Title: HBCU PARTNERS Act
Policy area: Education

Summary:
HBCU Propelling Agency Relationships Towards a New Era of Results for Students Act or the HBCU PARTNERS Act
This bill addresses the capacity of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) to participate in federal programs. Specifically, the bill requires agencies that regularly interact with HBCUs to submit annual plans for strengthening the capacity of HBCUs to participate in federal programs. Among other things, the plans must establish how the agencies intend to increase the capacity of HBCUs to compete effectively for grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements.
The agencies may provide technical assistance and information to the initiative to enhance communication with HBCUs concerning their program activities and applications for grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements.
In addition, the bill provides statutory authority for the President's Board of Advisors on HBCUs.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 461 Considered and Passed Senate (CPS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 461

 To strengthen the capacity and competitiveness of historically Black 
colleges and universities through robust public-sector, private-sector, 
   and community partnerships and engagement, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           February 12, 2019

 Mr. Scott of South Carolina (for himself, Mr. Coons, Mr. Perdue, Mr. 
  Jones, Mr. Wicker, Ms. Harris, Mrs. Blackburn, Mr. Kaine, Mrs. Hyde-
   Smith, Mr. Van Hollen, Mr. Tillis, Mr. Booker, Ms. Klobuchar, Ms. 
  Warren, Mr. Sanders, and Mr. Braun) introduced the following bill; 
   which was read twice, considered, read the third time, and passed

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To strengthen the capacity and competitiveness of historically Black 
colleges and universities through robust public-sector, private-sector, 
   and community partnerships and engagement, 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 ``HBCU Propelling Agency Relationships 
Towards a New Era of Results for Students Act'' or the ``HBCU PARTNERS 
Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
            (1) As many colleges and universities across the country 
        kept their doors closed to African American applicants, 
        historically Black colleges and universities (referred to in 
        this section as ``HBCUs'') played a central role in ensuring 
        that African Americans could attain an excellent education.
            (2) Today, HBCUs continue to play a critical role in 
        ensuring that African Americans, and those of all races, can 
        access high-quality educational opportunities.
            (3) HBCUs enroll nearly 300,000 students, an estimated 70 
        percent of whom come from low-income backgrounds and 80 percent 
        of whom are African American.
            (4) According to the National Association For Equal 
        Opportunity In Higher Education, HBCUs make up just 3 percent 
        of American institutions of higher education but serve more 
        than a fifth of African American college students.
            (5) A March 2017 report from the Education Trust concluded 
        that HBCUs have higher completion rates for African American 
        students than other institutions serving similar student 
        populations.
            (6) In 2014, HBCUs generated a total direct economic impact 
        of $14,800,000,000 and created more than 134,000 jobs, 
        according to a study commissioned by the United Negro College 
        Fund (referred to in this section as ``UNCF'').
            (7) According to the Thurgood Marshall College Fund 
        (referred to in this section as ``TMCF''), 40 percent of 
        African American Members of Congress, 50 percent of African 
        American lawyers, and 80 percent of African American judges are 
        graduates of HBCUs.
            (8) According to UNCF, in 2013, HBCUs awarded a quarter of 
        all science, technology, engineering, and mathematics 
        bachelor's degrees awarded to African Americans.
            (9) According to TMCF, approximately 9 percent of all 
        African American college students attend HBCUs.
            (10) According to UNCF, African American graduates of HBCUs 
        are almost twice as likely as African Americans who graduated 
        from other institutions to report that their university 
        prepared them well for life.
    (b) Purposes.--The purposes of this Act are--
            (1) to strengthen the capacity and competitiveness of HBCUs 
        to fulfill their principal mission of equalizing educational 
        opportunity, as described in section 301(b) of the Higher 
        Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1051(b));
            (2) to align HBCUs with the educational and economic 
        competitiveness priorities of the United States;
            (3) to provide students enrolled at HBCUs with the highest 
        quality educational and economic opportunities;
            (4) to bolster and facilitate productive interactions 
        between HBCUs and Federal agencies; and
            (5) to encourage HBCU participation in and benefit from 
        Federal programs, grants, contracts, and cooperative 
        agreements.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Applicable agency.--The term ``applicable agency'' 
        means any Federal agency designated by the Secretary, in 
        accordance with section 4.
            (2) Executive director.--The term ``Executive Director'' 
        means--
                    (A) the Executive Director of the White House 
                Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and 
                Universities, as designated by the President; or
                    (B) if no such Executive Director is designated, 
                such person as the President may designate to lead the 
                White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges 
                and Universities.
            (3) HBCU.--The term ``HBCU'' means a historically Black 
        college or university.
            (4) Historically black college or university.--The term 
        ``historically Black college or university'' has the meaning 
        given the term ``part B institution'' under section 322 of the 
        Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1061).
            (5) President's board of advisors.--The term ``President's 
        Board of Advisors'' means the President's Board of Advisors on 
        historically Black colleges and universities.
            (6) Secretary.--Except as otherwise provided, the term 
        ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of Education.
            (7) White house initiative.--The term ``White House 
        Initiative'' means the White House Initiative on historically 
        Black colleges and universities.

