University Politics

Syracuse University lobbies for civil rights justice legislation in third quarter

Kiran Ramsey | Digital Design Editor

Syracuse University spent $30,000 during the third quarter this year in lobbying efforts.

Syracuse University spent $30,000 during the third quarter this year in lobbying efforts on legislation that seeks justice for those affected by racially-charged violence.

During the period between July 1 and Sept. 30, the money was allocated for the Cold Justice Case Initiative — an SU College of Law project seeking to bring justice to racially-motivated murders during the Civil Rights era for victims, their families, local communities and society — to push the passage of the Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crimes Reauthorization Act of 2016, according to the initiative’s website.

The bill reauthorizes the 2007 version of the act, which is set to expire in the 2017 fiscal year and only allowed the authorities to investigate incidents prior to 1970. The renewed bill would strengthen the responsibilities of the FBI and the Department of Justice to investigate and prosecute criminals who violated civil rights statutes and killed individuals irrespective of when a case took place. Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) introduced the legislation in April and last referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice in May.

The university spent $10,000 more the third quarter compared to the previous quarter, which extends from April 1 to June 30. During the second quarter, SU spent the money on briefing issues related to higher education to Rep. John Katko (R-N.Y. 24), Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y. 21) and Rep. Richard Hanna (R-N.Y. 22), in addition to Democrat Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York state.

For the first quarter of this year, from Jan. 1 and March 31, the university did not disclose its lobbying activity report.



The university’s lobbying spending was slashed in half, compared to the fourth quarter of 2015. In that period, the university pushed Congress to continue the Perkins Loan program, low-cost government-guaranteed loans for low-income students to help cover higher education costs. The Perkins Loan program had been the main subject that SU pursued in its lobbying activity for the third-straight quarter. Nonetheless, Congress began the first phase to roll back the program in September.

The fourth quarter of 2016 runs from Oct. 1 to Dec. 31 with a filing date of Jan. 20, 2017.





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