To provide additional funding for scholarships for students at 1890 institutions, and for other purposes.
Summary
HB1271 would amend the 1977 National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act to expand and extend scholarship support for students at 1890 institutions, which are historically Black land-grant colleges and universities. The bill broadens the scholarship language to explicitly include programs leading to bachelor’s and graduate degrees, rather than limiting aid to “individuals” more generally.
The measure also creates a new mandatory funding stream by directing the Secretary of Agriculture to make $15 million available from Commodity Credit Corporation funds for fiscal year 2025 and each year thereafter, with the money remaining available until expended. In addition, it updates existing discretionary funding language so that the scholarship program can continue beyond the prior fiscal-year window and makes conforming changes to align the statute with the new funding structure.
Impact
If enacted, the bill would directly amend 7 U.S.C. 3222a, increasing and making permanent the federal support available for scholarships at 1890 institutions. It would affect the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s administration of the program, the Commodity Credit Corporation’s funding obligations, and students eligible for scholarship assistance at 1890 land-grant schools, especially those pursuing undergraduate or graduate agricultural and related degrees.
Sentiment
Based on the bill text and sponsorship pattern, the measure appears broadly supportive of expanding educational opportunity and strengthening 1890 institutions. The bill was introduced by a bipartisan group of House members and then referred to the Subcommittee on Conservation, Research, and Biotechnology, with no recorded votes or committee debate in the provided materials. That suggests the bill is framed as a targeted, generally positive investment in higher education and agricultural workforce development.
Contention
No specific opposition or controversy is reflected in the provided record, but the main policy questions likely concern the use of mandatory Commodity Credit Corporation funds, the size and permanence of the $15 million annual commitment, and whether the scholarship expansion should be limited to 1890 institutions rather than broader higher-education programs. Any contention would likely center on federal spending priorities and the scope of support for historically Black land-grant colleges versus other agricultural education needs.
A bill to amend the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 to authorize grants for eligible institutions to carry out agriculture workforce training programs, and for other purposes.
To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to provide for additional uses of funds for grants to strengthen historically Black colleges and universities, and for other purposes.