Sheila Jackson Lee: “I thank the manager of this legislation, the cosponsors, Mr. Clyburn, and so many others who have been part of this…”

“I thank the manager of this legislation, the cosponsors, Mr. Clyburn, and so many others who have been part of this historic legislation for their leadership on it. Mr. Speaker, I rise as a member of the bipartisan Congressional HBCU Caucus and as an original cosponsor of H.R. 1135. H.R. 1135 would authorize the appropriation of millions of dollars from 2018 through 2024 to the Historic Preservation Fund to provide assistance for the restoration and preservation of historic structures at Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Let me indicate that this has been a long journey. The reauthorization is very special and emotional to many of us. As many of us know, Historically Black Colleges and Universities came at the wake of the ending of slavery and were a place of refuge for so many students. I am reminded of those individuals who, as freed slaves, told stories of walking miles to be able to get to a school like Fisk University or to a school for so many in North Carolina and South Carolina or all throughout the South. They were great refuges for individuals who wanted a better life. It is important to note that in the 1980s, the National Park Service awarded more than $65 million. These grants require you to cover 30 percent of the project. So it is not a handout. It is a hand-up. It is preserving the history of this great Nation. I am very grateful to the Congressional Black Caucus.…”