I 
109TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2616
To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to authorize grants for institu-
tions 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. MILLENDER-
MCDONALD, Mr. HINOJOSA, Mr. MCDERMOTT, Mr. SCHIFF, Ms. WAT-
SON, 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.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. FINDINGS. 
The Congress finds the following: 
(1) The population of Asian American and Pa-
cific Islanders (in this section referred to as
‘‘AAPI’’) is an exceptionally diverse population. 
Characteristics of the AAPI population vary accord-
ing to ethnicity, immigration patterns, historical ex-
periences, and social group issues. 
(2) The diversity of the AAPI population in-
cludes indigenous Pacific Islanders, well-established 
populations represented in the United States for sev-
eral generations, and ethnic groups who may be re-
cent immigrants or refugees, and were forced to 
leave their home countries. 
(3) The diversity of the population is reflected 
in the Federal government’s categories for Asian 
Americans and Pacific Islanders. There are 17 eth-
nic groups considered to be Asian and 4 ethnic 
groups considered to be Pacific Islander. Neither 
definition reflects AAPI’s who may identify as 
‘‘more than one race’’. 
(4) The distinct cultural, linguistic, socio-
economic, and historical experiences that affect edu-
cational attainment of different AAPI sub-popu-
lations are often overlooked because programs and 
policies are based on aggregated data and the as-
sumption that AAPI’s are a monolithic group. The 
‘‘model minority myth’’ assumption adversely effects 
AAPI youth, who are perceived as being academi-
cally successful and not in need of outreach, aca-
demic support systems, or other support services. 
(5) The ‘‘model minority myth’’ and lack of 
disaggregated data may prevent student services of-
fices from conducting intentional outreach efforts, 
such as through TRIO programs including Upward 
Bound and Educational Talent Search, to AAPI stu-
dents, because they are perceived to not be in need 
of support. 
(6) Additionally, disaggregated data indicates 
that 25.0 percent of Vietnamese Americans, 63.6 
percent for Hmong Americans, 42.6 percent of Cam-
bodian Americans, 34.7 percent Laotian Americans, 
17.7 percent of Pacific Islander live in poverty. Such 
socioeconomic disparities within the community are 
often overlooked, as only 12.6 percent of the total 
AAPI population lives in poverty. 
(7) While Asian Americans and Pacific Island-
ers overall have the highest college graduation rates 
of any group (44 percent in 2000), certain sub-
groups have much lower rates of degree attainment. 
Only 13.8 percent of Vietnamese Americans, 5.8 
percent of Laotian Americans, 6.1 percent of Cam-
bodian Americans, and less than 5.1 percent of
Hmong Americans had college degrees. Only 13.8 
percent of Pacific Islanders had degrees. 
(8) Certain segments of the AAPI population 
face numerous barriers to accessing higher education 
and would benefit from grants and opportunities 
similar to those that historically Black colleges and 
universities, Hispanic-serving institutions, Tribally 
Controlled Colleges and Universities, Alaska Native-
serving institutions, and Native Hawaiian-serving in-
stitutions receive. The designation of AAPI-serving 
institution would help institutions of higher edu-
cation expand their capacity to identify and assist 
underserved AAPI students. 
SEC. 2. ASSISTANCE TO ASIAN AMERICAN AND PACIFIC IS-
LANDER-SERVING INSTITUTIONS. 
(a) AMENDMENT.—Part A of title III of the Higher 
Education Act of 1965 is amended by inserting after sec-
tion 317 (20 U.S.C. 1059d) the following new section: 
‘‘SEC. 318. ASIAN AMERICAN AND PACIFIC ISLANDER-SERV-
ING INSTITUTIONS. 
‘‘(a) PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.—The Secretary shall 
provide grants and related assistance to Asian American 
and Pacific Islander-serving institutions to enable such in-
stitutions to improve and expand their capacity to serve 
Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.
‘‘(b) DEFINITIONS.—For the purpose of this sec-
tion—
‘‘(1) the term ‘Asian American‘has the meaning 
given the term Asian in the Office of Management 
and Budget’s Standards for Maintaining, Collecting, 
and Presenting Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity 
as published on October 30, 1997 (62 Fed. Reg. 
58789); 
‘‘(2) the term ‘Pacific Islander’ has the mean-
ing given the term ‘Native Hawaiian’ or ‘Other Pa-
cific Islander’ in such Standards for Maintaining, 
Collecting, and Presenting Federal Data on Race 
and Ethnicity; 
‘‘(3) the term ‘Asian American and Pacific Is-
lander-serving institution’ means an institution of 
higher education that—
‘‘(A) is an eligible institution under section 
312(b); and 
‘‘(B) at the time of application, has an en-
rollment of undergraduate students that is at 
least 10 percent Asian American and Pacific Is-
lander students; and 
‘‘(4) the term ‘low-income individual’ means an 
individual from a family whose taxable income for 
the preceding year did not exceed 150 percent of an
amount equal to the poverty level determined by 
using criteria of poverty established by the Bureau 
of the Census. 
‘‘(c) AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES.—
‘‘(1) TYPES
OF
ACTIVITIES
AUTHORIZED.—
Grants awarded under this section shall be used by 
Asian American and Pacific Islander-serving institu-
tions to assist such institutions to plan, develop, un-
dertake, and carry out activities to improve and ex-
pand such institutions’ capacity to serve Asian 
Americans and Pacific Islanders. 
‘‘(2) EXAMPLES OF AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES.—
Such programs may include—
‘‘(A) purchase, rental, or lease of scientific 
or laboratory equipment for educational pur-
poses, including instructional and research pur-
poses; 
‘‘(B) renovation and improvement in class-
room, library, laboratory, and other instruc-
tional facilities; 
‘‘(C) support of faculty exchanges, and fac-
ulty development and faculty fellowships to as-
sist in attaining advanced degrees in the fac-
ulty’s field of instruction;