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Charlotte NC

Congresswoman Adams Calls for the End of HBCU Discrimination in the Capital Bond Market

September 28, 2016

WASHINGTON— Congresswoman Alma S. Adams (NC-12) and Congressman Keith Ellison held a press conference at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Annual Legislative Conference to promote Rep. Ellison’s HBCU Investment Expansion Act of 2016.

Rep. Adams, member of the House Committee on Education & the Workforce and co-chair of the Bipartisan HBCU Caucus, is and has been fighting for resources on behalf of for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) and the students they serve.

HBCUs, unlike other colleges and universities, face persistent challenges related to access to capital. Many of these institutions rely on federal funding to support their functions and student needs.These same financial challenges carry over into the capital market when HBCUs are attempting to sell bonds to perform necessary infrastructure improvements to their schools. A recent study performed by Drexel, the University of Notre Dame, Duke University, and University of California San Diego found that HBCUs pay more in fees to raise funds through bonds and that HBCUs may be forced to sell their bonds at a discount.

The HBCU Investment Expansion Act of 2016, set to be introduced by Rep. Ellison, would allow municipal bonds issued by HBCUs to have triple tax exempt status (local, state, and federal), leveling the playing field in the bond market.

“Historically Black Colleges and Universities, like any other institution of higher learning, should be able to efficiently invest in their schools and support their students. With more HBCUs in my home state than any other state in our nation, I am proud to support Congressman Ellison in our shared effort to eliminate the barriers that HBCUs face," Rep. Adams said.