III 118th CONGRESS 1st Session S. RES. 347 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES September 18, 2023 Mr. Menendez (for himself, Mr. Cornyn , Mr. Padilla , Mr. Kaine , Mr. Casey , Ms. Klobuchar , Mr. Heinrich , Ms. Rosen , Ms. Cantwell , Mr. Durbin , Mr. Cardin , Mr. Van Hollen , Ms. Cortez Masto , Mr. Fetterman , Mr. Luján , Mr. Booker , Mrs. Feinstein , Mr. Kelly , Mr. Sanders , Mr. Wyden , Mr. Reed , Mr. Whitehouse , Mr. Brown , Ms. Warren , Mr. Hagerty , Mr. Warnock , Mr. Cruz , Mrs. Blackburn , Mr. Rubio , and Mr. Lankford ) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to RESOLUTION Designating the week beginning on September 11, 2023, as National Hispanic-Serving Institutions Week .

Whereas Hispanic-Serving Institutions are degree-granting institutions that have a full-time equivalent undergraduate enrollment of at least 25 percent Hispanic students; Whereas Hispanic-Serving Institutions play an important role in educating many low-income and underserved students and creating opportunities and increasing access to higher education for such students; Whereas, in the 2021-2022 academic year, 572 Hispanic-Serving Institutions operated in the United States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, enrolling more than 5,000,000 students; Whereas Hispanic-Serving Institutions are engines of economic mobility and a major contributor to the economic prosperity of the United States; Whereas, Hispanic-Serving Institutions represent 19 percent of all institutions of higher education, yet serve 30.5 percent of all undergraduate students and 65.6 percent of all Hispanic undergraduate students; Whereas Hispanic-Serving Institutions are located in 28 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico; Whereas the number of Emerging Hispanic-Serving Institutions, defined as institutions that do not yet meet the threshold of 25 percent Hispanic full-time equivalent enrollment but serve a Hispanic student population of between 15 and 24.9 percent, stands at 400 institutions operating in 43 States and the District of Columbia; Whereas Hispanic-Serving Institutions are actively involved in empowering and improving the communities in which the institutions are located; Whereas Hispanic-Serving Institutions are leading efforts to increase Hispanic participation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (commonly known as STEM ); Whereas 7 of the top 10 institutions of higher education ranked by the Social Mobility Index were Hispanic-Serving Institutions; Whereas celebrating the vast contributions of Hispanic-Serving Institutions strengthens the culture of the United States; and Whereas the achievements and goals of Hispanic-Serving Institutions deserve national recognition: Now, therefore, be it

That the Senate— (1) recognizes the achievements and goals of Hispanic-Serving Institutions across the United States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico; (2) designates the week beginning on September 11, 2023, as National Hispanic-Serving Institutions Week ; and (3) calls on the people of the United States and interested groups to observe the week with appropriate ceremonies, activities, and programs to demonstrate support for Hispanic-Serving Institutions in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month.