EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MAT TER ADDED TO EXISTING LAW .
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
*sb0789*
SENATE BILL 789
F2 5lr2158
By: Senator M. Washington
Introduced and read first time: January 28, 2025
Assigned to: Education, Energy, and the Environment
A BILL ENTITLED
AN ACT concerning 1
Higher Education – Hunger–Free Campus Grant Program – Alterations 2
FOR the purpose of requiring the Maryland Higher Education Commission to designate 3
certain private institutions of higher education as hunger–free campuses; 4
prohibiting certain private institutions of higher education from being eligible to 5
receive grant funding under the Hunger–Free Campus Grant Program; altering the 6
requirement of the Governor, beginning in a certain fiscal year, to include in the 7
annual budget bill a certain appropriation for the Program; and generally relating 8
to alterations to the Hunger–Free Campus Grant Program. 9
BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 10
Article – Education 11
Section 11–1701 and 11–1703 through 11–1706 12
Annotated Code of Maryland 13
(2022 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 14
BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments, 15
Article – Education 16
Section 11–1702 17
Annotated Code of Maryland 18
(2022 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 19
SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 20
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 21
Article – Education 22
11–1701. 23
(a) In this subtitle the following words have the meanings indicated. 24
2 SENATE BILL 789
(b) “Emergency assistance” means immediate direct assistance provided by a 1
hunger–free campus to any student facing an unanticipated financial crisis or hardship. 2
(c) “Hunger–free campus” means a campus of any 4–year [public] institution of 3
higher education or regional higher education center that meets the requirements of § 4
11–1703(a) of this subtitle or any 2–year [public] institution of higher education that meets 5
the requirements of § 11–1703(b) of this subtitle. 6
(d) “Program” means the Hunger–Free Campus Grant Program. 7
11–1702. 8
(a) There is a Hunger–Free Campus Grant Program. 9
(b) The purpose of the Program is to: 10
(1) Address student hunger; 11
(2) Leverage more sustainable solutions to address basic food needs on 12
campus; 13
(3) Raise awareness of services currently offered on campus that address 14
basic food needs; and 15
(4) Build strategic partnerships at the local, State, and national levels to 16
address food insecurity among students. 17
(c) (1) The Commission shall administer the Program. 18
(2) The Commission shall develop the form to be used for the annual 19
student survey required under § 11–1703 of this subtitle. 20
11–1703. 21
(a) The Commission shall designate as a hunger–free campus any campus of a 22
4–year [public] institution of higher education or regional higher education center that: 23
(1) Has established a hunger task force that: 24
(i) Meets at least three times per academic year; and 25
(ii) Sets at least two goals with action plans; 26
(2) Has designated a staff member responsible for: 27
(i) Assisting students in enrolling in the Supplemental Nutrition 28
Assistance Program; or 29 SENATE BILL 789 3
(ii) Connecting students with available Supplemental Nutrition 1
Assistance Program outreach partners that can assist students in enrolling in the 2
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program; 3
(3) Has designated a staff member responsible for informing students 4
participating in federal work–study programs that they are eligible for the Supplemental 5
Nutrition Assistance Program; 6
(4) (i) Provides options for students to utilize Supplemental Nutrition 7
Assistance Program benefits at campus retailers; or 8
(ii) Provides students with information on the names and locations 9
of off–campus retailers that accept Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits; 10
(5) Participates in an awareness day campaign activity and plans at least 11
one campus awareness event during the National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness 12
Week; 13
(6) Provides at least one food pantry on campus, or enables students in 14
need to receive food through a separate, stigma–free arrangement; 15
(7) Develops and maintains a meal–sharing program that allows students 16
to donate their unused meal plan credits to be distributed to students in need for use in 17
campus dining halls or at an on–campus food pantry, if applicable; 18
(8) Conducts a standardized annual student survey on hunger and submits 19
the results to the Commission; and 20
(9) Submits an annual report detailing its efforts to address student 21
hunger to the Commission. 22
(b) The Commission shall designate as a hunger–free campus any campus of a 23
2–year [public] institution of higher education that meets all of the requirements for 24
4–year [public] institutions of higher education or regional higher education centers 25
identified in subsection (a) of this section, with the exception of the requirements in 26
subsection (a)(4) and (7) of this section. 27
(c) (1) Each 4–year [public] institution of higher education may develop its 28
own procedures for a meal–sharing program. 29
(2) The 4–year [public] institutions of higher education shall make 30
information about the meal–sharing program publicly available, including: 31
(i) How a student may donate unused meal plan credits; 32
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(ii) How a student in need may apply to receive donated meal plan 1
credits; and 2
(iii) The methodology that a 4–year [public] institution of higher 3
education uses to ensure that unused donated meal plan credits are used to purchase food 4
to support an on–campus food pantry, if applicable. 5
11–1704. 6
(A) For fiscal [year 2023 and each fiscal year thereafter] YEARS 2023 THROUGH 7
2026, the Governor shall include in the annual budget bill an appropriation of $150,000 8
for the Program. 9
(B) FOR FISCAL YEAR 2027 AND EACH FISCAL YEAR THEREAFTER , THE 10
GOVERNOR SHALL INCLUDE IN THE ANNUAL BUDGET BILL AN APPROPRIATIO N OF 11
$250,000 FOR THE PROGRAM. 12
11–1705. 13
(a) (1) The Commission shall allocate grant funding to any 4–year or 2–year 14
public institution of higher education or regional higher education center that: 15
[(1)] (I) Pledges a matching contribution to be used to implement the 16
goals of the Program; and 17
[(2)] (II) Is designated as a hunger–free campus. 18
(2) NOTWITHSTANDING DESIGNATION AS A HUNGER–FREE CAMPUS 19
UNDER THIS SUBTITLE, A 4–YEAR OR 2–YEAR PRIVATE INSTITU TION OF HIGHER 20
EDUCATION OR A REGIONAL HIGHER EDUC ATION CENTER OPERATED BY A PRIVATE 21
NONPROFIT INSTITUTIO N OF HIGHER EDUCATIO N IS NOT ELIGIBLE TO R ECEIVE 22
GRANT FUNDING UNDER THE PROGRAM. 23
(b) The Commission shall determine the amount of each grant. 24
(c) The Commission shall incorporate into the 2026–2030 State Plan for Higher 25
Education a plan for addressing any basic needs insecurity of higher education students. 26
(d) (1) The Commission shall adopt regulations necessary to carry out the 27
requirements of this subtitle. 28
(2) The regulations adopted under this subsection shall allow grant 29
recipients to use grant funds flexibly to implement the goals of the Program, including 30
giving recipients the ability to: 31
(i) Support emergency assistance; 32 SENATE BILL 789 5
(ii) Hire staff to manage initiatives related to the Program; and 1
(iii) Use grant funds for operational activities related to the Program. 2
11–1706. 3
(a) Not later than 2 years after establishing the Program, the Commission shall 4
report to the Governor and, in accordance with § 2–1257 of the State Government Article, 5
the General Assembly on the implementation of this subtitle. 6
(b) The report shall include: 7
(1) The number and amounts of grants awarded; 8
(2) The impact of the Program on establishing hunger–free campuses at 9
[public] institutions of higher education and regional higher education centers; 10
(3) The impact of awarded grants on reducing the number of students 11
experiencing food insecurity; and 12
(4) Recommendations on expanding the Program. 13
SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect July 14
1, 2025. 15