WASHINGTON, D.C. – This week, U.S. Senators Thom Tillis (R-NC) and Chris Coons (D-DE) and U.S. Representatives Anthony Brown (D-MD), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE) and Greg Murphy, M.D. (R-NC) introduced bipartisan, bicameral legislation to provide new resources for Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and minority institutions, with special emphasis on support for flight training. The bill was co-sponsored by Senators Tim Scott (R-SC) and Tom Carper (D-DE). The lawmakers hope to include the FLIGHT Act, or the Fostering Leadership and Inclusion by Growing HBCU Training Act, in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021(NDAA), which funds the Department of Defense.

The FLIGHT Act aims to expand diversity in the military by increasing opportunities at our nation’s HBCUs. People of color are underrepresented in American military leadership—particularly at higher ranks and in high-investment, training-intensive specialties like aviation. As a whole, the Air Force is almost 20% African-American. But that diversity is deceptive: only 1.7% of Air Force pilots (and less than 3% of civilian pilots) are black. Similar asymmetries affect other branches of the Armed Forces. 

“We should work to boost diversity in our military, and this is an outstanding opportunity to do so by investing additional resources for our ROTC programs at our HBCUs,” said Senator Tillis. “I’m proud to work across the aisle to support this bipartisan legislation that will provide more access to pilot training and help advance the promising military careers of young men and women who are serving our nation.”

Aspiring military aviators can significantly improve their career prospects with undergraduate pilot training, but ROTC scholarships do not cover flight training costs. This makes it more difficult for low-income students to become pilots. The FLIGHT Act addresses this by establishing two new programs.

The goals of the FLIGHT Act include:

• Lowering the barriers to ROTC participation for students at HBCUs and minority institutions. Many ROTC students at HBCUs must commute to host institutions for classes—often over long distances. This bill would provide funding and resources to mitigate these barriers, in part by encouraging partnerships between the institutions and nearby military bases. 
• Supplementing flight training costs for ROTC members enrolled at HBCUs. While the funds appropriated by the FLIGHT Act can be used at commercial flight schools, priority is given to students who would also receive their flight training at HBCUs. This program also includes the students participating in the Coast Guard’s College Student Pre-Commissioning Initiative program.

The bill text can be read here. 

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