{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.scott.senate.gov/media-center/press-releases/icymi-senator-scott-joins-bloomberg-and-uncf-for-conversation-on-the-future-of-hbcus/", "ICYMI: Senator Scott Joins Bloomberg and UNCF for Conversation on the Future of HBCUs", "2021-09-16", "2021", "2021-09", "Republican", "Senate", "SC", "Tim Scott", "S001184", "www.scott.senate.gov", "timscott", "https://www.scott.senate.gov/media-center/press-releases/jsf/jet-engine:press-list", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senator Tim Scott (R-S.C.) joined Bloomberg and the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) this week for their event titled \u201cHBCUs: The Path to Prosperity.\u201d Senator Scott\u2019s interview with Bloomberg\u2019s David Westin centered on the importance of HBCUs and Sen. Scott\u2019s efforts to bolster their transformational work.\n\nClick to watch the full conversation\n\nOn the importance of HBCUs \u2026 \u201cIf you think about the professional class of African Americans who are college educated \u2026 half of all the [African American] professionals in this country \u2014 doing excellent work in many different fields \u2014 comes from HBCUs. So when you support HBCUs, you support the engine that creates professionals [including] lawyers, doctors and military generals. \u2026 In South Carolina, we are home to a number \u2014 eight \u2014 HBCUs, and the truth is that our state is better because we have options for kids to be highly educated, incredibly competent, and then very productive in the workforce.\u201d\n\nOn his IGNITE HBCU Excellence Act \u2026 \u201cEverything needs an ignition, and one of the things that we do with the IGNITE Act is we literally provide HBCUs with the resources necessary to take care of [their] maintenance. \u2026 There [is] so much money invested in the structure itself, but too little resources set aside for the maintenance. \u2026 What we\u2019re not asking for is special treatment of our HBCUs. What we are asking for is a level playing field within the structure of a higher education that did not exist previously. Now, we have a chance to do it right \u2014 not make up for the past, but to invest in the future.\u201d\n\nOn funding HBCUs responsibly \u2026 \u201cMy thought was this: Let\u2019s take a step back from being overly prescriptive on the amount of dollars that we need. Let\u2019s evaluate the need, and then let\u2019s fund that need over a meaningful amount of time so that we do the right thing. \u2026 We also maintain a responsible level of oversight to make sure that we are doing the best we can with tax dollars, which of course is really your dollars and the dollars of your friends and your neighbors and loved ones. \u2026\n\n\u201cI\u2019m a kid [who] grew up in the deep south [and] appreciates the fact that we\u2019re all better together. And frankly, one of the ways that we get there is to make sure that every single American feels like this is our country and we are one American family. When we point the resources all across this nation in a responsible way, I think we have that sense of belonging and sense of responsibility that grows out of the sense of belonging.\u201d\n\nAs co-chair of the bipartisan, Congressional HBCU caucus, Sen. Scott has long championed legislation to support and improve our nation\u2019s HBCUs.\n\nIn 2019, his FUTURE Act was signed into law, permanently reauthorizing HBCU funding.\n\nIn 2020, his HBCU Partners Act was signed into law, strengthening the relationship between HBCUs and federal agencies.\n\nIn May of 2021, he introduced the IGNITE HBCU Excellence Act to invest in infrastructure at HBCUs, enabling them to expand their transformational work.\n\nIn August of 2021, he introduced a resolution to formally designate the week of September 6, 2021 as \u201cNational Historically Black Colleges and Universities Week.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:17:01Z"]], "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.scott.senate.gov/media-center/press-releases/icymi-senator-scott-joins-bloomberg-and-uncf-for-conversation-on-the-future-of-hbcus/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.7048170082271099, "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"}