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HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2096 FILED ON: 1/15/2025
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1466
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
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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.
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PETITION OF:
NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:Andres X. Vargas3rd Essex1/15/2025Mindy Domb3rd Hampshire1/15/2025Lindsay N. Sabadosa1st Hampshire1/24/2025Rodney M. Elliott16th Middlesex1/24/2025Joan Meschino3rd Plymouth1/27/2025Tara T. Hong18th Middlesex1/28/2025Sean Reid11th Essex1/31/2025Samantha Montaño15th Suffolk2/6/2025Michael D. BradySecond Plymouth and Norfolk2/6/2025Erika Uyterhoeven27th Middlesex2/6/2025James B. EldridgeMiddlesex and Worcester2/12/2025Homar Gómez2nd Hampshire2/12/2025Brian M. Ashe2nd Hampden2/12/2025Manny Cruz7th Essex2/12/2025James C. Arena-DeRosa8th Middlesex2/12/2025James Arciero2nd Middlesex2/24/2025Tram T. Nguyen18th Essex3/11/2025Adrianne Pusateri Ramos14th Essex3/11/2025 2 of 2
Sean Garballey23rd Middlesex3/11/2025Paul McMurtry11th Norfolk3/11/2025 1 of 4
HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2096 FILED ON: 1/15/2025
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1466
By Representatives Vargas of Haverhill and Domb of Amherst, a petition (accompanied by bill,
House, No. 1466) 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-Fourth General Court
(2025-2026)
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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. Funding for the grant program may
10include, but not be limited to, appropriations from the Education and Transportation Fund
11established in section 2BBBBBB of chapter 29.
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13 Using funding allocated under the grant program, the department is authorized to hire a
14director of the program who shall report to the commissioner. The director shall develop
15guidelines and procedures governing the grant making process and the program using available
16data pertaining to student hunger. The director may also conduct any additional surveys the
17department deems necessary to understand gaps in addressing student food insecurity and hunger
18eligible higher education campuses across the commonwealth.
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20 The guidelines and procedures that govern the program shall specify any requirements
21applicable to eligible institutions of higher education including, but not limited to: (i) whether the
22institution has designated campus staff to interface with the department; (ii) the existence and
23extent of any campus-level hunger awareness programs, including notification to students of
24their rights to participate in federal and state food assistance programs; (iii) whether the
25institution has established on-campus meal vendors to accept available federal and state nutrition
26benefits; (iv) the existence or development of a student meal credit sharing program; (v) income
27based standards by which grant levels are determined according to the student population at each
28participating campus; and (vi) any other pertinent criteria as developed by the department. The
29department shall further develop and deliver technical assistance to assist eligible institutions of
30higher education to meet the goals of this program.
31
32 (b) Subject to appropriation, the department shall award grants to institutions that have
33met the guidelines and procedures established by the department. Upon recommendation by the
34director of the program, the commissioner or a designee shall determine the amount of each grant 3 of 4
35which shall be used by the institution to address food insecurity among its students in accordance
36with the program and shall establish reporting guidelines for grant recipients.
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38 (c) Annually, not later than July 1, the department shall submit a report on the hunger-
39free campus grant program for the preceding fiscal year to the governor, the clerks of the senate
40and house of representatives and the joint committee on higher education. The report shall
41include the number and amounts of grants to eligible institutions well as a comprehensive
42assessment of the program for the applicable year, including: (i) identifying the institutions
43participating in the program; (ii) describing the activities of participating campuses; (iii) the level
44of student engagement in activities; and (iv) the outcomes resulting from activities.
45 (d) There shall be established and set up on the books of the commonwealth a separate
46fund to be known as the Hunger-Free Campus Trust Fund administered by the commissioner of
47higher education. The fund shall be credited with: (i) revenue from appropriations or other
48money authorized by the general court and specifically designated to be credited to the fund; (ii)
49interest earned on such revenues; and (iii) funds from public and private sources such as gifts,
50grants and donations. Amounts credited to the fund shall not be subject to further appropriation
51and any money remaining in the fund at the end of a fiscal year shall not revert to the General
52Fund. Amounts credited to the fund shall be used to fund grants made pursuant to the program,
53and for the cost of administration of such program by the department of higher education.
54
55 (e) Annually, not later than October 1, the commissioner shall report to the clerks of the
56senate and house of representatives, the joint committee on higher education and the house and 4 of 4
57senate committees on ways and means on the fund's activity including: (i) the source and amount
58of funds received; (ii) the amounts distributed and the purpose of expenditures from the fund;
59(iii) any grants provided to institutions of higher education and other stakeholder organizations;
60and (iv) anticipated revenue and expenditure projections for the next year.