I 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 9521 

To amend the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to expand the eligibility 

of students to participate in the supplemental nutrition assistance program, establish college student food insecurity demonstration programs, 

and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SEPTEMBER 10, 2024 

Mrs. HAYES (for herself, Mrs. TORRES of California, Ms. NORTON, Ms. SCANLON, Ms. BUSH, Ms. STANSBURY, Ms. TOKUDA, Ms. PINGREE, Ms. 

TLAIB, Ms. OMAR, Ms. BARRAGA ́N, Mr. SWALWELL, Ms. ADAMS, Mr. 

JACKSON of Illinois, Mr. MULLIN, Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi, Mr. 

TRONE, Ms. VELA ́ZQUEZ, Mr. CARTER of Louisiana, Mr. THANEDAR, Mr. 

JOHNSON of Georgia, Ms. SALINAS, Ms. CROCKETT, Ms. BLUNT ROCHESTER, Ms. LEE of California, Ms. LEE of Pennsylvania, and Mr. 

EVANS) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, and in addition to the Committee on Agriculture, for a period to be subsequently determined by the 

Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within 

the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To amend the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to expand 

the eligibility of students to participate in the supplemental nutrition assistance program, establish college 

student food insecurity demonstration programs, and for 

other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

2 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 

3 ‘‘Student Food Security Act of 2024’’. 

4 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 

5 this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 

TITLE I—STUDENT ELIGIBILITY FOR NUTRITION ASSISTANCE 

PROGRAMS 

Sec. 101. Eligibility of students to participate in supplemental nutrition assistance program. 

Sec. 102. Communication of information on student eligibility for nutrition assistance programs. 

Sec. 103. Demonstration program. 

TITLE II—REDUCING STUDENT FOOD INSECURITY 

Sec. 201. Data sharing. 

Sec. 202. Questions on basic needs in national postsecondary student aid study. 

Sec. 203. Grants to support the basic needs of students. 

Sec. 204. Effective date. 

6 TITLE I—STUDENT ELIGIBILITY 

7 FOR NUTRITION ASSISTANCE 

8 PROGRAMS 

9 SEC. 101. ELIGIBILITY OF STUDENTS TO PARTICIPATE IN 

10 SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION ASSISTANCE 

11 PROGRAM. 

12 (a) DEFINITION OF HOUSEHOLD.—Section 3(m)(4) 

13 of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 

14 2012(m)(4)) is amended— 

15 (1) by striking ‘‘(4) In no event’’ and inserting 

16 the following: 

17 ‘‘(4) INSTITUTION OR BOARDING HOUSE.— 


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1 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in 

2 subparagraph (B), in no event’’; and 

3 (2) by adding at the end the following: 

4 ‘‘(B) STUDENTS.—An individual (including 

5 any dependents of the individual) may con6 stitute a household if the individual is a student 

7 and resident of an institution of higher edu8 cation (as defined in section 102 of the Higher 

9 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1002)).’’. 

10 (b) ELIGIBILITY OF STUDENTS.—Section 6 of the 

11 Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2015) is 

12 amended— 

13 (1) in the section heading, by inserting 

14 ‘‘QUALIFICATIONS AND’’ after ‘‘ELIGIBILITY’’; 

15 (2) in subsection (d)(2)(C)— 

16 (A) by inserting ‘‘who is’’ after ‘‘student’’; 

17 (B) by striking ‘‘half time’’ and inserting 

18 ‘‘half-time’’; and 

19 (C) by striking ‘‘(except’’ and all that fol20 lows through ‘‘section)’’ and inserting ‘‘(as de21 termined by the school, training program, or in22 stitution of higher education, as applicable) and 

23 meets the requirements for eligibility under sub24 section (e)’’; and 

25 (3) in subsection (e)— 


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1 (A) in paragraph (3)— 

2 (i) in subparagraph (B), by redesig3 nating clauses (i) and (ii) as subclauses (I) 

4 and (II), respectively, and indenting appro5 priately; and 

6 (ii) by redesignating subparagraphs 

7 (A) through (D) as clauses (i) through 

8 (iv), respectively, and indenting appro9 priately; 

