Students, alumni, professors and supporters packed a House committee room on Tuesday in support of a bill that would end the state’s long-running lawsuit over resources for historically black colleges and universities ― and direct an additional $577 million to the schools over the next decade.
House Speaker Adrienne A. Jones Jones (D-Baltimore County) is sponsoring the bill and she agreed that it is rare to attempt to resolve ongoing litigation by legislation.
“However, we have now been litigating and mediating for years. At the same time, we have lost time for tens of thousands of students waiting for the legal process to resolve itself,” she said. “We need to act now to level the playing field for all students regardless of background or race or college they attend and end the case for the betterment of every student.”
Jones’ House Bill 1260 would require Maryland’s governor to distribute $57.7 million annually to Maryland’s HBCUs from the 2022 budget year through 2031. Sen. Charles E. Sydnor III (D-Baltimore County) has cross-filed the bill in the Senate.
That financial agreement would take effect if the state and the Coalition for Equity and Excellence in Maryland Higher Education reach a formal settlement by Dec. 1.