Washington, DC ({September 28, 2006) – Last night, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 6138, that would temporarily extend the Higher Education Act until next year. Congressman Rubén Hinojosa (TX-15) supported the measure and the bill passed by voice vote. Included in the bill were two amendments critical to the success of Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs).
The first amendment eliminates the two-year wait out period that interrupts HSIs ability to apply for and benefit from the Title V Developing Institutions grants. The program helps eligible institutions expand their capacity to serve Hispanic and low-income students.
“The two-year wait out period has been harmful to HSI programs and has been a detriment for these institutions to fully serve their students to the best of their ability,” said Hinojosa. “While I clearly wish that we could have reauthorized the Higher Education Act for another five years, I am pleased that we are moving forward to remove these barriers.”
The second amendment puts an end to the so-called “50 percent rule” that became an intrusive requirement mandating that HSIs collect and report to the Department of Education individual information on family income and family size for every Hispanic student on campus in order to demonstrate that 50 percent of the Hispanic student enrollment meets the definition of low-income.
“HSIs already are required to demonstrate that they have a high population of needy students as measured by eligibility for need-based student aid,” said Hinojosa on the floor of the House of Representative earlier today. “The 50 percent rule added nothing to the targeting of funds to those with greatest need and only created an administrative nightmare that was a disincentive to participation in the Title V program.”
Congressman Hinojosa and members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, have been working for over four years to remove these barriers. At the beginning of the 109th Congress, they introduced H.R. 761, The Next Generation Hispanic Serving Institutions Act. This legislation included both of these amendments for HSIs, and included provisions to establish a graduate program for HSIs.
In March, the House voted to reauthorize the Higher Education Act for another five years, but that measure has stalled in the Senate and will likely not be addressed in this Congressional session.