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OCA Celebrates Permanent AANAPISI Funding

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

10 December 2019

Contact: Maddie Schumacher | Policy Associate
202.223.5500 | [email protected]

Washington, DC - OCA - Asian Pacific American Advocates celebrates the passage of the amended FUTURE Act by the United States Congress. OCA thanks the US House of Representatives for their swift action today, after the bill’s passage in the Senate last week, to reinstate mandatory funding that had expired in September and make it permanent for Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs), including Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic Serving Institutions, Tribal Colleges and Universities, and Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs). OCA urges the President to sign the bill as soon as it crosses his desk before the winter recess.

“It is undeniable that AANAPISIs are vital to helping our community access higher education and complete their degrees,” said Rita Pin Ahrens, OCA National Executive Director. “Nearly 50% of all associate degrees and 25% of all bachelor degrees for Asian American and Pacific Islander students are conferred by an AANAPISI-eligible institution. In addition to offering the critical support services that ensure the academic success of our students, AANAPISIs and other MSIs offer culturally relevant programs that nurture the hearts of our students -- meeting students where they are and honoring who they are. In the spirit of the holidays, Congress has given our community the assurance that AANAPISIs and other MSIs will have the funding they need to support the success of low income and first generation college students across the country.”

OCA remains as committed as ever to working with the MSI Alliance and community advocates across the country to continue advocating for MSIs and the students they serve. It is important to secure any further support our institutions of higher education may need to provide our students with critical, culturally competent resources, especially as the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act is considered by Congress.

OCA thanks Senators Lamar Alexander, Patty Murray, Doug Jones, Tim Scott, Richard Burr, and Chris Coons, as well as the original sponsor of the House bill, Congresswoman Alma Adams and the many other Congressional champions, including Representatives Bobby Scott, Mark Takano, and Judy Chu. OCA also thanks all the MSI stakeholders and community advocates who spoke up about the importance of this bill to them personally and to the future of our country. We urge the President to sign the FUTURE Act into law, to establish permanent funding for Minority Serving Institutions and support the millions of students they serve.

View this release online here. ([link removed])

OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates is a national organization of community advocates dedicated to improving the social, political, and economic well-being of Asian American Pacific Islanders (AAPIs).
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