The House of Representatives and the Senate are at odds over how to
fund historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) next year.
In late July, the Senate unveiled a spending bill that would freeze
funding for HBCUs at current levels in 1998. Earlier in July, however,
House appropriators recommended $120 million for HBCUs, an $11 million
increase from current funding.
House members also added an extra $5 million for HBCU graduate
institutions that failed to make it into the Senate bill. Current
funding for HBCU graduate schools is $19 mil lion, the same amount
recommended in the Senate measure.
The Clinton administration’s 1998 budget differs from both the House
and Senate plans. The White House recommended a $4 million increase for
the main HBCU program, but level funding for the graduate program.
The differences between the two bills amount to $15 million in a $34
billion education budget, however, and congressional aides down played
the funding disparity. The House and Senate frequently [TABULAR DATA
OMITTED] recommend different spending levels for federal programs only
to resolve the issue when faced with a tight deadline before the start
of the government’s next fiscal year.
Advocates for Black colleges are pushing for the higher funding
figure in the House bill. After presenting their spending
recommendations, both houses of Congress adjourned until September,
when the pace of action will pick up again. The government’s new fiscal
year begins Oct. 1.
The spending bills also show differences between the House and
Senate in recommendations for student financial aid programs. The
Senate bill would not increase funding for college work/study, even
though the White House and the House favor more funding.