10 (B) in paragraph (5), by redesignating 

11 subparagraphs (A) and (B) as clauses (i) and 

12 (ii), respectively, and indenting appropriately; 

13 (C) by redesignating paragraphs (1) 

14 through (8) as subparagraphs (A) through (H), 

15 respectively, and indenting appropriately; 

16 (D) in subparagraph (D) (as so redesig17 nated), by striking ‘‘20’’ and inserting ‘‘10’’; 

18 (E) in subparagraph (E)(ii) (as so redesig19 nated), by striking ‘‘paragraph (4)’’ and insert20 ing ‘‘subparagraph (D)’’; 

21 (F) in subparagraph (G) (as so redesig22 nated), by striking ‘‘or’’ at the end after the 

23 semicolon; 


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1 (G) in subparagraph (H) (as so redesig2 nated), by striking the period at the end and in3 serting a semicolon; 

4 (H) in the matter preceding subparagraph 

5 (A) (as so redesignated), by striking ‘‘(e) No in6 dividual’’ and all that follows through ‘‘indi7 vidual—’’ and inserting the following: 

8 ‘‘(e) QUALIFICATIONS FOR STUDENTS.—A student 

9 enrolled in any recognized school, training program, or in10 stitution of higher education (as defined in section 102 

11 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1002)) 

12 shall be eligible to participate in the supplemental nutri13 tion assistance program if— 

14 ‘‘(1) the student satisfies the other require15 ments of this section; and 

16 ‘‘(2) the student—’’; and 

17 (I) in paragraph (2) (as so designated), by 

18 adding at the end the following: 

19 ‘‘(I) is eligible to participate in a State or 

20 federally financed work study program, includ21 ing the program authorized under part C of 

22 title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 

23 (20 U.S.C. 1087–51 et seq.); 


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1 ‘‘(J)(i) is not an independent student (as 

2 defined in section 480(d) of the Higher Edu3 cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1087vv(d))); and 

4 ‘‘(ii)(I) has a student aid index of not more 

5 than 0, as determined in accordance with part 

6 F of title IV of the Higher Education Act of 

7 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1087kk et seq.); or 

8 ‘‘(II) meets the financial eligibility criteria 

9 for receiving a maximum Federal Pell Grant 

10 under subpart 1 of part A of title IV of the 

11 Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 

12 1070a et seq.)— 

13 ‘‘(aa) regardless of whether the stu14 dent has completed the Free Application 

15 for Federal Student Aid described in sec16 tion 483 of that Act (20 U.S.C. 1090); and 

17 ‘‘(bb) which may be determined by a 

18 State using the income of the student, as 

19 determined under— 

20 ‘‘(AA) the supplemental nutrition 

21 assistance program or another Fed22 eral or State means-tested program; 

23 or 

24 ‘‘(BB) another reasonable simpli25 fying assumption; or 


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1 ‘‘(K)(i) is an independent student (as de2 fined in section 480(d) of the Higher Education 

3 Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1087vv(d))); and 

4 ‘‘(ii) is a member of a household otherwise 

5 eligible to participate in the supplemental nutri6 tion assistance program.’’. 

7 SEC. 102. COMMUNICATION OF INFORMATION ON STUDENT 

8 ELIGIBILITY FOR NUTRITION ASSISTANCE 

9 PROGRAMS. 

10 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

11 (1) COLLEGE STUDENT.—The term ‘‘college 

12 student’’ means a student enrolled in an institution 

13 of higher education. 

14 (2) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—The 

15 term ‘‘institution of higher education’’ has the 

16 meaning given the term in section 102 of the Higher 

17 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1002). 

18 (3) PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘program’’ means 

19 the supplemental nutrition assistance program es20 tablished under the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 

21 (7 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.). 

22 (4) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

23 the Secretary of Agriculture. 

