HB 1245 2025
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hb1245-00
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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
pilot program within the Department of Agriculture and 4
Consumer Services for a specified period; providing 5
the purpose of the pilot program; defining the ter ms 6
"commissioner" and "department"; requiring the 7
Commissioner of Agriculture to identify the three 8
state universities or Florida College System 9
institutions with the highest percentage of Pell 10
Grant-eligible students for participation in the pilot 11
program; requiring the commissioner to develop a 12
specified survey instrument; providing requirements 13
for participating universities and institutions; 14
requiring participating universities and institutions 15
to submit a report to the department; requiring the 16
commissioner to submit a report to the Governor and 17
the Legislature by a specified date; specifying 18
requirements for the reports; authorizing the 19
department to adopt rules; requiring the Office of 20
Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability 21
to conduct a study to evaluate food insecurity on the 22
campuses of state universities and Florida College 23
System institutions; providing requirements for the 24
office and the study; requiring the office to submit a 25
HB 1245 2025
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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
report to the Legislature by a specified date; 26
providing an effective date. 27
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Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 29
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Section 1. This act may be cited as the "Hunger -Free 31
Campus Act." 32
Section 2. (1) Subject to legislative appropriation, the 33
Hunger-Free Campus Pilot Program is es tablished within the 34
Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to support 35
efforts to fight hunger on the campuses of public postsecondary 36
educational institutions. The program is established for a 37
period of 1 year, beginning July 1, 2025. 38
(2) For purposes of this section, the term: 39
(a) "Commissioner" means the Commissioner of Agriculture. 40
(b) "Department" means the Department of Agriculture and 41
Consumer Services. 42
(3)(a) The commissioner shall identify from among all 43
state universities and Flor ida College System institutions the 44
three that have the highest percentage of Pell Grant -eligible 45
students, which universities or institutions shall participate 46
in the program. 47
(b) The commissioner shall also develop the survey 48
instrument described in su bsection (4). 49
(4) A participating state university or Florida College 50
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System institution shall: 51
(a) Establish a hunger task force, which must include 52
representatives from the student body and meet at least three 53
times during the life of the pilot progr am. The task force shall 54
set at least two goals to address hunger on campus, each 55
accompanied by an action plan. 56
(b) Designate a staff member responsible for assisting 57
students with enrollment in the Supplemental Nutrition 58
Assistance Program (SNAP) as de fined in s. 414.456(1), Florida 59
Statutes. 60
(c) Provide options that enable students to use SNAP 61
benefits on campus or provide students with information on 62
authorized SNAP retailers in the area surrounding the campus 63
where they may use SNAP electronic bene fit transfer cards. 64
(d) Host an activity or event during Hunger and 65
Homelessness Awareness Week to promote awareness of hunger on 66
the nation's campuses. 67
(e) Provide at least one physical food pantry on campus or 68
enable students to receive food at no cost through a stigma -free 69
process. The campus may partner with a local food bank or food 70
pantry to comply with this paragraph. 71
(f) Develop a student meal credit donation program or 72
designate funds that might be raised through such a program for 73
free food vouchers. 74
(g) Conduct a student survey on hunger, using a survey 75
HB 1245 2025
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instrument developed by the commissioner, and submit the results 76
of the survey and a best practices campus profile to the 77
department by a date prescribed by the department for inclusion 78
in a comparative profile of each campus designated as a hunger -79
free campus. 80
(5)(a) Each participating state university or Florida 81
College System institution shall submit a report to the 82
department, in a manner prescribed by the department, which 83
describes how it implemented the program and the program 84
results. 85
(b) The commissioner shall submit a report on the program 86
to the Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of 87
the House of Representatives by January 1, 2027. The report must 88
include, but need not be limited to, the impact of the program 89
on establishing hunger -free campuses at participating state 90
universities or Florida College System institutions; the impact 91
of the program on reducing the number of students at such 92
universities and ins titutions who are experiencing food 93
insecurity; and recommendations regarding future funding and 94
implementation of the program on a long -term basis. 95
(6) The department may adopt rules to implement the 96
program. 97
Section 3. (1) The Office of Program Po licy Analysis and 98
Government Accountability (OPPAGA) shall conduct a study to 99
evaluate food insecurity on the campuses of state universities 100
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and Florida College System institutions. 101
(2) The study must include recommendations for any changes 102
to general law, Board of Governors' rules and regulations, or 103
State Board of Education rules needed to address food insecurity 104
on the campuses of state universities and Florida College System 105
institutions. 106
(3) In conducting the study, OPPAGA shall consult with the 107
Board of Governors of the State University System, the board of 108
trustees of the Florida College System, the Department of 109
Education, and any other relevant stakeholders. 110
(4) OPPAGA shall submit a report on its findings to the 111
President of the Senate and th e Speaker of the House of 112
Representatives by December 1, 2025. 113
Section 4. This act shall take effect July 1, 2025. 114