{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.scott.senate.gov/media-center/press-releases/scott-and-colleagues-celebrate-passage-of-bill-to-train-pilots-support-rotc-students-at-hbcus/", "Scott and colleagues celebrate passage of bill to train pilots, support ROTC students at HBCUs", "2020-12-14", "2020", "2020-12", "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", "The FLIGHT Act will provide resources for ROTC students at HBCUs and minority institutions, improving diversity in military leadership and in highly skilled sectors like aviation\n\nWASHINGTON \u2013 The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) passed by the Senate includes The Fostering Leadership and Inclusion by Growing HBCU Training (FLIGHT) Act of 2020. The legislation was led by U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) and U.S. Representatives Anthony Brown (D-Md.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), and Greg Murphy, M.D. (R-N.C.) in the U.S. House of Representatives. The bill was co-sponsored by Senators Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and Tom Carper (D-Del.). The FLIGHT Act will provide new resources for Reserve Officers\u2019 Training Corps (ROTC) students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and minority institutions, with special emphasis on support for flight training. The bill now heads to the president\u2019s desk for signature.\n\n\u201cAmerica\u2019s military is more resilient now because of the recent commitments we\u2019ve made to improve readiness, while diversifying our ranks,\u201d said Senator Tim Scott. \u201cHBCUs are filled with strong leaders ready to serve our nation in uniform and build upon the strength of our diverse armed services.\u201d\n\n\u201cI am proud that the NDAA includes the bipartisan FLIGHT Act, which will help ensure our leaders and role models in Delaware and across the country reflect the diversity of America itself,\u201d said Senator Chris Coons. \u201cOur service members come from all walks of life, but people of color remain underrepresented at the military\u2019s highest levels. Our current officers in uniform will become our policy experts, our CEOs, and often our political leaders, and the FLIGHT Act is just one of many steps we must take to ensure that those who lead our country also fully represent it.\u201d\n\n\u201cThis is an outstanding opportunity to boost diversity in our military,\u201d said Senator Thom Tillis. \u201cThis legislation will allow HBCUs, like Elizabeth City State University, to invest additional resources for ROTC programs and increase training opportunities for students. I\u2019m proud to work across the aisle to support this bipartisan legislation that will provide more access to pilot training and help advance the promising military careers of young men and women who are serving our nation.\u201d\n\n\u201cLike many others who\u2019ve had the privilege of leading men and women in our armed forces, I know our people are our military\u2019s greatest assets and diversity is a source of enduring strength. That\u2019s why I\u2019m proud to see the FLIGHT Act included in this year\u2019s NDAA. With the FLIGHT ACT, we are breaking down barriers and building a diverse leadership corps by investing in the training of ROTC students at Delaware State University and other HBCUs across the country,\u201d said Senator Tom Carper. \u201cAs a ROTC student who went on to proudly serve as a naval flight officer, I know the skills these students will learn as part of their aviation and ROTC training will not only contribute to our national security, they will also be an invaluable foundation for success in their military and civilian careers as well. I thank Senator Coons and Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester for their work on this bill and I look forward to making sure that students who are eager to take flight and serve their nation will reap the benefits.\u201d\n\nPeople of color are underrepresented in American military leadership\u2014particularly at higher ranks and in high-investment, training-intensive specialties like aviation. As a whole, the Air Force is almost 20% African-American. But that diversity is deceptive: only 1.7% of Air Force pilots (and less than 3% of civilian pilots) are Black. Similar asymmetries affect other branches of the Armed Forces.\n\nAspiring military aviators can significantly improve their career prospects with undergraduate pilot training, but ROTC scholarships do not cover flight training costs. This makes it more difficult for low-income students to become pilots.\n\nThe FLIGHT Act establishes two pilot programs, with the goals of:\n\nLowering the barriers to ROTC participation for students at HBCUs and minority institutions. Many ROTC students at HBCUs must commute to host institutions for classes\u2014often over long distances. This bill would provide funding and resources to mitigate that inconvenience, in part by encouraging partnerships between the institutions and nearby military bases.\n\nSupplementing flight training costs for ROTC members enrolled at HBCUs. While these funds can be used at commercial flight schools, priority is given to students who would also receive their flight training at HBCUs.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-06-28T00:42:23Z"]], "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/scott-and-colleagues-celebrate-passage-of-bill-to-train-pilots-support-rotc-students-at-hbcus/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.5144660137593746, "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"}