Maryland Senate Passes $577M Settlement For HBCU Lawsuit
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — The Maryland Senate unanimously passed a measure on Friday for a $577 million settlement to a long-running lawsuit involving the state's four historically Black colleges.
The measure now goes to the House of Delegates, where House Speaker Adrienne Jones is a strong supporter.
The General Assembly approved the legislation last year. It was vetoed by Gov. Larry Hogan, who cited the fiscal toll of the coronavirus pandemic.
The lawsuit from 2006 alleged the state had underfunded the institutions while developing programs at traditionally white schools that directly compete with and drain prospective students away from HBCUs.
In 2013, a federal judge found that the state had maintained "a dual and segregated education system" that violated the Constitution."
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