madam chairman , i rise today , in support of the baca-hinojosa amendment to the agriculture appropriation bill to increase funding for hispanic serving institutions . 
this increase would grant additional funding for 193 of our nation 's hispanic serving colleges and universities who are committed to ensuring greater hispanic representation in higher education in the u.s. there are 54 hispanic serving institutions in my home state of california , and in my congressional district , which ranks among the highest in agriculture producing districts in the country , there are four hispanic serving institutions . 
one hispanic serving institution in particular that will benefit is uc merced , an exceptional research institution committed to reducing under-representation of valley students in the fields of agricultural sciences and natural resources . 
madam chairman , i support an increase in ag-related educational funding . 
i believe that it will not only benefit my district but also the agricultural education and production of our country on a whole . 