24 (b) STRATEGIES REPORT.—Not later than 180 days 

25 after the effective date of this title, the Secretary shall 


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1 submit to Congress a report that describes the strategy 

2 to be used by the Secretary— 

3 (1) to increase the awareness of State agencies 

4 and institutions of higher education about— 

5 (A) college student food insecurity; 

6 (B) the eligibility of college students and 

7 their families for the program; and 

8 (C) the procedures and resources available 

9 to college students who are not participating in 

10 the program to access benefits under the pro11 gram; 

12 (2) to identify— 

13 (A) existing or potential informational, 

14 educational, policy, and psychological barriers 

15 to enrolling in the program and barriers to 

16 complying with program requirements; 

17 (B) mitigation strategies with respect to 

18 those barriers; and 

19 (C) opportunities for collaboration with the 

20 Department of Education, the Department of 

21 Housing and Urban Development, the Depart22 ment of Health and Human Services, and other 

23 relevant Federal agencies; and 

24 (3) to update the State Outreach Plan Guid25 ance under subsection (c). 


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1 (c) UPDATED STATE OUTREACH PLAN GUIDANCE.— 

2 Not later than 90 days after the Secretary submits to Con3 gress a report under subsection (b), the Secretary shall 

4 publish an updated State Outreach Plan Guidance that— 

5 (1) describes existing data on college student 

6 food insecurity; 

7 (2) describes the manner in which college stu8 dents can access the supplemental nutrition assist9 ance program; 

10 (3) recommends outreach activities to address 

11 college student food insecurity and encourages 

12 States to conduct those and other outreach activi13 ties; 

14 (4) provides a template for a State to submit 

15 information to the Secretary describing the outreach 

16 activities being carried out by the State to address 

17 college student food insecurity; and 

18 (5) contains updated guidance based on the 

19 contents of that report. 

20 SEC. 103. DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM. 

21 Section 17 of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 

22 (7 U.S.C. 2026) is amended by adding at the end the fol23 lowing: 

24 ‘‘(o) COLLEGE STUDENT FOOD INSECURITY DEM25 ONSTRATION PROGRAM.— 


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1 ‘‘(1) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 

2 ‘‘(A) COLLEGE STUDENT.—The term ‘col3 lege student’ means a student enrolled in an in4 stitution of higher education. 

5 ‘‘(B) DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM.—The 

6 term ‘demonstration program’ means the dem7 onstration program established under para8 graph (2). 

9 ‘‘(C) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDU10 CATION.— 

11 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘institu12 tion of higher education’ has the meaning 

13 given the term in section 101 of the High14 er Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 

15 1001). 

16 ‘‘(ii) INCLUSION.—The term ‘institu17 tion of higher education’ includes a post18 secondary vocational institution (as defined 

19 in section 102 of the Higher Education 

20 Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1002)). 

21 ‘‘(2) DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM.—Pursuant to 

22 subsection (b), the Secretary, in collaboration with 

23 the Secretary of Education, shall establish a dem24 onstration program under which the Secretary shall 


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1 carry out demonstration projects in accordance with 

2 paragraph (3)— 

3 ‘‘(A) to decrease student food insecurity at 

4 institutions of higher education; and 

5 ‘‘(B) to reduce barriers to college students 

6 fully utilizing supplemental nutrition assistance 

7 program benefits at institutions of higher edu8 cation available to college students and their 

9 families. 

10 ‘‘(3) DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS.—To carry 

11 out the demonstration program, the Secretary shall 

12 carry out demonstration projects that test the fol13 lowing new supplemental nutrition assistance pro14 gram delivery methods: 

15 ‘‘(A) Allowing a college student receiving 

16 supplemental nutrition assistance program ben17 efits— 

18 ‘‘(i) to use those benefits to purchase 

19 prepared foods from a campus dining hall, 

20 on-campus store, or other on-campus mer21 chant or provider that typically sells pre22 pared meals and participates in the stu23 dent meal program at the institution of 

24 higher education at which the student is 

25 enrolled; and 


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1 ‘‘(ii) to be exempt from requirements 

2 to purchase a campus meal plan as part of 

3 the attendance of the college student at the 

4 institution of higher education. 

5 ‘‘(B) Allowing a college student to use an 

6 EBT card or a campus-specific card at any of 

7 the locations described in subparagraph (A)(i) 

8 or a retailer authorized under section 9. 

9 ‘‘(4) PROJECT LIMIT.— 

10 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall 

11 carry out not more than 10 demonstration 

12 projects under the demonstration program si13 multaneously. 

14 ‘‘(B) INSTITUTIONS.—The Secretary shall 

15 carry out not more than 1 demonstration 

16 project under the demonstration program at 

17 any single institution of higher education. 

