H.R. 1271 (119th)Bill Overview

To provide additional funding for scholarships for students at 1890 institutions, and for other purposes.

Agriculture and Food|Agriculture and Food
Cosponsors
Support
Democratic
Introduced
Feb 12, 2025
Discussions
Bill Text
Current stageCommittee

Referred to the Subcommittee on Conservation, Research, and Biotechnology.

Introduced
Committee
Floor
President
Law
Congressional Activities
01 · The brief
Plain-English summaryWhat this bill actually does

This bill amends Section 1446 of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act to (1) explicitly authorize scholarships for programs leading to bachelor or graduate degrees at 1890 land-grant institutions; (2) require mandatory annual funding of $15,000,000 from the Commodity Credit Corporation beginning in fiscal year 2025, available until expended; and (3) make previously time-limited discretionary funding and academic-year provisions ongoing rather than limited to specific years.

Why people may split

Liberal emphasizes equity and HBCU investment benefits

Watch point

Narrow, constituency‑focused funding change likely to find bipartisan support in committee and on the floor.

This bill amends Section 1446 of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act to (1) explicitly authorize scholarships for programs leading to bachelor or graduate degrees at 1890 land-grant institutions; (2) require mandatory annual funding of $15,000,000 from the Commodity Credit Corporation beginning in fiscal year 2025, available until expended; and (3) make previously time-limited discretionary funding and academic-year provisions ongoing rather than limited to specific years.

Passage60/100

Modest, well‑targeted funding increase with administrative clarity increases odds, though mandatory CCC funding and lack of offsets create some resistance.

CredibilityPartial

How solid the drafting looks.

Contention62/100

Liberal emphasizes equity and HBCU investment benefits

02 · What it does

Who stands to gain, and who may push back.

Likely benefits vs burdens50% / 50%
StudentsLikely burdened

These are examples from the analysis, not a ranked list of the most-affected groups.

Likely helped
  • Potential benefitProvides a stable $15 million annual funding stream for scholarships at 1890 land‑grant institutions.
  • StudentsExpands scholarship eligibility explicitly to students pursuing bachelor’s and graduate degrees.
  • StudentsIncreases access to higher education for students historically served by 1890 institutions.
Likely burdened
  • Potential burdenRedirects Commodity Credit Corporation funds, potentially reducing monies available for other CCC programs.
  • Potential burdenUses mandatory CCC funding, which may limit annual appropriations oversight and flexibility.
  • Potential burdenAdministrative costs and reporting requirements could increase burden for USDA and recipient institutions.
03 · Why people split

Why the argument around this bill splits.

Liberal emphasizes equity and HBCU investment benefits
Progressive90%

Likely supportive because the bill provides predictable, ongoing funding for scholarships at 1890 institutions, expanding access including graduate study.

It aligns with priorities to strengthen Historically Black Land-Grant Universities and educational equity.

Leans supportive
Centrist75%

Generally favorable but cautious: the bill creates stable funding for workforce and higher-education goals while adding permanent mandatory spending.

Support likely if oversight, cost controls, and performance metrics are included.

Leans supportive
Conservative35%

Skeptical overall: while acknowledging support for agricultural colleges, this creates ongoing mandatory spending via the CCC and expands federal involvement in higher education.

Preference for limited, targeted, or state-driven support.

Likely resistant
04 · Can it pass?

The path through Congress.

Introduced

Reached or meaningfully advanced

Committee

Reached or meaningfully advanced

Floor

Still ahead

President

Still ahead

Law

Still ahead

Passage likelihood60/100

Modest, well‑targeted funding increase with administrative clarity increases odds, though mandatory CCC funding and lack of offsets create some resistance.

Scope and complexity
24%
Scopenarrow
24%
Complexitylow
Why this could stall
  • Whether House and Senate Agriculture committees will prioritize the bill
  • Potential objections to using Commodity Credit Corporation funds
05 · Recent votes

Recent votes on the bill.

No vote history yet

The bill has not accumulated any surfaced votes yet.

06 · Go deeper

Go deeper than the headline read.

Included on this page

Liberal emphasizes equity and HBCU investment benefits

Modest, well‑targeted funding increase with administrative clarity increases odds, though mandatory CCC funding and lack of offsets create…

Unlocked analysis

Pro readers get the full perspective split, passage barriers, legislative design review, stakeholder impact map, and lens-based policy tradeoff analysis for To provide additional funding for scholarships for students at…

Go beyond the headline summary with full stakeholder mapping, legislative design analysis, passage barriers, and lens-by-lens tradeoff breakdowns.

Perspective breakdownsPassage barriersLegislative design reviewStakeholder impact map
Open full analysis