Massachusetts 2023-2024 Regular Session

Massachusetts House Bill H1293 Compare Versions

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22 HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3873 FILED ON: 1/20/2023
33 HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1293
44 The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
55 _________________
66 PRESENTED BY:
77 Andres X. Vargas and Mindy Domb
88 _________________
99 To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
1010 Court assembled:
1111 The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:
1212 An Act establishing the hunger free campus initiative.
1313 _______________
1414 PETITION OF:
1515 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
1616 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
1717 HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3873 FILED ON: 1/20/2023
1818 HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1293
1919 By Representatives Vargas of Haverhill and Domb of Amherst, a petition (accompanied by bill,
2020 House, No. 1293) of Andres X. Vargas, Mindy Domb and others for legislation to establish a
2121 hunger-free campus grant program. Higher Education.
2222 The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
2323 _______________
2424 In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court
2525 (2023-2024)
2626 _______________
2727 An Act establishing the hunger free campus initiative.
2828 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
2929 of the same, as follows:
3030 1 Chapter 15A of the General Laws is hereby amended by adding the following section:-
3131 2
3232 3 Section 46. (a) Subject to appropriation, there shall be a hunger-free campus grant
3333 4program managed by the department to provide grants to institutions of public higher education
3434 5to address student food insecurity and hunger in order to support students in completion of their
3535 6career and technical education at the post-secondary level with the goal of enhancing the
3636 7workforce of the commonwealth. This grant program shall also be available to municipally
3737 8administered colleges and to minority serving institutions as defined under 20 U.S.C. 1067k (3)
3838 9as determined by the United States Department of Education.
3939 10 Using funding allocated under the grant program, the department is authorized to hire a
4040 11director of the program who shall report to the commissioner. The director shall develop
4141 12guidelines and procedures governing the grant making process and the program using available 2 of 3
4242 13data pertaining to student hunger. The director may also conduct any additional surveys the
4343 14department deems necessary to understand gaps in addressing student food insecurity and hunger
4444 15eligible higher education campuses across the commonwealth.
4545 16 The guidelines and procedures that govern the program shall specify any requirements
4646 17applicable to eligible institutions of higher education including, but not limited to: (i) whether the
4747 18institution has designated campus staff to interface with the department; (ii) the existence and
4848 19extent of any campus-level hunger awareness programs, including notification to students of
4949 20their rights to participate in federal and state food assistance programs; (iii) whether the
5050 21institution has established on-campus meal vendors to accept available federal and state nutrition
5151 22benefits; (iv) the existence or development of a student meal credit sharing program; (v) income
5252 23based standards by which grant levels are determined according to the student population at each
5353 24participating campus; and (vi) any other pertinent criteria as developed by the department. The
5454 25department shall further develop and deliver technical assistance to assist eligible institutions of
5555 26higher education to meet the goals of this program.
5656 27 (b) Subject to appropriation, the department shall award grants to institutions that have
5757 28met the guidelines and procedures established by the department. Upon recommendation by the
5858 29director of the program, the
5959 30 commissioner or a designee shall determine the amount of each grant which shall be used
6060 31by the institution to address food insecurity among its students in accordance with the program
6161 32and shall establish reporting guidelines for grant recipients.
6262 33 (c) Annually, not later than July 1, the department shall submit a report on the hunger-
6363 34free campus grant program for the preceding fiscal year to the governor, the clerks of the senate 3 of 3
6464 35and house of representatives and the joint committee on higher education. The report shall
6565 36include the number and amounts of grants to eligible institutions well as a comprehensive
6666 37assessment of the program for the applicable year, including: (i) identifying the institutions
6767 38participating in the program; (ii) describing the activities of participating campuses; (iii) the level
6868 39of student engagement in activities; and (iv) the outcomes resulting from activities.
6969 40 (d) There shall be established and set up on the books of the commonwealth a separate
7070 41fund to be known as the Hunger-Free Campus Trust Fund administered by the commissioner of
7171 42higher education. The fund shall be credited with: (i) revenue from appropriations or other
7272 43money authorized by the general court and specifically designated to be credited to the fund; (ii)
7373 44interest earned on such revenues; and (iii) funds from public and private sources such as gifts,
7474 45grants and donations. Amounts credited to the fund shall not be subject to further appropriation
7575 46and any money remaining in the fund at the end of a fiscal year shall not revert to the General
7676 47Fund. Amounts credited to the fund shall be used to fund grants made pursuant to the program,
7777 48and for the cost of administration of such program by the department of higher education.
7878 49 (e) Annually, not later than October 1, the commissioner shall report to the clerks of the
7979 50senate and house of representatives, the joint committee on higher education and the house and
8080 51senate committees on ways and means on the fund's activity including: (i) the source and amount
8181 52of funds received; (ii) the amounts distributed and the purpose of expenditures from the fund;
8282 53(iii) any grants provided to institutions of higher education and other stakeholder organizations;
8383 54and (iv) anticipated revenue and expenditure projections for the next year.