Senate Approves HBCU Preservation Bill
By Charles Dervarics
Historically Black colleges and universities could get new funds to promote historic preservation under legislation the U.S. Senate approved in late January.
The plan from Sens. Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn. and Mary L. Landrieu, D-La., would provide $10 million annually for five years to help HBCUs improve historic properties on their campuses. Similar legislation cleared the U.S. House of Representatives last year, but the Senate failed to act before it adjourned for the fall elections.
“Despite playing a central role in our economy, society and culture, HBCUs have been physically eroding for years,” says Lieberman, a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination and the party’s 2000 nominee for vice president.
