1 | 1 | | 1 of 2 |
---|
2 | 2 | | HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3873 FILED ON: 1/20/2023 |
---|
3 | 3 | | HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1293 |
---|
4 | 4 | | The Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
---|
5 | 5 | | _________________ |
---|
6 | 6 | | PRESENTED BY: |
---|
7 | 7 | | Andres X. Vargas and Mindy Domb |
---|
8 | 8 | | _________________ |
---|
9 | 9 | | To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General |
---|
10 | 10 | | Court assembled: |
---|
11 | 11 | | The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill: |
---|
12 | 12 | | An Act establishing the hunger free campus initiative. |
---|
13 | 13 | | _______________ |
---|
14 | 14 | | PETITION OF: |
---|
15 | 15 | | NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:Andres X. Vargas3rd Essex1/20/2023Mindy Domb3rd Hampshire1/20/2023Vanna Howard17th Middlesex1/20/2023James C. Arena-DeRosa8th Middlesex1/26/2023Rodney M. Elliott16th Middlesex1/31/2023Patricia A. Duffy5th Hampden2/2/2023Brian M. Ashe2nd Hampden2/2/2023Susannah M. Whipps2nd Franklin2/2/2023Steven Ultrino33rd Middlesex2/2/2023Lindsay N. Sabadosa1st Hampshire2/2/2023Kathleen R. LaNatra12th Plymouth2/3/2023Jay D. Livingstone8th Suffolk2/6/2023Daniel R. Carey2nd Hampshire2/6/2023John J. CroninWorcester and Middlesex2/7/2023Michelle M. DuBois10th Plymouth2/7/2023Joan Meschino3rd Plymouth2/8/2023David Henry Argosky LeBoeuf17th Worcester2/9/2023Natalie M. Higgins4th Worcester2/10/2023 2 of 2 |
---|
16 | 16 | | Priscila S. Sousa6th Middlesex2/14/2023Christine P. Barber34th Middlesex2/14/2023Thomas M. Stanley9th Middlesex2/15/2023Paul McMurtry11th Norfolk2/15/2023Patrick Joseph Kearney4th Plymouth2/16/2023Carol A. Doherty3rd Bristol2/20/2023Adrian C. Madaro1st Suffolk2/21/2023Bud L. Williams11th Hampden2/22/2023John Barrett, III1st Berkshire2/22/2023Russell E. Holmes6th Suffolk2/22/2023Erika Uyterhoeven27th Middlesex2/22/2023Manny Cruz7th Essex2/23/2023Tram T. Nguyen18th Essex2/27/2023Danillo A. Sena37th Middlesex2/28/2023David Paul Linsky5th Middlesex3/1/2023Carlos González10th Hampden3/1/2023Joanne M. ComerfordHampshire, Franklin and Worcester3/1/2023Jason M. LewisFifth Middlesex3/2/2023Kenneth I. Gordon21st Middlesex3/13/2023 1 of 3 |
---|
17 | 17 | | HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3873 FILED ON: 1/20/2023 |
---|
18 | 18 | | HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1293 |
---|
19 | 19 | | By Representatives Vargas of Haverhill and Domb of Amherst, a petition (accompanied by bill, |
---|
20 | 20 | | House, No. 1293) of Andres X. Vargas, Mindy Domb and others for legislation to establish a |
---|
21 | 21 | | hunger-free campus grant program. Higher Education. |
---|
22 | 22 | | The Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
---|
23 | 23 | | _______________ |
---|
24 | 24 | | In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court |
---|
25 | 25 | | (2023-2024) |
---|
26 | 26 | | _______________ |
---|
27 | 27 | | An Act establishing the hunger free campus initiative. |
---|
28 | 28 | | Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority |
---|
29 | 29 | | of the same, as follows: |
---|
30 | 30 | | 1 Chapter 15A of the General Laws is hereby amended by adding the following section:- |
---|
31 | 31 | | 2 |
---|
32 | 32 | | 3 Section 46. (a) Subject to appropriation, there shall be a hunger-free campus grant |
---|
33 | 33 | | 4program managed by the department to provide grants to institutions of public higher education |
---|
34 | 34 | | 5to address student food insecurity and hunger in order to support students in completion of their |
---|
35 | 35 | | 6career and technical education at the post-secondary level with the goal of enhancing the |
---|
36 | 36 | | 7workforce of the commonwealth. This grant program shall also be available to municipally |
---|
37 | 37 | | 8administered colleges and to minority serving institutions as defined under 20 U.S.C. 1067k (3) |
---|
38 | 38 | | 9as determined by the United States Department of Education. |
---|
39 | 39 | | 10 Using funding allocated under the grant program, the department is authorized to hire a |
---|
40 | 40 | | 11director of the program who shall report to the commissioner. The director shall develop |
---|
41 | 41 | | 12guidelines and procedures governing the grant making process and the program using available 2 of 3 |
---|
42 | 42 | | 13data pertaining to student hunger. The director may also conduct any additional surveys the |
---|
