CS/HB 1555 2023
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
A bill to be entitled 1
An act relating to the Hunger -Free Campus Pilot 2
Program; providing a short title; establishing the 3
Hunger-Free Campus Pilot Program within the Department 4
of Agriculture and Consumer Services; providing the 5
purpose of the program; providing definitions; 6
requiring the Commissioner of Agriculture to select 7
three state universities or Florida College System 8
institutions for participation in the program; 9
providing criteria for the selection of such 10
universities or institutions; providing requirements 11
for participating universities and institutions; 12
requiring participating universities and institutions 13
to submit a report to the department; requiring the 14
commissioner to submit a report to the Governor and 15
the Legislature by a specified date; specifying 16
requirements for the reports; authorizing the 17
department to adopt rules; requiring the Office of 18
Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability 19
to conduct a study to evaluate food insecurity on the 20
campuses of Florida College System institutions and 21
state universities; providing requirements for the 22
office and the study; requiring the office to submit a 23
report to the Legislature by a specified date; 24
providing an effective date. 25
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Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 27
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Section 1. This act may be cited as the "Hunger -Free 29
Campus Act." 30
Section 2. (1) Subject to legislative appropriation, the 31
Hunger-Free Campus Pilot Program is esta blished within the 32
Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to support 33
efforts to fight hunger on the campuses of public postsecondary 34
educational institutions. The program is established for a 35
period of 1 year beginning July 1, 2023. 36
(2) For purposes of this section, the term: 37
(a) "Commissioner" means the Commissioner of Agriculture. 38
(b) "Department" means the Department of Agriculture and 39
Consumer Services. 40
(3) The commissioner shall select the three state 41
universities or Florida College Sy stem institutions with the 42
highest percentage of students receiving a Pell Grant to 43
participate in the program. 44
(4) A participating state university or Florida College 45
System institution participating in the program shall: 46
(a) Establish a hunger task f orce, which includes 47
representatives from the student body and which meets at least 48
three times during the program, to set at least two goals to 49
address hunger on campus, each with an action plan. 50
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(b) Designate a staff member responsible for assisting 51
students with enrollment in the Supplemental Nutrition 52
Assistance Program (SNAP) as defined in s. 414.456(1), Florida 53
Statutes. 54
(c) Provide options for students to use SNAP benefits at 55
campus stores or provide students with information on 56
establishments in the area surrounding the campus at which they 57
can use SNAP electronic benefit transfer cards. 58
(d) Host an activity or event during Hunger and 59
Homelessness Awareness Week to promote awareness of hunger on 60
the nation's campuses. 61
(e) Provide at least one physical food pantry on campus or 62
enable students to receive food at no cost through a separate, 63
stigma-free process. The campus may partner with a local food 64
bank or food pantry to meet this requirement. 65
(f) Develop a student m eal credit donation program or 66
designate a certain amount of funds for free food vouchers which 67
might otherwise be raised through such a program. 68
(g) Conduct a student survey on hunger, developed by the 69
department, and submit the results of the survey an d a best 70
practices campus profile to the department at a date prescribed 71
by the department for inclusion in a comparative profile of each 72
campus designated as a hunger -free campus. 73
(5)(a) Each participating state university or Florida 74
College System institution shall submit a report to the 75
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department, in the manner the department prescribes, which 76
describes how the university or institution implemented the 77
program and the results from such program. 78
(b) The commissioner shall submit a report on the progr am 79
to the Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of 80
the House of Representatives by January 1, 2025. The report must 81
include, but need not be limited to, the impact of the program 82
on establishing hunger -free campuses at participating state 83
universities or Florida College System institutions; the impact 84
of the program on reducing the number of students experiencing 85
food insecurity; and recommendations regarding future funding 86
and implementation for the program. 87
(6) The department may adopt rules to implement the 88
program. 89
Section 3. (1) The Office of Program Policy Analysis and 90
Government Accountability (OPPAGA) shall conduct a study to 91
evaluate food insecurity on the campuses of Florida College 92
System institutions and state universities . 93
(2) The study must include recommendations for any changes 94
to general law, Board of Governor regulations, or State Board of 95
Education rules needed to address food insecurity on the 96
campuses of Florida College System institutions and state 97
universities. 98
(3) In conducting the study, OPPAGA shall consult with the 99
Board of Governors of the State University System, the Florida 100
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College System, the Department of Education, and any other 101
relevant stakeholders. 102
(4) OPPAGA shall submit a report on its finding s to the 103
President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of 104
Representatives by December 1, 2023. 105
Section 4. This act shall take effect July 1, 2023. 106