CONGRESSMAN CLYBURN APPLAUDS HOUSE PASSAGE OF THE NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT
Columbia, SC – Today, Congressman James E. Clyburn applauded House passage of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) which authorizes over $110 million for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) for fiscal year 2023 – a three-fold increase from the previous year and $14 million to fund four community projects in the Sixth Congressional District.
“I was proud to vote for this critical funding to bolster our national defense capabilities and ensure continued funding for our troops and their families,” said Congressman Clyburn. “I am also pleased to see that this legislation focuses on Democrats’ commitment to diversifying our armed services by utilizing the talents at our HBCUs and creating opportunities for underrepresented groups to play an integral part in our national security.”
New provisions in the NDAA package impacting HBCUs include:
- Mandating the Department of Defense submit a report to Congress detailing a strategy for long-term institutional support of HBCUs to achieve and maintain very high research activity status.
- Establishing a pilot program to increase research capacity at HBCUs and other minority serving institutions. The bill amends existing Department of Defense contracting requirements and implements a minority institution subcontracting requirement for University-Affiliated Research Center Laboratories.
- Authorizing an additional $5 million to establish the Ronald V. Dellums Memorial Fellowship for Women of Color in STEAM, with a requirement to reserve 50% of awards for HBCU students. The program creates a pipeline of diverse, talented women national security professionals.
In addition, NDAA includes these community projects secured by Congressman Clyburn:
|
Project |
Sponsor |
Description |
Funding Authorized |
|
Resilient Autonomous Systems Research and Workforce Diversity |
Benedict College |
Creation of a science and technology applied naval research program to develop new software development techniques and automated cybersecurity methods. Also creates a college curriculum in resilient and intelligent autonomous systems. |
$4,000,000 |
|
Manufacturing of Advanced Composites for Hypersonics — Aided by Digital Engineering |
University of South Carolina |
Funds a manufacturing science and technology research program which significantly increases the rate and quality of the manufacturing of high-temperature composite structures with application to hypersonic missiles and vehicles. |
$4,000,000 |
|
University of South Carolina |
Funds research to develop technologies for unmanned surface vessels. |
$3,000,000 |
|
|
University of South Carolina |
Develops integrated power system (IPS) controls technologies which will provide students at the university with an opportunity to learn the theory and application of emergent power engineering technologies. |
$3,000,000 |
|
|
Total |
|
|
$14,000,000 |
Another South Carolina project included in the bill allows over 25 acres of waterfront land, known as “Old Navy Yard,” to be conveyed from the Air Force to the City of North Charleston. The facilities along the Cooper River were previously used by the Naval Information Warfare Center Atlantic and will now be used for economic development in North Charleston.
Congressman Clyburn also championed the inclusion of the EQUAL Act amendment in NDAA, which addresses an issue he has been working on for years. This provision eliminates the sentencing disparity between crack and powder cocaine, which disproportionately impacts minority communities and adds to mass incarceration. According to the U.S. Sentencing Commission, in fiscal year 2020, 77.1 percent of those charged with crack cocaine trafficking were Black, while most powder cocaine trafficking offenders were either white or Hispanic. This amendment would enable those convicted or sentenced for a federal offense involving cocaine to be re-sentenced.
NDAA now goes to the Senate for its consideration.
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