18 ‘‘(5) PRIORITY.—In selecting an institution of 

19 higher education at which to carry out a demonstra20 tion project, the Secretary shall give priority to an 

21 institution of higher education— 

22 ‘‘(A) at which not less than 25 percent of 

23 enrolled students are students that are eligible 

24 to receive a Federal Pell Grant under subpart 


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1 1 of part A of title IV of the Higher Education 

2 Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070a et seq.); or 

3 ‘‘(B) that is described in section 371(a) of 

4 the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 

5 1067q(a)). 

6 ‘‘(6) PROJECT ADMINISTRATION.— 

7 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall 

8 establish criteria and parameters for selecting, 

9 operating, monitoring, and terminating each 

10 demonstration project under the demonstration 

11 program. 

12 ‘‘(B) PRICES CHARGED.—The Secretary 

13 shall ensure that prices charged by food pro14 viders participating in a demonstration project 

15 under the demonstration program are com16 parable to prices charged by those food pro17 viders prior to participation. 

18 ‘‘(7) PROJECT TERMINATION.—To the max19 imum extent practicable, the Secretary shall ensure 

20 that the termination of a demonstration project 

21 under the demonstration program shall not cause 

22 sudden adverse changes, including a reduction of in23 stitutional financial aid or the elimination of benefits 

24 under the supplemental nutrition assistance proVerDate Sep 11 2014 06:55 Sep 18, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00013 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H9521.IH H9521

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1 gram, for students participating in the demonstra2 tion project. 

3 ‘‘(8) PROGRAM TERMINATION.—The demonstra4 tion program shall terminate on the date that is 10 

5 years after the date on which the demonstration pro6 gram is established. 

7 ‘‘(9) EVALUATION.—For the duration of the 

8 demonstration program, the Secretary shall, in col9 laboration with the Director of the Institute of Edu10 cation Sciences, conduct an annual evaluation of 

11 each demonstration project carried out under the 

12 demonstration program during the year covered by 

13 the evaluation, including an analysis of the extent to 

14 which the project is meeting the desired outcomes, 

15 which include reduction in food insecurity and im16 proved academic performance. 

17 ‘‘(10) REPORT.—For the duration of the dem18 onstration program, the Secretary shall submit to 

19 the Committees on Agriculture, Nutrition, and For20 estry and Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 

21 of the Senate and the Committees on Agriculture 

22 and Education and Labor of the House of Rep23 resentatives an annual report that includes— 


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1 ‘‘(A) a description of each demonstration 

2 project carried out under the demonstration 

3 program during the year covered by the report; 

4 ‘‘(B) the evaluation conducted under para5 graph (9); and 

6 ‘‘(C) recommendations for legislation to 

7 improve the supplemental nutrition assistance 

8 program to better serve college students. 

9 ‘‘(11) WAIVER AND MODIFICATION AUTHOR10 ITY.— 

11 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Subject to subpara12 graph (B), the Secretary may, as may be nec13 essary solely to carry out the demonstration 

14 program— 

15 ‘‘(i) waive any provision under this 

16 Act, including— 

17 ‘‘(I) the requirement relating to 

18 local sales tax under section 4(a); 

19 ‘‘(II) requirements relating to the 

20 issuance and use of supplemental nu21 trition assistance program benefits 

22 under section 7; and 

23 ‘‘(III) requirements for approval 

24 of retail food stores under section 9; 

25 and 


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1 ‘‘(ii) modify the definitions under this 

2 Act for the purposes of the demonstration 

3 program, including the definitions of the 

4 terms ‘food’, ‘household’, and ‘retail food 

5 store’ under section 3. 

6 ‘‘(B) LIMITATION.—The Secretary may 

7 not waive a provision or modify a definition 

8 under subparagraph (A) if the waiver or modi9 fication will— 

10 ‘‘(i) cause increased difficulty for any 

11 household to apply for or access supple12 mental nutrition assistance program bene13 fits; or 

14 ‘‘(ii) reduce the value of those benefits 

15 for any household. 

16 ‘‘(12) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

17 There are authorized to be appropriated to the Sec18 retary such sums as are necessary to carry out this 

19 subsection.’’. 

