Alabama 2025 Regular Session

Alabama House Bill HB273 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

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1	1	HB273INTRODUCED
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3	3	HB273
4	4	IUYE666-1
5	5	By Representatives Collins, Almond
6	6	RFD: Ways and Means Education
7	7	First Read: 13-Feb-25
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12	12	5 IUYE666-1 02/07/2025 KMS (L)cr 2025-454
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14	14	First Read: 13-Feb-25
15	15	SYNOPSIS:
16	16	This bill would establish the Hunger-Free Campus
17	17	Act.
18	18	This bill would require the Alabama Commission
19	19	on Higher Education to establish a process for a
20	20	qualified public institution of higher education to be
21	21	designated as a hunger-free campus.
22	22	This bill would provide application and
23	23	eligibility requirements for designation as a
24	24	hunger-free campus.
25	25	This bill would also provide for the award of
26	26	grants to a hunger-free campus to purchase equipment
27	27	and supplies for on-campus food pantries, subject to
28	28	the appropriation of funds by the Legislature.
29	29	A BILL
30	30	TO BE ENTITLED
31	31	AN ACT
32	32	To create the Hunger-Free Campus Act administered by
33	33	the Alabama Commission on Higher Education; to provide for the
34	34	designation of a qualified public institution of higher
35	35	education as a hunger-free campus; to provide application,
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65	65	education as a hunger-free campus; to provide application,
66	66	eligibility, and renewal criteria; and to require the
67	67	commission to adopt necessary rules.
68	68	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA:
69	69	Section 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as
70	70	the Hunger-Free Campus Act.
71	71	Section 2. For the purposes of this act, the following
72	72	terms have the following meanings:
73	73	(1) COMMISSION. The Alabama Commission on Higher
74	74	Education.
75	75	(2) PUBLIC INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION. A public
76	76	two-year or four-year institution of higher education which
77	77	provides vocational, technical, collegiate, professional, or
78	78	any other form of education above the secondary school level.
79	79	(3) SNAP. The federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance
80	80	Program.
81	81	Section 3. The commission, by rule, shall establish an
82	82	application process for qualified public institutions of
83	83	higher education to be designated as hunger-free campuses. The
84	84	process shall include the completion and submission to the
85	85	commission of an application form developed by the commission,
86	86	the review of each submitted application form by the
87	87	commission, and the award of the designation to each public
88	88	institution of higher education that meets the eligibility
89	89	requirements provided in Section 4.
90	90	Section 4. To be eligible for designation as a
91	91	hunger-free campus, a public institution of higher education
92	92	shall do all of the following:
93	93	(1) Establish a hunger-free task force. A task force
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123	123	(1) Establish a hunger-free task force. A task force
124	124	shall meet at least three times per academic year, annually
125	125	establish at least two program goals, and develop action plans
126	126	for each of those goals. The membership of a task force, at a
127	127	minimum, shall include all of the following:
128	128	a. At least two students who are enrolled in and
129	129	attending the public institution of higher education.
130	130	b. A representative from the office of student affairs
131	131	of the public institution of higher education.
132	132	c. A representative from the financial aid office of
133	133	the public institution of higher education.
134	134	d. Any additional members deemed appropriate by the
135	135	public institution of higher education.
136	136	(2) Designate a staff member to be responsible for
137	137	assisting students with receiving information on SNAP benefits
138	138	in the state.
139	139	(3) Either: (i) provide options for students to utilize
140	140	SNAP benefits on each campus; or (ii) provide students with
141	141	information on local establishments in the geographic area
142	142	surrounding each campus where students may use SNAP benefits.
143	143	(4) Hold or participate in at least one food insecurity
144	144	awareness event per academic year.
145	145	(5) Provide: (i) at least one physical food pantry on
146	146	each campus; or (ii) information about community supported
147	147	food pantries in the area surrounding each campus.
148	148	(6) Either: (i) develop a student meal credit donation
149	149	program; or (ii) develop and implement a program to provide
150	150	free food vouchers including, but not limited to, grocery
151	151	store gift cards, to students.
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181	181	store gift cards, to students.
182	182	(7) Administer a student survey about food insecurity
183	183	and other basic needs of students at least every two years.
184	184	Each public institution of higher education may partner with a
185	185	local community-based organization to coordinate survey
186	186	efforts.
187	187	Section 5. (a) Designation as a hunger-free campus
188	188	shall be valid for two years, and, upon application to the
189	189	commission, may be renewed for an additional two years.
190	190	(b) If the commission determines that a public
191	191	institution of higher education does not meet the requirements
192	192	to renew its designation, the commission shall do both of the
193	193	following:
194	194	a. Provide written notice to the public institution of
195	195	higher education that the public institution of higher
196	196	education has not met the criteria in Section 4.
197	197	b. Provide the public institution of higher education
198	198	within 45 days from the receipt of notice to correct or amend
199	199	its renewal application. If the public institution of higher
200	200	education does not submit a corrected or amended renewal
201	201	application that indicates compliance with the renewal
202	202	requirements, the designation as a hunger-free campus shall
203	203	not be renewed.
204	204	(c) A public institution of higher education whose
205	205	designation as a hunger-free campus is not renewed may not
206	206	apply for the designation again until the following academic
207	207	year.
208	208	Section 6. Subject to the appropriation of funds by the
209	209	Legislature, the commission shall accept grant requests from
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239	239	Legislature, the commission shall accept grant requests from
240	240	any public institution of higher education designated as a
241	241	hunger-free campus and shall award grants to those designated
242	242	public institutions of higher education on a competitive
243	243	basis. The commission shall determine the amount of each
244	244	grant, prioritizing grants made to designated public
245	245	institutions of higher education with the highest percentages
246	246	of eligible Pell Grant recipient enrollment. The grants shall
247	247	be used for the purchase of equipment and supplies including,
248	248	but not limited to, refrigeration appliances and shelving for
249	249	the conversion or upgrade of existing facilities to house food
250	250	pantries.
251	251	Section 7. The commission shall adopt rules as
252	252	necessary to administer and implement the program. A
253	253	percentage of any appropriation made to the commission for the
254	254	program may be expended by the commission for the operation
255	255	and maintenance of the program. Any funds appropriated to the
256	256	program shall be non-reverting.
257	257	Section 8. Grant recipients shall submit an annual
258	258	report to the commission regarding hunger-free activities on
259	259	the campus during the prior year and describe how grant awards
260	260	were used. The commission shall provide an annual report to
261	261	the Chair of the House Ways and Means Education Committee and
262	262	the Chair of the Senate Finance and Taxation Education
263	263	Committee to account for the use of funds and the
264	264	effectiveness of the grant program.
265	265	Section 9. This act shall become effective on October
266	266	1, 2025.
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