“(a)Findings.—Congress finds the following:“(1) As many colleges and universities across the country kept their doors closed to African American applicants, historically Black colleges and universities (referred to in this section as ‘HBCUs’) played a central role in ensuring that African Americans could attain an excellent education.
“(2) Today, HBCUs continue to play a critical role in ensuring that African Americans, and those of all races, can access high-quality educational opportunities.
“(3) HBCUs enroll nearly 300,000 students, an estimated 70 percent of whom come from low-income backgrounds and 80 percent of whom are African American.
“(4) According to the National Association For Equal Opportunity In Higher Education (referred to in this section as ‘NAFEO’), HBCUs make up just 3 percent of American institutions of higher education but serve more than a fifth of African American college students.
“(5) According to the Thurgood Marshall College Fund (referred to in this section as ‘TMCF’), approximately 9 percent of all African American college students attend HBCUs.
“(6) A March 2017 report from the Education Trust concluded that HBCUs have higher completion rates for African American students than other institutions serving similar student populations.
“(7) According to TMCF, 40 percent of African American Members of Congress, 50 percent of African American lawyers, and 80 percent of African American judges are graduates of HBCUs.
“(8) According to NAFEO, HBCUs graduate approximately 50 percent of African American public school teaching professionals.
“(9) According to the United Negro College Fund (referred to in this section as ‘UNCF’), African American graduates of HBCUs are almost twice as likely as African Americans who graduated from other institutions to report that their university prepared them well for life.
“(10) According to a study commissioned by UNCF, in 2014, HBCUs generated a total direct economic impact of $14,800,000,000 and created more than 134,000 jobs.
“(11) According to a 2019 report produced by the American Council on Education and UNCF, despite efforts to counter a historical legacy of inequitable funding and notable investments by the Federal Government and many State governments, resource inequities continue to plague HBCUs.
“(span)Purposes.—The purposes of this Act are—“(1) to strengthen the capacity and competitiveness of HBCUs to fulfill their principal mission of equalizing educational opportunity, as described in section 301(span) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1051(span)); “(2) to align HBCUs with the educational and economic competitiveness priorities of the United States;
“(3) to provide students enrolled at HBCUs with the highest quality educational and economic opportunities;
“(4) to bolster and facilitate productive interactions between HBCUs and Federal agencies; and
“(5) to encourage HBCU participation in and benefit from Federal programs, grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements.”
