Bill Text: NJ AR43 | 2018-2019 | 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 5-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2018-03-05 - Reported from Assembly Comm. as a Substitute, 2nd Reading [AR43 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2018-AR43-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
218th LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2018 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman BENJIE E. WIMBERLY
District 35 (Bergen and Passaic)
Assemblyman ARTHUR BARCLAY
District 5 (Camden and Gloucester)
Assemblywoman CLEOPATRA G. TUCKER
District 28 (Essex)
Assemblywoman SHAVONDA E. SUMTER
District 35 (Bergen and Passaic)
Assemblyman JAMEL C. HOLLEY
District 20 (Union)
SYNOPSIS
Urges Congress and President to enact "The Land-Grant Opportunity Act."
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
An Assembly Resolution urging Congress and the President of the United States to enact the "The Land-Grant Opportunity Act."
Whereas, The proposed federal "The Land-Grant Opportunity Act" sponsored by Congresswoman Corrine Brown of Florida, introduced in the United States House of Representatives as H.R.3828 on October 26, 2015, addresses inequities in funding for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and requires increased funding for these institutions; and
Whereas, HBCUs have been providing 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 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, states opted to create separate land-grant colleges for African-Americans, which allowed them 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, In an effort to right this past inequity, Congresswoman Brown's "The Land-Grant Opportunity Act" requires states to increase funding for HBCUs to match that of 1862 land-grant institutions, and it would also require the federal government to directly distribute federal funds in the event that a state fails to increase funding for its HBCU; 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 the "The Land-Grant Opportunity Act," 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 the "The Land-Grant Opportunity Act," introduced by Representative Corrine Brown.
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 House of Representatives, United States Congresswoman Corrine Brown of Florida, and to every member of the New Jersey's Congressional delegation.
STATEMENT
This resolution respectfully urges Congress and the President of the United States to enact the federal "The Land-Grant Opportunity Act," introduced in the United States House of Representatives as H.R.3828 on October 26, 2015 and sponsored by Congresswoman Corrine Brown of Florida. The bill intends to eliminate the funding inequity among land-grant institutions by requiring states to increase funding for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), and it would also require the federal government to disburse federal funds in the event that a state fails to increase funding for its HBCU.
Today, there are more than 100 HBCUs in the United States serving the African-American community by preparing gifted young men and women to achieve their dreams and succeed in their life goals. The sponsor believes that it should be the goal of the federal government to eliminate the funding inequity between HBCUs--1890 land-grant institutions--and their 1862 land-grant counterparts, which generally lack diversity. By increasing funding to HBCUs, the federal government would be providing vital support to the institutions' endeavor to improve the quality of life of African-Americans. Therefore, it is imperative that Congress and the President of the United State enact the "The Land-Grant Opportunity Act," in order to have equal education opportunity through equal funding for all land-grant institutions.
