Fresno’s Jim Costa proposes bill that would give millions to colleges in poor areas
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A new bill from a Fresno Democrat would secure up to $50 million in federal grants for universities in distressed areas — like Fresno State — to help spur community development.
The legislation, unveiled Tuesday by U.S. Rep. Jim Costa at the Fresno State Library, would make public four-year universities in areas experiencing high rates of poverty and economic “distress” eligible for federal grants to help fund more projects to boost the area’s economy, based on a 2021 study from the Brookings Institute.
Up to 174 public four-year universities could benefit, including Fresno State and three other California colleges: Cal State Los Angeles, San Diego State, and Cal Poly Pomona. No University of California campus made the list, as the intention of the bill is to boost federal funding for regional public universities that Costa said have been “left behind” compared with land-grant universities like those in the UC system.
Fresno State President Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval joined Costa to announce the legislation Tuesday morning, as did Mark Keppler, executive director of the Maddy Institute.
“Schools like Fresno State have traditionally been operating with just enough state funding to meet its core mission,” Keppler said. “There just isn’t enough money to expand that mission to include economic and community development.”
Jiménez-Sandoval said he hopes the legislation and funding could help Fresno State steer critical industries in the valley, such as agriculture and real estate, and rebuild workforces that took a hit during the pandemic, particularly nurses.
“We are perfectly positioned to literally transform the face of our region, through the social sciences, through the arts and humanities, through education,” he said.
The bill, HR 8688, isn’t the only recent proposal with huge financial implications for Fresno State. Measure E, on the November ballot, would add 0.02 cents to Fresno County’s sales tax to generate more funding for academic programs and renovations at the campus, including the aging Bulldog Stadium.
The speakers Tuesday said HR 8688 and Measure E are two separate issues, with Keppler and Jiménez-Sandoval declining to comment on whether they support the ballot item. But the university president, who can’t engage in political advocacy to influence a vote under state law, referred to both as potentially “transformational” for Fresno State.
Costa voiced support for the ballot measure.
“If I’m trying to be helpful, I would think so,” Costa said when asked if he was in favor of Measure E.
HR 8688 is in its early stages. Costa said he’s hopeful he can gather bipartisan support for the proposed legislation or find existing legislation to attach it to in the legislative sessions that remain this calendar year, with only three weeks left before the November election and subsequent lame-duck session.
“I’ll do everything I can to try to get across the finish line this year, but if not, we’ll set the stage for the next Congress,” he said.
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