20 TITLE II—REDUCING STUDENT 

21 FOOD INSECURITY 

22 SEC. 201. DATA SHARING. 

23 (a) AGREEMENTS.—The Secretary of Education, in 

24 coordination with the Secretary of Agriculture, the Sec25 retary of Housing and Urban Development, the Secretary 


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1 of Health and Human Services, the Secretary of the 

2 Treasury, and the head of any other applicable Federal 

3 or State agency, shall maintain agreements— 

4 (1) to securely share data among the respective 

5 Federal agencies of such Secretaries in order to 

6 identify students who have applied for Federal fi7 nancial aid and who are enrolled at institutions of 

8 higher education (as defined in section 102 of the 

9 Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1002)) 

10 who may be eligible for federally funded programs to 

11 support basic needs through— 

12 (A) the supplemental nutrition assistance 

13 program established under the Food and Nutri14 tion Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.), a nu15 trition assistance program carried out under 

16 section 19 of such Act (7 U.S.C. 2028), or a 

17 nutrition assistance program carried out by the 

18 Secretary of Agriculture in the Northern Mar19 iana Islands; 

20 (B) the supplemental security income pro21 gram under title XVI of the Social Security Act 

22 (42 U.S.C. 1381 et seq.); 

23 (C) the program of block grants to States 

24 for temporary assistance for needy families 


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1 under part A of title IV of the Social Security 

2 Act (42 U.S.C. 601 et seq.); 

3 (D) the special supplemental nutrition pro4 gram for women, infants, and children estab5 lished by section 17 of the Child Nutrition Act 

6 of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1786); 

7 (E) the Medicaid program under title XIX 

8 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1396 et 

9 seq.); 

10 (F) Federal housing assistance programs, 

11 including tenant-based assistance under section 

12 8(o) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 

13 (42 U.S.C. 1437f(o)), and public housing, as 

14 defined in section 3(b)(1) of such Act (42 

15 U.S.C. 1437a(b)(1)); 

16 (G) Federal child care assistance pro17 grams, including assistance under the Child 

18 Care and Development Block Grant Act of 

19 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858 et seq.) and the Child 

20 Care Access Means Parents in School Program 

21 under section 419N of the Higher Education 

22 Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070e); 

23 (H) the free and reduced price school 

24 lunch program established under the Richard 


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1 B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 

2 U.S.C. 1751 et seq.); 

3 (I) refundable credit for coverage under a 

4 qualified health plan under section 36B of the 

5 Internal Revenue Code of 1986; 

6 (J) the Earned Income Tax Credit under 

7 section 32 of the Internal Revenue Code of 

8 1986; 

9 (K) the Child Tax Credit under section 24 

10 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986; or 

11 (L) any other federally funded program de12 termined by the Secretary to be appropriate; 

13 and 

14 (2) to coordinate efforts to provide assistance to 

15 institutions of higher education to facilitate the en16 rollment of eligible students in the programs de17 scribed in paragraph (1). 

18 (b) INFORMATION ON FEDERALLY FUNDED PRO19 GRAMS TO SUPPORT BASIC NEEDS.— 

20 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 483 of the Higher 

21 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1090) is amended 

22 by adding at the end the following: 

23 ‘‘(e) INFORMATION ON FEDERALLY FUNDED PRO24 GRAMS TO SUPPORT BASIC NEEDS.— 

25 ‘‘(1) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 


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1 ‘‘(A) BENEFIT PROGRAM.—The term ‘ben2 efit program’ means a program described in 

3 any of subparagraphs (A) through (L) of sec4 tion 201(a)(1) of the Student Food Security 

5 Act of 2024. 

6 ‘‘(B) ELIGIBLE STUDENT.—The term ‘eli7 gible student’ means any student who, as a re8 sult of information submitted on the application 

9 for Federal student financial aid, has been de10 termined by the Secretary (in consultation with 

11 the heads of applicable Federal agencies) to be 

12 potentially eligible for a benefit program. 

13 ‘‘(2) PROVISION OF INFORMATION.—For each 

14 year for which an eligible student submits an appli15 cation for Federal student financial aid, the Sec16 retary shall send, in written and electronic form, to 

17 the eligible student information regarding potential 

18 eligibility for assistance under, and application proc19 ess for, benefit programs. 

