Alexander Introduces Long-Term Solution to Fund Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Other Minority Serving Institutions
WASHINGTON, September 26, 2019 — Senate education committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) today introduced a long-term solution to fund Historically Black Colleges and Universities and other Minority Serving Institutions as part of a legislative package of eight bipartisan higher education proposals drafted by 35 Senators — 20 Democrat, 15 Republican.
“I am today introducing a long-term solution to permanently provide funding for Minority Serving Institutions, including the six HBUCs in Tennessee,” Alexander said. “This solution would be part of a package of eight bipartisan higher education bills drafted by 35 Senators — 20 Democrat, 15 Republican. This package of bills will make it easier for millions of students to get a college education by simplifying the Federal Application for Student Aid, providing Pell grants to parole-eligible prisoners, allowing Pell grants to be used for short-term programs, and increasing the maximum Pell grant award.”
Background on the Student Aid Improvement Act of 2019:
- Permanent mandatory funding, $255 million each year, for Historically Black Colleges and Universities and other Minority Serving Institutions
- FAFSA simplification — Alexander and Jones
- Pell grants for prisoners — Schatz, Lee and Durbin
- Short-Term Pell — Portman, Kaine, Cardin, Gillibrand, Hassan, Klobuchar, Stabenow, Baldwin, Brown, Capito, Coons, Ernst, Jones, Moran, Shaheen, Sinema, Smith, Wicker and Braun
- Simplify aid letters — Grassley, Smith, Cassidy, Ernst, Hassan, Jones, Klobuchar, Manchin and Rubio
- The package also increases the maximum Pell grant award
- To pay for this package, we have a bipartisan proposal that both President Obama and President Trump have supported, which is to ensure that students who opt to pay back their loans under the income driven repayment plan pay the full 10 percent of their discretionary income as the law intended.
- A proposal by Senator Murray and me, along with Senators Collins, Cornyn, Gardner, Hassan, King, Stabenow, Tillis and Whitehouse to allow students to answer up to 22 questions on the current FAFSA with one click by using data the government already has from the IRS. This provision is within the jurisdiction of the
- Senate Finance Committee, and will be included once the package is ready for consideration on the Senate floor.