Uses of Bankhead-Jones and Morrill-Nelson Funds by Areas Bankhead-Jones and Morrill-Nelson Funds Relative to Total Distribution of Bankhead-Jones and Morrill-Nelson Funds Size of Institution Region Land-Grant Status Interpretative Note Activities Funded by Bankhead-Jones and Morrill-Nelson Land-Grant Perspectives About the Bankhead-Jones Program LIST OF APPENDIXES Legislative and Actions Appendixes A. Congressional Directive for Review of Bankhead-Jones 37 48 60 72 Q. Examples of Comments by Officials from Land-Grant Telephone Interview Schedule and Tabulation of 121 126 1. 2. Total and variable grant payments under the Bankhead- 9 10-11 3. Authorization level for Bankhead-Jones and Morrill-Nelson before and after 1960 Amendment 14 4. Support level for Bankhead-Jones and Morrill-Nelson, 15 Page Budget request to Congress and appropriation for Expenditure of Bankhead-Jones funds, by discipline, 18-19 21 23 8. 9. Size of enrollment, expenditure of Bankhead-Jones and 25 26 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. Amount of Bankhead and Morrill-Nelson funds received by Amount of Bankhead-Jones and Morrill-Nelson funds 26 28 28 29 30 30 D-1. Support received from developing institutions program, 71 S-1. S-2. Fall enrollment in all institutions of higher education, 143 148 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Auspices and Scope of Review This report reviews the Bankhead-Jones and Morrill-Nelson programs, which support instruction at land-grant institutions in agriculture, mechanical arts, and related areas. The review was undertaken in response to Amendment No. 37, Conference Report 96-553 on H. R. 4387, the Agriculture, Rural Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill, 1980, which directed the U.S. Department of Agriculture, along with appropriate nongovernmental representatives, to conduct a detailed review of the Bankhead-Jones program, including the original intent of the legislation, and report the findings to Congress. The report describes the legislative history of the Bankhead-Jones and Morrill-Nelson programs along with their funding and administrative histories. Information is presented on how program funds were distributed and used. Also presented are the perspectives of land-grant officials on the significance of these programs. The central finding of the review is that the funds are used by land-grant institutions in a manner consistent with the legislative intent. Legislative Intent The basic legislation for support of instruction in higher education in agriculture and mechanical arts includes the Morrill Act of 1862, the Morrill Act of 1890, as amended by the (1907) Nelson Amendment, and the Bankhead-Jones Act of 1935, as amended in 1960. These statutes provide broad discretion to the land-grant institutions in the use of BankheadJones and Morrill-Nelson funds for purposes of instruction in agriculture, the mechanical arts, and related subjects. Federal law stipulates the broad purposes of the land-grant system and assigns States broad responsibility for the manner in which the general requirements of the land-grant legislation are carried out. Designation of Land-Grant Institutions Land-grant institutions are colleges or universities designated by a State legislature to receive the benefits of the Morrill Act of 1862, the Morrill Act of 1890, and subsequent legislation, including the Nelson Amendment of 1907 and the Bankhead-Jones Act of 1935, as amended. Land-grant institutions now exist in all 50 States, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Sixteen of the 17 States with two land-grant institutions established an "1890" land-grant institution for black students under the provisions of the Morrill Act of 1890, which allowed States to establish separate land-grant institutions for black and white students, provided the States distribute program funds in a "just and equitable" manner. Oversight authority for this determination is currently vested in the Secretary of Education. Appropriations for Bankhead-Jones and Morrill-Nelson The Bankhead-Jones Act authorizes an appropriation to be allocated among eligible jurisdictions in two ways: a portion of the BankheadJones funds are allocated to the eligible jurisdiction in equal shares, and the remainder in proportion to their population. The current BankheadJones authorization is $12.46 million. An amount of $8.1 million is distributed in uniform grants of $150,000 to each jurisdiction, and the balance (up to $4.36 million) in the proportion which the total population of each jurisdiction bears to the total population of all jurisdictions. The Morrill-Nelson Act provides a permanent appropriation of $2.7 million, with each eligible jurisdiction receiving a sum of $50,000. In 1979 and 1980, appropriations were $11.5 million for Bankhead-Jones and $2.7 million for Morrill-Nelson. The authorization level set by the Bankhead-Jones Act of 1935 was increased in 1960 to adjust the level of support of the Bankhead-Jones program to an amount equal to the 1935 level. The increase was predicated on a population increase of 40 percent and inflation of 100 percent over the 1935 1960 period. Administration The U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW) administered both the Bankhead-Jones and Morrill-Nelson programs beginning in 1953. Since 1978, that responsibility has been shared by two agencies. Food and Agriculture Act of 1977 (P.L. 95-113) transferred responsibility for the administration of Bankhead-Jones funds to the U.S. Department of Agriculture on January 31, 1978. However, with respect to compliance by land-grant institutions with the statutory terms and conditions imposed by the first and second Morrill Acts, as amended (which include the 1907 Nelson Amendment and the Bankhead-Jones Act of 1935, as amended), oversight authority is now vested in the Secretary of Education, under the provisions of the Department of Education Organization Act (P.L. 96459). The Secretary of Education also administers Morrill-Nelson funds. Funding Policy Since 1971, the executive branch has requested a zero BankheadJones appropriation in 9 years and $11.5 million in the remaining 2 years. Congress has appropriated funds for Bankhead-Jones throughout this period, but at less than full authorization. Factors offered in support of, and in opposition to, continued funding were abstracted from legislative proceedings. The following factors have been advanced in support of continued fundings since 1960: need of funds on the part of land-grant institutions; the Nation's reliance on land-grant institutions for a trained and educated workforce: |