{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://adams.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/adams-offers-amendment-prosper-act-protect-minority-serving-institutions", "Adams Offers Amendment to PROSPER Act to Protect Minority Serving Institutions", "2017-12-12", "2017", "2017-12", "Democrat", "House", "NC", "Alma Adams", "A000370", "adams.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C.\u2014Today, Congresswoman Alma S. Adams (NC-12) offered an amendment to the Promoting Real Opportunity, Success and Prosperity through Education Reform, (PROSPER) Act to protect minority serving institutions (MSI). The amendment was offered following a letter that Congresswoman Adams sent to Chairwoman Foxx highlighting her concerns with provisions impacting historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and MSIs within the PROSPER Act. The letter went unanswered so today Rep. Adams offered this amendment to address some of those concerns.\nRep. Adams\u2019 amendment repeals the Republican\u2019s 25% graduation/transfer rate requirement for certain MSI grant funds. It provides additional allowable uses of existing MSI grant programs, and establishes multiple programs to support MSIs and the students they serve. Lastly, the amendment includes an $850 million MSI Innovation fund, to provide sustained funding on these campuses to drive innovative approaches to improving college completion, STEM degree attainment, and connection to the private sector.\n\u201cMinority serving institutions are routinely forced to do more with less. The PROSPER Act presents an opportunity to remedy that by fully and equitably funding these institutions but unfortunately, this bill does nothing to create opportunities for students at MSIs or HBCUs to prosper. Instead, it denies resources to the neediest schools based on a flawed metric,\u201d said Congresswoman Adams. \u201cMSIs serve a unique student population comprised of minority, non-traditional, and first generation college students. Instead of stripping them of much-needed resources, we should be investing in the students they serve to give them the best chance possible to complete their education.\u201d\u00a0\nThe PROSPER Act is being marked up in the Education and Workforce Committee today and, if it passes, would reauthorize the Higher Education Act for the first time since 2008.\nPlease find a copy of the amendment and Rep. Adams\u2019 letter to Chairwoman Foxx attached here. \n\u00a0\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://adams.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/adams-offers-amendment-prosper-act-protect-minority-serving-institutions"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9194351732730865, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}