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Commission reviews hunger-policy bills from 2018 through 2026
Summary
Division of Legislative Services walked commissioners through bills passed since 2018 on SNAP outreach, hunger-free campus grants, WIC outreach, the Wholesome Food Donation tax credit, and the Virginia Agricultural Food Assistance Program (VAFAP), noting reports and grant awards that shape current work.
Danica Roem, chair of the Virginia Commission on Hunger, opened the meeting and asked the Division of Legislative Services to review legislation affecting food assistance since 2018. Chandler Brooks of DLS summarized the bills and follow-up reports that frame the commission's work.
Brooks cataloged measures across multiple years and agencies, including 2025 bills that established a hunger-free campus pantry grant program and required SNAP outreach materials at institutions of higher education. He noted that CHEV had awarded about $500,000 in campus pantry grants to 48 institutions and that VDSS submitted a report on access to federal food assistance on Dec. 15, 2025. "The 1st of these is 2025 HB 1723 from our vice chair, Delegate Price. This bill directed VDSS to submit a report on improving access to and maximizing participation in federal food assistance programs," Brooks said.
Why it matters: lawmakers and staff said the retrospective helps the commission identify recurring gaps (meal debt, program access, outreach) and where future legislative or administrative work could be targeted. Brooks pointed commissioners to supporting reports posted on the Legislative Information System for more detail.
