-AR125-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman BENJIE E. WIMBERLY
District 35 (Bergen and Passaic)
SYNOPSIS
Urges Congress and President of United States to eliminate funding disparities among land-grant institutions of higher education.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Assembly Resolution urging Congress and the President of the United States to enact legislation to eliminate the funding disparities among land-grant institutions of higher education.
Whereas, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) have been providing a crucial means for the educational and economic advancement of African-Americans for more than a century; and
Whereas, By serving the African-American community, HBCUs serve all Americans by preparing gifted young men and women to achieve their dreams and succeed in their life goals; and
Whereas, Today, there are more than 100 HBCUs in the United States, all of which embody many of our most deeply cherished values such as equality, diversity, opportunity, and hard work; and
Whereas, HBCUs have their roots in the federal Morrill Act of 1862, which required that each state have at least one land-grant institution. Historically, most of these institutions have been predominantly white. Since African-Americans were barred from many of these land-grant institutions, a second Morrill Act was adopted in 1890 requiring states to show that race was not a factor in the admission criteria of land-grant institutions or else they would lose federal funding; and
Whereas, Instead of unifying the institutions, some states opted to create separate land-grant colleges for African-Americans, which allowed those states to keep segregated colleges and at the same time not lose federal funding; and
Whereas, 1890 land-grant institutions--HBCUs--have largely received less funding per student when compared to their 1862 land-grant counterparts, in some instances receiving only half the funding given to other institutions; and
Whereas, It should be a public policy goal of the federal government to enact laws aimed at eliminating the existing funding inequity between HBCUs and 1862 land-grant institutions; and
Whereas, By increasing funding to HBCUs, the federal government would be providing vital support to these institutions as they continue their endeavor to improve the quality of life of African-Americans by providing them with high quality education; and
Whereas,
It is important, therefore, that Congress and the President of the United States
enact legislation which eliminates the existing funding inequities between
HBCUs and 1862 land-grant institutions in order to have equal education
opportunity through equal funding for all land-grant institutions; now,
therefore,
Be It Resolved by the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. The General Assembly of the State of New Jersey respectfully urges Congress and the President of the United States to enact legislation aimed at eliminating the existing funding inequity between Historically Black Colleges and Universities, which are the 1890 land-grant institutions of higher education, and the 1862 land-grant institutions of higher education.
2. Copies of this resolution, as filed with the Secretary of State, shall be transmitted by the Clerk of the General Assembly to the President and Vice-President of the United States, the Majority and Minority Leaders of the United States Senate, the Speaker and Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives, and to every member of New Jersey's Congressional delegation.
STATEMENT
This resolution respectfully urges Congress and the President of the United States to enact legislation aimed at eliminating the existing funding inequity between Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), which are the 1890 land-grant institutions of higher education, and the 1862 land-grant institutions of higher education.
There are more than 100 HBCUs in the United States and they have largely received less funding per student when compared to their 1862 land-grant institution counterparts. This resolution urges that this discrepancy be eliminated.
