Mitch Landrieu: “as you may know, as the Chairman knows, there is currently a very important program--it is not a large program, but it…”

“as you may know, as the Chairman knows, there is currently a very important program--it is not a large program, but it is a very important program to historically Black colleges and universities within the parameters of our Historic Preservation Fund. It helps these universities, as they come up with private sector dollars, to match the authorization that our program creates. It gives them an opportunity to preserve these historic buildings, which are of tremendous significance to this Nation, for our heritage, our culture, and the current educational needs of over 300,000 students who attend these fine institutions. This amendment by Senator Lieberman and myself and many others on both sides of the aisle basically reauthorizes the program. It expands it from $5 million a year to $10 million a year, an authorization for 5 years to $50 million, reduces the match from 50 percent to 30 percent, without adding any money to the current bill. It is strictly an authorization. This amendment reflects two bills that passed both the House and the Senate that reflect this language. It has broad-based support and would be very helpful to these universities. I thank the managers for working this out. I urge adoption of the amendment.”