Next Generation Hispanic-Serving Institutions Act - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to revise requirements for Hispanic-serving institutions (HSIs) under title V (Developing Institutions).
Establishes a program of competitive grants to eligible HSIs that offer postbaccalaureate certifications or degrees (part B grants). Limits a part B grant award's duration to not more than five years. Prohibits the Secretary of Education from awarding more than one part B grant to an HSI in any one fiscal year.
Authorizes appropriations for: (1) the current part A program of grants to HSIs that offer baccalaureate degrees or are junior or community colleges; and (2) the new part B program of grants to HSIs that offer postbaccalaureate certifications or degrees.
Eliminates the requirement that an eligible HSI provide assurances that at least 50 percent of its Hispanic students are low-income students.
Includes, among authorized activities under part A grants, articulation agreements and student support programs to help transfers from two-year to four-year institutions.
Eliminates the two-year wait-out period between any two five-year part A grants to an HSI.
[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 761 Introduced in House (IH)]
109th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 761
To expand and enhance post-baccalaureate opportunities at Hispanic-
Serving Institutions, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
February 10, 2005
Mr. Hinojosa (for himself, Mr. Gene Green of Texas, Mr. McGovern, Ms.
Ros-Lehtinen, Mr. Berman, Mrs. Wilson of New Mexico, Mr. Van Hollen,
Mr. Menendez, Mr. Filner, Mr. Butterfield, Mr. Schiff, Mr. Rangel, Mrs.
McCarthy, Mr. Grijalva, Mr. Kennedy of Rhode Island, Mr. Owens, Ms.
Lee, Mr. Gonzalez, Mr. Kucinich, Ms. Roybal-Allard, Ms. Watson, Ms.
Velazquez, Mr. Etheridge, Mrs. Napolitano, Mr. Ortiz, Mr. Andrews, Mr.
Becerra, Mr. Gutierrez, Ms. Linda T. Sanchez of California, Mr.
Cardoza, Ms. McCollum of Minnesota, Mr. Reyes, Mr. Al Green of Texas,
Mr. Cleaver, Mr. Pallone, Mr. Fortuno, Mr. Udall of New Mexico, Mr.
Sherman, Mr. Hastings of Florida, Ms. Waters, Mr. Kildee, Mr. Crowley,
Mr. Wexler, Mr. Nadler, Mr. Serrano, Mr. Fattah, Mr. Rush, Mr. Holt,
Mr. Davis of Illinois, Ms. Millender-McDonald, Mr. Baca, Ms. Zoe
Lofgren of California, Ms. Loretta Sanchez of California, Ms. Woolsey,
Mr. Pastor, Mr. Hoyer, Mr. Doggett, Mr. Payne, Mr. Wu, Mr. George
Miller of California, Ms. Solis, Mr. Case, Mr. Salazar, Mr. Lincoln
Diaz-Balart of Florida, Mr. Waxman, Mr. Abercrombie, Mr. Mario Diaz-
Balart of Florida, Mrs. Lowey, Mr. Tiberi, Mr. Towns, Mr. Pearce, Mr.
Boswell, Mr. Davis of Florida, Mrs. Capps, Mrs. Jones of Ohio, Mr.
Conyers, Mr. Bishop of New York, Mr. Meek of Florida, Mr. Farr, Mr.
Bonilla, and Mr. Moran of Virginia) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To expand and enhance post-baccalaureate opportunities at Hispanic-
Serving Institutions, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Next Generation Hispanic-Serving
Institutions Act''.
TITLE I--GRADUATE OPPORTUNITIES AT HISPANIC-SERVING INSTITUTIONS
SEC. 101. POSTBACCALAUREATE OPPORTUNITIES FOR HISPANIC AMERICANS.
(a) Establishment of Program.--Title V of the Higher Education Act
is amended--
(1) by redesignating part B as part C;
(2) by redesignating section 511 through 518 as sections
521 through 528, respectively; and
(3) inserting after section 505 (20 U.S.C. 1101d) the
following new part:
``PART B--PROMOTING POSTBACCALAUREATE OPPORTUNITIES FOR HISPANIC
AMERICANS
``SEC. 511. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.
``(a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
``(1) According to the United States Census, by the year
2050 one in four Americans will be of Hispanic origin.
``(2) Despite the dramatic increase in the Hispanic
population in the United States, the National Center for
Education Statistics reported that in 1999, Hispanics accounted
for only 4 percent of the master's degrees, 3 percent of the
doctor's degrees, and 5 percent of first-professional degrees
awarded in the United States.
``(3) Although Hispanics constitute 10 percent of the
college enrollment in the United States, they comprise 3 only
percent of instructional faculty in college and universities.
``(4) The future capacity for research and advanced study
in the United States will require increasing the number of
Hispanics pursuing postbaccalaureate studies.
``(5) Hispanic-serving institutions are leading the nation
in increasing the number of Hispanics attaining graduate and
professional degrees.
``(6) Among Hispanics who received master's degrees in
1999-2000, 25 percent earned them at Hispanic-serving
institutions.
