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