| 1 | 1 | | |
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| 2 | 2 | | HOUSE BILL 7 |
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| 3 | 3 | | By Hale |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | SENATE BILL 172 |
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| 6 | 6 | | By Massey |
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| 7 | 7 | | |
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| 8 | 8 | | |
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| 9 | 9 | | SB0172 |
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| 10 | 10 | | 000197 |
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| 11 | 11 | | - 1 - |
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| 12 | 12 | | |
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| 13 | 13 | | AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49, |
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| 14 | 14 | | relative to a hunger-free campus grant program. |
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| 15 | 15 | | |
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| 16 | 16 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE: |
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| 17 | 17 | | SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49, Chapter 7, Part 1, is amended by |
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| 18 | 18 | | adding the following as a new section: |
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| 19 | 19 | | (a) As used in this section, "higher education institution" means: |
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| 20 | 20 | | (1) An institution operated by: |
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| 21 | 21 | | (A) The board of trustees of the University of Tennessee; |
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| 22 | 22 | | (B) The board of regents of the state university and community |
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| 23 | 23 | | college system; or |
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| 24 | 24 | | (C) A local governing board of trustees of a state university; or |
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| 25 | 25 | | (2) A private postsecondary institution accredited by a regional |
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| 26 | 26 | | accrediting association that has its primary campus domiciled in this state. |
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| 27 | 27 | | (b) Subject to the appropriation of funds by the general assembly, there is |
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| 28 | 28 | | created a hunger-free campus grant program to provide grants to higher education |
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| 29 | 29 | | institutions to be used to address hunger on the institutions' campuses. |
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| 30 | 30 | | (c) The Tennessee higher education commission shall administer the hunger- |
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| 31 | 31 | | free campus grant program. |
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| 32 | 32 | | (d) |
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| 33 | 33 | | (1) There is created a separate fund within the general fund to be known |
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| 34 | 34 | | as the hunger-free campus grant fund. |
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| 35 | 35 | | (2) The hunger-free campus grant fund is composed of: |
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| 36 | 36 | | |
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| 37 | 37 | | |
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| 38 | 38 | | - 2 - 000197 |
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| 39 | 39 | | |
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| 40 | 40 | | (A) Funds specifically appropriated by the general assembly for |
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| 41 | 41 | | the grant fund; and |
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| 42 | 42 | | (B) Gifts, grants, and other donations received for the grant fund. |
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| 43 | 43 | | (e) |
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| 44 | 44 | | (1) To be eligible for a hunger-free campus grant, a higher education |
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| 45 | 45 | | institution must: |
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| 46 | 46 | | (A) Submit an application to the commission on a form prescribed |
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| 47 | 47 | | by the commission, along with any supporting documentation required by |
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| 48 | 48 | | the commission. The commission shall establish a formal process and |
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| 49 | 49 | | deadline for receiving a higher education institution's application; |
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| 50 | 50 | | (B) |
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| 51 | 51 | | (i) Have or establish a physical food pantry that is |
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| 52 | 52 | | accessible to students; or |
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| 53 | 53 | | (ii) Partner with a food pantry that is accessible to students |
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| 54 | 54 | | and located in one (1) or more counties where the higher |
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| 55 | 55 | | education institution maintains a campus where students reside or |
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| 56 | 56 | | attend in-person courses; and |
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| 57 | 57 | | (C) Establish a hunger task force that includes at least two (2) |
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| 58 | 58 | | members of the institution's student body to examine the needs and best |
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| 59 | 59 | | practices of food insecurity on campus. |
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| 60 | 60 | | (2) The commission is authorized to develop and implement additional |
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| 61 | 61 | | policies and procedures for the approval of grant applications. |
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| 62 | 62 | | (f) A higher education institution that is awarded a hunger-free campus grant |
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| 63 | 63 | | must use grant proceeds to: |
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| 64 | 64 | | (1) |
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| 65 | 65 | | |
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| 66 | 66 | | |
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| 67 | 67 | | - 3 - 000197 |
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| 68 | 68 | | |
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| 69 | 69 | | (A) Develop a student meal credit donation program; |
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| 70 | 70 | | (B) Allocate funding for a meal voucher program for students; or |
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| 71 | 71 | | (C) Provide financial assistance to a food pantry described in |
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| 72 | 72 | | subdivision (e)(1)(B); and |
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| 73 | 73 | | (2) Raise awareness of community and campus resources related to |
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| 74 | 74 | | food insecurity. |
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| 75 | 75 | | (g) A higher education institution that is awarded a hunger-free campus grant |
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| 76 | 76 | | shall, for each year for which the institution receives a hunger-free campus grant, study |
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| 77 | 77 | | and submit a report to the education committee of the senate and the education |
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| 78 | 78 | | administration committee of the house of representatives on the institution's efforts to |
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| 79 | 79 | | address food insecurity, the demographics of the institution's food-insecure students, the |
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| 80 | 80 | | best practices being implemented by the institution to address campus hunger, and |
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| 81 | 81 | | other data related to campus hunger at the institution. |
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| 82 | 82 | | SECTION 2. This act is not an appropriation of funds, and funds must not be obligated |
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| 83 | 83 | | or expended pursuant to this act unless the funds are specifically appropriated by the general |
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| 84 | 84 | | appropriations act. |
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| 85 | 85 | | SECTION 3. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it. |
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