I 

109TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2616

To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to authorize grants for institutions of higher education serving Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 24, 2005

Mr. WU (for himself, Ms. LEE, Ms. BORDALLO, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. SCOTT

of Virginia, Mrs. JONES of Ohio, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, Ms. MILLENDERMCDONALD, Mr. HINOJOSA, Mr. MCDERMOTT, Mr. SCHIFF, Ms. WATSON, Mr. LANTOS, Mr. CASE, Mr. CROWLEY, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. 

HONDA, Mr. AL GREEN of Texas, Ms. MCCOLLUM of Minnesota, Mr. 

BLUMENAUER, Mr. KENNEDY of Rhode Island, Ms. ZOE LOFGREN of 

California, Mr. HINCHEY, Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA, and Mr. ABERCROMBIE) 

introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 

Education and the Workforce 

A BILL

To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to authorize 

grants for institutions of higher education serving Asian 

Americans and Pacific Islanders.

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

3 SECTION 1. FINDINGS. 

4 The Congress finds the following: 

5 (1) The population of Asian American and Pa6 cific Islanders (in this section referred to as 
2

•HR 2616 IH 

1 ‘‘AAPI’’) is an exceptionally diverse population. 

2 Characteristics of the AAPI population vary accord3 ing to ethnicity, immigration patterns, historical ex4 periences, and social group issues. 

5 (2) The diversity of the AAPI population in6 cludes indigenous Pacific Islanders, well-established 

7 populations represented in the United States for sev8 eral generations, and ethnic groups who may be re9 cent immigrants or refugees, and were forced to 

10 leave their home countries. 

11 (3) The diversity of the population is reflected 

12 in the Federal government’s categories for Asian 

13 Americans and Pacific Islanders. There are 17 eth14 nic groups considered to be Asian and 4 ethnic 

15 groups considered to be Pacific Islander. Neither 

16 definition reflects AAPI’s who may identify as 

17 ‘‘more than one race’’. 

18 (4) The distinct cultural, linguistic, socio19 economic, and historical experiences that affect edu20 cational attainment of different AAPI sub-popu21 lations are often overlooked because programs and 

22 policies are based on aggregated data and the as23 sumption that AAPI’s are a monolithic group. The 

24 ‘‘model minority myth’’ assumption adversely effects 

25 AAPI youth, who are perceived as being academi-
3

•HR 2616 IH 

1 cally successful and not in need of outreach, aca2 demic support systems, or other support services. 

3 (5) The ‘‘model minority myth’’ and lack of 

4 disaggregated data may prevent student services of5 fices from conducting intentional outreach efforts, 

6 such as through TRIO programs including Upward 

7 Bound and Educational Talent Search, to AAPI stu8 dents, because they are perceived to not be in need 

9 of support. 

10 (6) Additionally, disaggregated data indicates 

11 that 25.0 percent of Vietnamese Americans, 63.6 

12 percent for Hmong Americans, 42.6 percent of Cam13 bodian Americans, 34.7 percent Laotian Americans, 

14 17.7 percent of Pacific Islander live in poverty. Such 

15 socioeconomic disparities within the community are 

16 often overlooked, as only 12.6 percent of the total 

17 AAPI population lives in poverty. 

18 (7) While Asian Americans and Pacific Island19 ers overall have the highest college graduation rates 

20 of any group (44 percent in 2000), certain sub21 groups have much lower rates of degree attainment. 

22 Only 13.8 percent of Vietnamese Americans, 5.8 

23 percent of Laotian Americans, 6.1 percent of Cam24 bodian Americans, and less than 5.1 percent of 
4

•HR 2616 IH 

1 Hmong Americans had college degrees. Only 13.8 

2 percent of Pacific Islanders had degrees. 

3 (8) Certain segments of the AAPI population 

4 face numerous barriers to accessing higher education 

5 and would benefit from grants and opportunities 

6 similar to those that historically Black colleges and 

7 universities, Hispanic-serving institutions, Tribally 

8 Controlled Colleges and Universities, Alaska Native9 serving institutions, and Native Hawaiian-serving in10 stitutions receive. The designation of AAPI-serving 

11 institution would help institutions of higher edu12 cation expand their capacity to identify and assist 

13 underserved AAPI students. 

14 SEC. 2. ASSISTANCE TO ASIAN AMERICAN AND PACIFIC IS15 LANDER-SERVING INSTITUTIONS. 

16 (a) AMENDMENT.—Part A of title III of the Higher 

17 Education Act of 1965 is amended by inserting after sec18 tion 317 (20 U.S.C. 1059d) the following new section: 

19 ‘‘SEC. 318. ASIAN AMERICAN AND PACIFIC ISLANDER-SERV20 ING INSTITUTIONS. 

21 ‘‘(a) PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.—The Secretary shall 

22 provide grants and related assistance to Asian American 

23 and Pacific Islander-serving institutions to enable such in24 stitutions to improve and expand their capacity to serve 

25 Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. 
5

•HR 2616 IH 

1 ‘‘(b) DEFINITIONS.—For the purpose of this sec2 tion—

3 ‘‘(1) the term ‘Asian American‘has the meaning 

4 given the term Asian in the Office of Management 

5 and Budget’s Standards for Maintaining, Collecting, 

6 and Presenting Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity 

7 as published on October 30, 1997 (62 Fed. Reg. 

