FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 8, 2021

SAN ANTONIO – The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, the nation’s champion of Hispanic higher education success and the only nationally recognized voice for the 569 Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs), has released its Legislative Agenda for the 117^th Congress to address Hispanic higher education needs as well as critical K-20 pipeline issues.

HACU’s Legislative Agenda and its top priorities will be the focus of the 26^th Annual National Capitol Forum on Hispanic Higher Education, a virtual gathering being held April 13-14, 2021, followed by virtual congressional visits.

“Our institutions faced many challenges before COVID-19, and the pandemic both highlighted and magnified many endemic structural issues such as inequitable broadband and technology access, lack of resources, and record numbers of first-generation and financially needy students,” said HACU President and CEO Antonio R. Flores. “Hispanic-Serving School Districts seeking to partner with HSIs to ensure opportunity and support for Latino/a and other disadvantaged K-12 students require the resources to do so, and our legislative proposals address that.”

HACU’s top priorities are:

• Equitable funding for Hispanic-Serving Institutions across all federal agencies.
• The passage of the Hispanic Education Resources and Empowerment Act (HERE) Act, introduced by Congressman Joaquin Castro, which would support partnerships and collaboration between Minority-Serving Institutions and Hispanic-Serving School Districts.
• The enactment of a capital financing bill to provide low-cost capital to finance improvements to the infrastructure of the nation’s HSIs.
• Immigration Reform with immediate passage of the Dream Act, as a down payment on a Comprehensive immigration Reform bill.

HACU Legislative Agenda - Download here.  

HACU's Top Federal Priorities for the 117th Congress - Download here. 

About HACU

The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, founded in 1986, represents more than 500 colleges and universities in the United States, Latin America, Spain and school districts throughout the U.S. HACU is the only national association representing existing and emerging Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs). The Association’s headquarters are located in San Antonio, Texas, with regional offices in Sacramento, California and Washington, D.C.

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HACU Media Contact:
Norma Jean Revilla-Garcia
Executive Director of Communications and Marketing
Hispanic Association of Colleges & Universities
210-576-3206
njgarcia@hacu.net

Christopher de Hoyos
Assistant Director of Communications and Social Media
Hispanic Association of Colleges & Universities
210-576-3242
chris.dehoyos@hacu.net