[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3149 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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118th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 3149
To encourage the growth of research partnerships between historically
Black colleges and universities and Federal agencies to advance
development in sub-Saharan Africa.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
October 26, 2023
Mr. Coons (for himself, Mr. Scott of South Carolina, Mr. Kaine, and Mr.
Wicker) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and
referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To encourage the growth of research partnerships between historically
Black colleges and universities and Federal agencies to advance
development in sub-Saharan Africa.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.
(a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``HBCU Africa
Partnerships Act''.
(b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents for this Act is as
follows:
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
Sec. 2. Findings.
Sec. 3. Sense of Congress.
Sec. 4. Purposes.
Sec. 5. Definitions.
Sec. 6. Expanding partnerships between relevant departments and
agencies and historically Black colleges
and universities.
Sec. 7. Expanding exchange programming for scholars from Sub-Saharan
Africa.
Sec. 8. Communications and outreach programming.
Sec. 9. Congressional briefing.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) High-quality education is central to economic
prosperity and social well-being in the United States and
around the world.
(2) Historically Black colleges and universities and other
minority serving institutions play a critical role in ensuring
that students of all races, ethnicities, and backgrounds have
access to high-quality educational opportunities.
(3) HBCUs have a long and rich history in educating and
facilitating relationships between members of the African
diaspora in the United States and throughout the world, from
Europe and the Western Hemisphere to Asia and the African
continent.
(4) HBCU alumni have made important contributions to
relations between the United States and Africa in the areas
of--
(A) democracy and political governance;
(B) food and agricultural security;
(C) education and human capital;
(D) youth development; and
(E) public health infrastructure.
(5) The United States Government has partnered with HBCUs
and other United States colleges and universities, including
through--
(A) the Department of State's educational and
cultural exchange programs;
(B) the Young African Leaders Initiative, which
supports United States Government efforts to invest in
the next generation of African leaders; and
(C) USAID's Minority Serving Partnership Initiative
to facilitate research partnerships and engagements
with minority-serving institutions, including HBCUs.
SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS.
It is the sense of Congress that--
(1) the United States should promote and expand
collaborative research partnerships between Federal agencies
and HBCUs that advance joint partnerships in education,
economic growth, food security, democracy and governance,
agriculture, environmental conservation, small and medium-sized
business development, humanitarian assistance, and conflict
stabilization in developing countries; and
(2) the United States should continue to facilitate and
deepen partnerships between HBCUs and Sub-Saharan Africa.
SEC. 4. PURPOSES.
The purposes of this Act are--
(1) to strengthen the capacity of HBCUs to partner with
relevant Federal departments and agencies in support of United
States and African joint interests, including in the areas of
democracy and good governance, food and agricultural security,
education and human capital, youth development, trade and
economic development, and public health infrastructure;
(2) to help integrate the work of HBCUs with the foreign
policy and foreign assistance priorities of the United States,
as appropriate;
(3) to bolster and facilitate productive interactions
between HBCUs and relevant Federal departments and agencies;
(4) to encourage HBCU participation in relevant Federal
programs, grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements;
(5) to expand existing partnership initiatives between
HBCUs and relevant Federal departments and agencies; and
(6) to recognize the historic contributions of HBCUs to
relations between the United States and Africa.
SEC. 5. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term
``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
(A) the Committee on Foreign Relations of the
Senate; and
(B) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House
of Representatives.
(2) Educational exchange.--The term ``educational
exchange'' means an activity listed in section 602(a) of the
Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C.
2452a(a)).
(3) Historically black college or university; hbcu.--The
terms ``historically Black college or university'' and ``HBCU''
mean a part B institution described in section 322(2) of the
Higher Education Act of 1965 (22 U.S.C. 1061(2)).
(4) Minority-serving institution.--The term ``minority-
serving institution'' means an institution listed in section
371(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C.
1067q(a)).
(5) Relevant federal departments and agencies.--The term
``relevant Federal departments and agencies'' includes--
(A) the Department of State;
(B) the United States Agency for International
Development; and
(C) any other Federal department or agency that is
engaged in designing, providing, or supporting United
States foreign assistance (including development
finance) that the President determines is relevant for
the purposes of this Act.
(6) Short-term graduate and technical expert exchange
program.--The term ``short-term graduate and technical expert
exchange program'' means an exchange program lasting 12 months
or shorter, including university exchange programs,
professional non-degree programs, and internships.
(7) USAID.--The term ``USAID'' means the United States
Agency for International Development.
SEC. 6. EXPANDING PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN RELEVANT DEPARTMENTS AND
AGENCIES AND HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES AND
UNIVERSITIES.
To develop educational grant opportunities and expand partnerships
with HBCUs--
(1) the Secretary of State and the USAID Administrator
should identifying HBCUs that--
(A) have entered into a grant, contract, or
cooperative agreement with the Department of State or
USAID; or
(B) are eligible to participate in programs and
initiatives under the jurisdiction of either such
agency; and
(2) the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs should
develop an educational exchange for HBCUs identified pursuant
to paragraph (1) to deepen relationships between partners in
Sub-Saharan African and the United States in ways that advance
United States policy goals in Africa and increase academic
collaboration.
SEC. 7. EXPANDING EXCHANGE PROGRAMMING FOR SCHOLARS FROM SUB-SAHARAN
AFRICA.
(a) In General.--The Secretary of State and the USAID Administrator
should seek to strengthen and expand partnerships and educational
exchange opportunities, including by working with HBCUs, that build the
capacity and expertise of students, scholars, and experts from Sub-
Saharan Africa in key development sectors, including--
(1) food systems and agriculture-led economic growth;
(2) food safety and security, nutrition, and farming,
including aquaculture;
(3) animal health and pathology;
(4) democracy and governance;
(5) water, sanitation, and hygiene;
(6) public health;
(7) microenterprise business development and
entrepreneurship;
(8) water security; and
(9) environmental resilience.
(b) Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs Programming.--The
Secretary of State may establish a short-term graduate and technical
expert exchange program for African students, scholars, and technical
experts to spend a semester or academic year of nondegree study at
institutions referred to in section 6(a) to support knowledge and
skills training in the sectors referred to in subsection (a).
SEC. 8. COMMUNICATIONS AND OUTREACH PROGRAMMING.
The Secretary of State and the USAID Administrator shall advance
outreach and communications between HBCUs, the Department of State, and
USAID and expand partnerships with HBCUs by--
(1) providing technical assistance in the development of
grant and partnership applications; and
(2) upon request, providing feedback to HBCUs, to the
maximum extent practicable, after a grant rejection in order to
improve future grant applications, as appropriate.
SEC. 9. CONGRESSIONAL BRIEFING.
Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act,
the Secretary of State, in consultation with the USAID Administrator,
shall brief the appropriate congressional committees regarding--
(1) the implementation of existing partnerships and
programs between relevant Federal departments and agencies and
HBCUs and efforts to expand such partnerships and programs;
(2) efforts to strengthen the capacity of HBCUs to
participate, or to be eligible to participate, in relevant
programs and initiatives;
(3) any progress made towards--
(A) advancing plans to develop partnerships or
programs and initiatives with HBCUs that are not
engaged in existing partnerships with relevant Federal
departments and agencies; and
(B) identifying plans in which an HBCU may
participate; and
(4) any other information that relevant Federal departments
and agencies determine is relevant to promoting opportunities
to fund, partner, contract, or otherwise interact with HBCUs.
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