{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.jones.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/senator-doug-jones-future-act-signed-into-law-by-president-trump", "Senator Doug Jones\u2019 FUTURE Act Signed into Law by President Trump", "2019-12-19", "2019", "2019-12", "Democrat", "House", "AL", "Doug Jones", "J000300", "www.jones.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON  U.S.\r\nSenator Doug Jones (D-Ala.) today released the following statement on the\r\nPresident's signing of his bipartisan FUTURE Act legislation to permanently\r\nrenew funding for Historically Black College and Universities (HBCUs) and\r\nminority-serving institutions (MSIs). The bill also includes a first step\r\ntoward simplifying the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)\r\nprocess. The legislation\r\npassed in Congress last week with overwhelming bipartisan support. Today\r\nmarks the end of a 15-month effort to provide permanent, reliable funding for\r\nour HBCUs and minority-serving institutions of higher education around the\r\ncountry. These schools are part of the very foundation of our higher education\r\nsystem and serve six million talented students across the country. Permanent\r\nfunding will allow them to fulfill their mission of serving their students and\r\neducating our next generation of leaders. This is just one example of how\r\nmembers of Congress can still work in a bipartisan way to get things done and\r\ndo the right thing for the people we serve, said Senator Doug Jones, a member\r\nof the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee. READ:\r\nAlabama HBCU leaders respond to FUTURE Act passage Background: Earlier\r\nthis month, Senator Jones joined a bipartisan group of his colleagues to\r\nannounce acompromise\r\ndealto permanently fund HBCUs and MSIs as well as take a step toward\r\nsimplifying the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). That\r\nlegislation was amended to strengthen privacy protections and approved in the\r\nHouse of Representatives by a vote of319-96. The amended bill\r\nwas approved unanimously in the Senate. Before\r\nfunding expired on September 30, Senator Jones took to the Senate floor\r\ntourge\r\nhis colleaguesto support a vote on his legislation. The Senate failed\r\nto take action before the deadline, but Senator Jones continued to fight to\r\nrenew the funding and raise awareness about the urgent need to pass this\r\nlegislation. Senator\r\nJones first\r\nproposed to permanently increase and renew funding for HBCUs and MSIs last\r\nyear through his legislation, the Strengthening Minority-Serving\r\nInstitutions Act. It earned the support of one-fourth of the Senate.  ###", 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://www.jones.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/senator-doug-jones-future-act-signed-into-law-by-president-trump"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8350326679646969, "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"}