43 | 43 | | 14department deems necessary to understand gaps in addressing student food insecurity and hunger |
---|
44 | 44 | | 15eligible higher education campuses across the commonwealth. |
---|
45 | 45 | | 16 The guidelines and procedures that govern the program shall specify any requirements |
---|
46 | 46 | | 17applicable to eligible institutions of higher education including, but not limited to: (i) whether the |
---|
47 | 47 | | 18institution has designated campus staff to interface with the department; (ii) the existence and |
---|
48 | 48 | | 19extent of any campus-level hunger awareness programs, including notification to students of |
---|
49 | 49 | | 20their rights to participate in federal and state food assistance programs; (iii) whether the |
---|
50 | 50 | | 21institution has established on-campus meal vendors to accept available federal and state nutrition |
---|
51 | 51 | | 22benefits; (iv) the existence or development of a student meal credit sharing program; (v) income |
---|
52 | 52 | | 23based standards by which grant levels are determined according to the student population at each |
---|
53 | 53 | | 24participating campus; and (vi) any other pertinent criteria as developed by the department. The |
---|
54 | 54 | | 25department shall further develop and deliver technical assistance to assist eligible institutions of |
---|
55 | 55 | | 26higher education to meet the goals of this program. |
---|
56 | 56 | | 27 (b) Subject to appropriation, the department shall award grants to institutions that have |
---|
57 | 57 | | 28met the guidelines and procedures established by the department. Upon recommendation by the |
---|
58 | 58 | | 29director of the program, the |
---|
59 | 59 | | 30 commissioner or a designee shall determine the amount of each grant which shall be used |
---|
60 | 60 | | 31by the institution to address food insecurity among its students in accordance with the program |
---|
61 | 61 | | 32and shall establish reporting guidelines for grant recipients. |
---|
62 | 62 | | 33 (c) Annually, not later than July 1, the department shall submit a report on the hunger- |
---|
63 | 63 | | 34free campus grant program for the preceding fiscal year to the governor, the clerks of the senate 3 of 3 |
---|
64 | 64 | | 35and house of representatives and the joint committee on higher education. The report shall |
---|
65 | 65 | | 36include the number and amounts of grants to eligible institutions well as a comprehensive |
---|
66 | 66 | | 37assessment of the program for the applicable year, including: (i) identifying the institutions |
---|
67 | 67 | | 38participating in the program; (ii) describing the activities of participating campuses; (iii) the level |
---|
68 | 68 | | 39of student engagement in activities; and (iv) the outcomes resulting from activities. |
---|
69 | 69 | | 40 (d) There shall be established and set up on the books of the commonwealth a separate |
---|
70 | 70 | | 41fund to be known as the Hunger-Free Campus Trust Fund administered by the commissioner of |
---|
71 | 71 | | 42higher education. The fund shall be credited with: (i) revenue from appropriations or other |
---|
72 | 72 | | 43money authorized by the general court and specifically designated to be credited to the fund; (ii) |
---|
73 | 73 | | 44interest earned on such revenues; and (iii) funds from public and private sources such as gifts, |
---|
74 | 74 | | 45grants and donations. Amounts credited to the fund shall not be subject to further appropriation |
---|
75 | 75 | | 46and any money remaining in the fund at the end of a fiscal year shall not revert to the General |
---|
76 | 76 | | 47Fund. Amounts credited to the fund shall be used to fund grants made pursuant to the program, |
---|
77 | 77 | | 48and for the cost of administration of such program by the department of higher education. |
---|
78 | 78 | | 49 (e) Annually, not later than October 1, the commissioner shall report to the clerks of the |
---|
79 | 79 | | 50senate and house of representatives, the joint committee on higher education and the house and |
---|
80 | 80 | | 51senate committees on ways and means on the fund's activity including: (i) the source and amount |
---|
81 | 81 | | 52of funds received; (ii) the amounts distributed and the purpose of expenditures from the fund; |
---|
82 | 82 | | 53(iii) any grants provided to institutions of higher education and other stakeholder organizations; |
---|
83 | 83 | | 54and (iv) anticipated revenue and expenditure projections for the next year. |
---|