H.R. 10043: Heritage Legacy Act

This bill would create a federal grant program for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) so they can provide tuition-covered scholarships to certain students.

What the grants would do

Starting in fiscal year 2027, the Secretary of Education would give grants to each HBCU. The amount would be based on the total annual tuition charged to all students who qualify under the bill for that school year.

HBCUs receiving these grants would then have to give direct scholarships to each qualified student. The scholarship would cover up to the full tuition for that student’s program of study for each academic year, for up to 12 semesters or the equivalent.

Who would qualify

The bill limits the scholarships to undergraduate students who are:

• enrolled full-time at an HBCU, and
• determined to be descendants of a person who was enslaved in the United States.

To qualify, a student would have to prove this ancestry to the Education Department or, if the department allows, to the HBCU. The bill lists several types of historical documentation that could be used, including census records with certain racial classifications from before October 3, 1965, and allows the Secretary of Education to accept other proof as well.

The bill says the ancestry verification must show that at least one-quarter of the student’s genes are attributable to an individual who was enslaved in the United States.

How the verification would work

Before giving a grant to an HBCU, the Secretary of Education would first determine how many qualified students attend that school. An HBCU could tell the Secretary whether it prefers to do the ancestry verification itself.

Administrative funding

The bill would set aside 5% of the appropriated funds each year for administrative and verification costs. That money could be used to:

• help carry out the ancestry verification process,
• pay HBCUs that handle the verification themselves, and
• cover administrative costs for running the scholarship program.

Effect on federal student aid calculations

The bill also amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 so that, when calculating a qualified student’s student aid index, the government would ignore any scholarship the student receives under this new program. In other words, the scholarship would not reduce that student’s aid calculation.

Relevant Companies

None found.