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Sponsors introduce Hunger Free Campus Act to address student food insecurity
Summary
Sponsors presented House Bill 157 to create a Hunger Free Campus designation and grant program, empower the chancellor of higher education to set criteria and prioritize Pell-eligible institutions, and require reporting on program use and outcomes. Committee members raised questions about funding scale and implementation details.
Representatives introduced House Bill 157 in the Workforce and Higher Education Committee as a pilot grant and designation program intended to address college student food insecurity.
Sponsor testimony described HB157 as a program to allow the chancellor of higher education to establish criteria for a "Hunger Free Campus" designation, award grants to support existing basic-needs infrastructure, require reporting to the governor and General Assembly, and prioritize institutions with higher percentages of Pell-eligible students. Representative (speaker 13) said the program could support activities such as establishing on-campus pantries, partnering with local food banks, providing SNAP information, emergency assistance for students, and meal-credit donation programs. The sponsor said grants would be used to support or leverage existing programs and expressly preclude supplanting existing institutional funds.
Committee members asked for clarification of funding levels, oversight and coordination with universities, and the number of campuses lacking robust basic-needs services. A committee member observed an annual figure of $8,000,000 discussed in the hearing and noted the bill would allocate funding over the General Assembly; the sponsor characterized the bill as a pilot and said initial amounts were constrained by budget realities. Members urged further conversations with university representatives and recommended review by the finance committee to refine cost estimates and deployment plans.
The sponsors referenced research on college food insecurity and said the designation would also serve as a marketing signal to prospective students. They thanked advocacy groups and higher-education staff who assisted in drafting the bill. No formal committee vote was taken on HB157 during this hearing; the item was presented for sponsor testimony and committee questions.
