For many historically black colleges and universities
(HBCUs), there is a dire need for deferred maintenance support, particularly
for 1890 institutions. These institutions of higher learning serve as
agricultural centers for their communities, cultivating the next generation of
farmers and ranchers.
“I am pleased to introduce the HBCU Parity Act of 2018 that
will provide much needed resources to our land grant institutions,” said Lawson.
“Having state-of-the-art facilities will allow HBCUs to be more competitive in
their recruitment efforts, which in turn, will offer a stronger and more
diverse cohort of individuals in the nation’s agricultural industry.”
Historically, 1890 schools have faced several hurdles,
including poor infrastructure and access to vital resources necessary for
research. This bill is one of the many steps toward providing appropriate
funding that will create equity between our nation’s land-grant institutions.
There are 19 universities in the 1890 land-grant system. Florida
A&M University (FAMU) is the only land grant institution in Florida’s fifth
Congressional District.
Others institutions include: Alabama A&M, Alcorn State
University, Central State University, Delaware State University, Fort Valley
State University, Kentucky State University, Langston University, Lincoln
University, North Carolina A&T State University, Prairie View A&M
University, South Carolina State University, Southern University, Tennessee
State University, Tuskegee University, University of Arkansas Pine Bluff,
University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Virginia State University and West
Virginia State University.
Rep. Lawson has 14 co-sponsors for the HBCU Parity Act of
2018: Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-Fla); Rep. Sanford Bishop (D-Ga.), Eleanor
Holmes Norton (D- DC), Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-Fla.), Rep. Barbara Lee
(D-Calif), Rep. Karen Bass (D-Calif.), Rep Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.), Rep. Keith
Ellison (D-Minn.), Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), Rep. Anthony Brown
(D-Maryland), Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (D-NY), Rep. Andre Carson (D-Ind.),
Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.), and Rep. Charlie Crist (D-Fla.).