8 58789); 

9 ‘‘(2) the term ‘Pacific Islander’ has the mean10 ing given the term ‘Native Hawaiian’ or ‘Other Pa11 cific Islander’ in such Standards for Maintaining, 

12 Collecting, and Presenting Federal Data on Race 

13 and Ethnicity; 

14 ‘‘(3) the term ‘Asian American and Pacific Is15 lander-serving institution’ means an institution of 

16 higher education that—

17 ‘‘(A) is an eligible institution under section 

18 312(b); and 

19 ‘‘(B) at the time of application, has an en20 rollment of undergraduate students that is at 

21 least 10 percent Asian American and Pacific Is22 lander students; and 

23 ‘‘(4) the term ‘low-income individual’ means an 

24 individual from a family whose taxable income for 

25 the preceding year did not exceed 150 percent of an 
6

•HR 2616 IH 

1 amount equal to the poverty level determined by 

2 using criteria of poverty established by the Bureau 

3 of the Census. 

4 ‘‘(c) AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES.—

5 ‘‘(1) TYPES OF ACTIVITIES AUTHORIZED.—

6 Grants awarded under this section shall be used by 

7 Asian American and Pacific Islander-serving institu8 tions to assist such institutions to plan, develop, un9 dertake, and carry out activities to improve and ex10 pand such institutions’ capacity to serve Asian 

11 Americans and Pacific Islanders. 

12 ‘‘(2) EXAMPLES OF AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES.—

13 Such programs may include—

14 ‘‘(A) purchase, rental, or lease of scientific 

15 or laboratory equipment for educational pur16 poses, including instructional and research pur17 poses; 

18 ‘‘(B) renovation and improvement in class19 room, library, laboratory, and other instruc20 tional facilities; 

21 ‘‘(C) support of faculty exchanges, and fac22 ulty development and faculty fellowships to as23 sist in attaining advanced degrees in the fac24 ulty’s field of instruction; 
7

•HR 2616 IH 

1 ‘‘(D) curriculum development and aca2 demic instruction; 

3 ‘‘(E) purchase of library books, periodicals, 

4 microfilm, and other educational materials; 

5 ‘‘(F) funds and administrative manage6 ment, and acquisition of equipment for use in 

7 strengthening funds management; 

8 ‘‘(G) joint use of facilities such as labora9 tories and libraries; 

10 ‘‘(H) academic tutoring and counseling 

11 programs and student support services; 

12 ‘‘(I) establishing community outreach pro13 grams that will encourage elementary school 

14 and secondary school students to develop the 

15 academic skills and the interest to pursue post16 secondary education; 

17 ‘‘(J) establishing or improving an endow18 ment fund; 

19 ‘‘(K) academic instruction in disciplines in 

20 which Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders 

21 are under-represented; 

22 ‘‘(L) conducting research and data collec23 tion for Asian American and Pacific Islander 

24 populations and sub-populations; and 
8

•HR 2616 IH 

1 ‘‘(M) establishing partnerships with com2 munity based organizations serving Asian 

3 Americans and Pacific Islanders. 

4 ‘‘(d) APPLICATION PROCESS.—

5 ‘‘(1) INSTITUTIONAL ELIGIBILITY.—Each Asian 

6 American and Pacific Islander-serving institution de7 siring to receive assistance under this section shall 

8 submit to the Secretary such enrollment data as 

9 may be necessary to demonstrate that the institution 

10 is an Asian American and Pacific Islander-serving 

11 institution as defined in subsection (b), along with 

12 such other information and data as the Secretary 

13 may by regulation require. 

14 ‘‘(2) APPLICATIONS.—Any institution which is 

15 determined by the Secretary to be an Asian Amer16 ican and Pacific Islander-serving institution may 

17 submit an application for assistance under this sec18 tion to the Secretary. Such application shall in19 clude—

20 ‘‘(A) a 5–year plan for improving the as21 sistance provided by the Asian American and 

22 Pacific Islander-serving institution to Asian 

23 American and Pacific Islander students; and 

24 ‘‘(B) such other information and assurance 

25 as the Secretary may require. 
9

•HR 2616 IH 

1 ‘‘(3) SPECIAL RULES.—

2 ‘‘(A) ELIGIBILITY.—No Asian American 

3 and Pacific Islander-serving institution that re4 ceives funds under this section shall concur5 rently receive funds under other provisions of 

6 this part or part B. 

7 ‘‘(B) EXEMPTION.—Section 313(d) shall 

8 not apply to institutions that are eligible to re9 ceive funds under this section. 

10 ‘‘(C) DISTRIBUTION.—In awarding grants 

11 under this section, the Secretary shall—

12 ‘‘(i) to the extent possible and con13 sistent with the competitive process under 

14 which such grants are awarded, ensure 

15 maximum and equitable distribution 

16 among all eligible institutions; and 

17 ‘‘(ii) give priority consideration to in18 stitutions that serve a significant percent19 age of Asian American and Pacific Is20 lander students who are low-income indi21 viduals.’’. 

22 (b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Section 

23 399(a)(1) of such Act (20 U.S.C. 1068h(a)(1)) is amend24 ed by adding at the end the following new subparagraph: 
10

•HR 2616 IH 

1 ‘‘(D) There are authorized to be appro2 priated to carry out section 318, $30,000,000 

3 for fiscal year 2006 and such sums as may be 

4 necessary for each of the 4 succeeding fiscal 

5 years.’’.

Æ