SEC. 4. STRENGTHENING HBCUS THROUGH FEDERAL AGENCY PLANS.

    (a) Designating Applicable Agencies.--The Secretary, in 
consultation with the Executive Director, shall identify those Federal 
agencies that regularly interact with HBCUs and designate them as 
applicable agencies.
    (b) Submitting Agency Plans.--Not later than February 1 of each 
year, the head of each applicable agency shall submit to the Secretary 
and the Executive Director an annual Agency Plan describing efforts to 
strengthen the capacity of HBCUs to participate in relevant Federal 
programs and initiatives under the jurisdiction of the applicable 
agency.
    (c) Further Requirements for Submission and Accessibility.--The 
head of each applicable agency shall submit each annual Agency Plan 
described in subsection (b) to the Committee on Health, Education, 
Labor, and Pensions of the Senate and the Committee on Education and 
Labor of the House of Representatives.
    (d) Agency Plan Content.--Where appropriate, each Agency Plan 
shall, among other things--
            (1) establish how the applicable agency intends to increase 
        the capacity of HBCUs to compete effectively for grants, 
        contracts, or cooperative agreements;
            (2) identify Federal programs and initiatives under the 
        jurisdiction of the applicable agency where HBCUs are not well-
        represented;
            (3) outline proposed efforts to improve HBCUs' 
        participation in such programs and initiatives in which they 
        are underrepresented;
            (4) describe any progress made towards advancing or 
        achieving goals and efforts from previous Agency Plans;
            (5) encourage public-sector, private-sector, and community 
        involvement in improving the capacity of HBCUs; and
            (6) meet, where relevant, any additional criteria 
        established by the Secretary or the White House Initiative.
    (e) Agency Engagement.--To help fulfill the objectives of the 
Agency Plans, the head of each applicable agency--
            (1) may provide, as appropriate, technical assistance and 
        information to the Executive Director to enhance communication 
        with HBCUs concerning the applicable agency's program 
        activities and the preparation of applications or proposals for 
        grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements; and
            (2) shall appoint a senior official to report directly to 
        the agency head on the applicable agency's progress under this 
        section.

SEC. 5. PRESIDENT'S BOARD OF ADVISORS ON HBCUS.

    (a) Administration.--
            (1) In general.--There is established the President's Board 
        of Advisors on historically Black colleges and universities in 
        the Department of Education or, if the President so elects, 
        within the Executive Office of the President.
            (2) Funding from ed.--Except as provided in paragraph (3), 
        the Secretary shall provide funding and administrative support 
        for the President's Board of Advisors, subject to the 
        availability of appropriations.
            (3) Funding from the executive office of the president.--If 
        the President elects to locate the President's Board of 
        Advisors within the Executive Office of the President, the 
        Executive Office of the President shall provide funding and 
        administrative support for the President's Board of Advisors, 
        subject to the availability of appropriations.
    (b) Membership.--The President shall appoint not more than 23 
members to the President's Board of Advisors, and the Secretary and 
Executive Director or their designees shall serve as ex officio 
members. The President shall designate one member of the President's 
Board of Advisors to serve as its Chair, who shall help direct the 
Board's work in coordination with the Secretary and in consultation 
with the Executive Director. The Chair shall also consult with the 
Executive Director regarding the time and location of meetings of the 
President's Board of Advisors, which shall take place not less 
frequently than once every 6 months. Members of the President's Board 
of Advisors shall serve without compensation, but shall be reimbursed 
for travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of subsistence, as 
authorized by law. Insofar as the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 
U.S.C. App.) may apply to the Board, any functions of the President 
under such Act, except for those of reporting to the Congress, shall be 
performed by the Chair, in accordance with guidelines issued by the 
Administrator of General Services.
    (c) Mission and Functions.--The President's Board of Advisors shall 
advise the President, through the White House Initiative, on all 
matters pertaining to strengthening the educational capacity of HBCUs. 
In particular, the President's Board of Advisors shall advise the 
President in the following areas:
            (1) Improving the identity, visibility, distinctive 
        capabilities, and overall competitiveness of HBCUs.
            (2) Engaging the philanthropic, business, government, 
        military, homeland-security, and education communities in a 
        national dialogue regarding new HBCU programs and initiatives.
            (3) Improving the ability of HBCUs to remain fiscally 
        secure institutions that can assist the Nation in achieving its 
        educational goals and in advancing the interests of all 
        Americans.
            (4) Elevating the public awareness of, and fostering 
        appreciation of, HBCUs.
            (5) Encouraging public-private investments in HBCUs.
            (6) Improving government-wide strategic planning related to 
        HBCU competitiveness to align Federal resources and provide the 
        context for decisions about HBCU partnerships, investments, 
        performance goals, priorities, human capital development and 
        budget planning.
    (d) Report.--The President's Board of Advisors shall report 
annually to the President on the Board's progress in carrying out its 
duties under this section.
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