``(7) Between 1991 and 2000-, the number of Hispanic
students earning master's degrees at Hispanic-serving
institutions grew 136 percent, the number receiving doctor's
degrees grew by 85 percent, and the number earning first-
professional degrees grew by 47 percent.
``(8) It is in the National interest to expand the capacity
of Hispanic-serving institutions to offer graduate and
professional degree programs.
``(b) Purposes.--The purposes of this part are--
``(1) to expand postbaccalaureate educational opportunities
for, and improve the academic attainment of, Hispanic students;
and
``(2) to expand and enhance the postbaccalaureate academic
offerings, program quality, that are educating the majority of
Hispanic college students and helping large numbers of Hispanic
students and other low-income individuals complete
postsecondary degrees.
``SEC. 512. PROGRAM AUTHORITY AND ELIGIBILITY.
``(a) Program Authorized.--Subject to the availability of funds
appropriated to carry out this part, the Secretary shall award
competitive grants to Hispanic-serving institutions that offer
postbaccalaureate certifications or degrees.
``(b) Eligibility.--For the purposes of this part, an `eligible
institution' means an institution of higher education that--
``(1) is an eligible institution under section 502; and
``(2) offers a postbaccalaureate certificate or degree
granting program.
``SEC. 513. AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES.
``Grants awarded under this part shall be used for one or more of
the following activities:
``(1) Purchase, rental, or lease of scientific or
laboratory equipment for educational purposes, including
instructional and research purposes.
``(2) Construction, maintenance, renovation, and
improvement in classroom, library, laboratory, and other
instructional facilities, including purchase or rental of
telecommunications technology equipment or services.
``(3) Purchase of library books, periodicals, technical and
other scientific journals, microfilm, microfiche, and other
educational materials, including telecommunications program
materials.
``(4) Support for needy postbaccalaureate students
including outreach, academic support services, mentoring,
scholarships, fellowships, and other financial assistance to
permit the enrollment of such students in postbaccalaureate
certificate and degree granting programs.
``(5) Support of faculty exchanges, faculty development,
faculty research, curriculum development, and academic
instruction.
``(6) Creating or improving facilities for Internet or
other distance learning academic instruction capabilities,
including purchase or rental of telecommunications technology
equipment or services.
``(7) Collaboration with other institutions of higher
education to expand postbaccalaureate certificate and degree
offerings.
``(8) Other activities proposed in the application
submitted pursuant to section 514 that--
``(A) contribute to carrying out the purposes of
this part; and
``(B) are approved by the Secretary as part of the
review and acceptance of such application.
``SEC. 514. APPLICATION AND DURATION.
``(a) Application.--Any eligible institution may apply for a grant
under this part by submitting an application to the Secretary at such
time and in such manner as determined by the Secretary. Such
application shall demonstrate how the grant funds will be used to
improve postbaccalaureate education opportunities for Hispanic and low-
income students and will lead to greater financial independence.
``(b) Duration.--Grants under this part shall be awarded for a
period not to exceed 5 years.
``(c) Limitation.--The Secretary shall not award more than 1 grant
under this part in any fiscal year to any Hispanic-serving
institution.''.
(b) Cooperative Arrangements.--Section 524 of such Act (as
redesignated by subsection (a)(2)) (20 U.S.C. 1103c) is amended by
inserting ``and section 513'' after ``section 503''.
(c) Authorization of Appropriations.--Subsection (a) of section 528
of such Act (as redesignated by subsection (a)(2)) (20 U.S.C. 1103g) is
amended to read as follows:
``(a) Authorizations.--
``(1) Part a.--There are authorized to be appropriated to
carry out part A of this title $175,000,000 for fiscal year
2006 and such sums as may be necessary for each of the 4
succeeding fiscal years.
``(2) Part b.--There are authorized to be appropriated to
carry out part B of this title $125,000,000 for fiscal year
2006 and such sums as may be necessary for each of the 4
succeeding fiscal years.''.
TITLE II--REDUCING REGULATORY BARRIERS FOR HISPANIC-SERVING
INSTITUTIONS
SEC. 201. DEFINITIONS.
Section 502(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C.
1101a(a)) is amended--
(1) in paragraph (5)--
(A) by inserting ``and'' after the semicolon at the
end of subparagraph (A);
(B) by striking ``; and'' at the end of
subparagraph (B) and inserting a period; and
(C) by striking subparagraph (C); and
(2) by striking paragraph (7).
SEC. 202. AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES.
Section 503(b) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C.
1101b(a)) is amended by striking paragraph (7) and inserting the
following:
``(7) Articulation agreements and student support programs
designed to facilitate the transfer from two-year to four-year
institutions.''
SEC. 203. ELIMINATION OF WAIT-OUT PERIOD.
Subsection (a) of section 504 of the Higher Education Act of 1965
(20 U.S.C. 1101c(a)) is amended to read as follows:
``(a) Award Period.--The Secretary may award a grant to a Hispanic-
serving institution under this title for 5 years.''.
SEC. 204. APPLICATION PRIORITY.
Section 521(d) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (as redesignated
by section 101(a)(2)) (20 U.S.C. 1103(d)) is amended by striking
``(from funds other than funds provided under this title)''.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.
Referred to the Subcommittee on 21st Century Competitiveness.
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