20 ‘‘(3) INCLUSION.—The information provided 

21 under paragraph (2) shall include a description of 

22 the appropriate State or Federal resources to which 

23 to apply for each benefit program.’’. 

24 (2) CONSULTATION.—The Secretary of Edu25 cation shall consult with the Secretary of AgriVerDate Sep 11 2014 06:55 Sep 18, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00020 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H9521.IH H9521

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1 culture, the Secretary of Health and Human Serv2 ices, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Develop3 ment, the Secretary of the Treasury, and the head 

4 of any other applicable Federal or State agency, in 

5 designing the written and electronic communication 

6 regarding potential eligibility for assistance under, 

7 and application process for, the benefit programs (as 

8 defined in subsection (e)(1) of section 483 of the 

9 Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1090)). 

10 (c) FURTHER INFORMATION ON FEDERALLY FUND11 ED PROGRAMS TO SUPPORT BASIC NEEDS.—Section 483 

12 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1090)) 

13 is amended— 

14 (1) in subsection (a)(2)(E)— 

15 (A) in clause (i), by striking ‘‘and’’ after 

16 the semicolon; 

17 (B) in clause (ii), by striking the period at 

18 the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

19 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

20 ‘‘(iii) an authorization under subpara21 graph (D) and disclosing the information 

22 as described in clause (ii), the Secretary 

23 shall provide the applicant with notification 

24 of the appropriate Federal or State re25 sources necessary to apply for Federal and 


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1 State programs that support basic needs.’’; 

2 and 

3 (2) in subsection (c)(3)— 

4 (A) by striking ‘‘may enter’’ and inserting 

5 ‘‘shall enter’’; and 

6 (B) by inserting ‘‘, and shall consult with 

7 the heads of applicable Federal agencies in de8 signing the written and electronic communica9 tion regarding potential eligibility for assistance 

10 under such programs’’ after ‘‘may be eligible’’. 

11 (d) REPORT.—The Secretary of Education, in coordi12 nation with the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of 

13 Housing and Urban Development, the Secretary of Health 

14 and Human Services, the Secretary of the Treasury, and 

15 the head of any other applicable Federal or State agency, 

16 shall prepare and submit to Congress a report that pre17 sents summary statistics on students who have applied for 

18 Federal financial aid and who are enrolled at institutions 

19 of higher education (as defined in section 102 of the High20 er Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1002)) and are expe21 riencing student food insecurity and housing insecurity, 

22 disaggregated by race and ethnicity, income quintile, sta23 tus as a first generation college student, Federal Pell 

24 Grant eligibility status, disability status, status as a stu25 dent parent, sex (including sexual orientation and gender 


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1 identity), and other subgroups, as determined by such 

2 heads of agencies. 

3 SEC. 202. QUESTIONS ON BASIC NEEDS IN NATIONAL POST4 SECONDARY STUDENT AID STUDY. 

5 The Secretary of Education shall permanently add to 

6 the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study validated 

7 questions that measure food security, housing security, 

8 and homelessness. 

9 SEC. 203. GRANTS TO SUPPORT THE BASIC NEEDS OF STU10 DENTS. 

11 Title VIII of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 

12 U.S.C. 1161a et seq.) is amended by adding at the end 

13 the following: 

14 ‘‘PART BB—GRANTS TO SUPPORT THE BASIC 

15 NEEDS OF STUDENTS 

16 ‘‘SEC. 899. GRANTS TO SUPPORT THE BASIC NEEDS OF STU17 DENTS. 

18 ‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

19 ‘‘(1) BASIC NEEDS.—The term ‘basic needs’, 

20 with respect to a student, means the physiological 

21 and safety necessities that are central conditions for 

22 the student to learn, including— 

23 ‘‘(A) nutritious and sufficient food; 


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1 ‘‘(B) safe, secure, and adequate housing 

2 (including to sleep, to study, to cook, and to 

3 shower); 

4 ‘‘(C) health care to promote sustained 

5 mental and physical well-being; 

6 ‘‘(D) high-quality and affordable childcare; 

7 ‘‘(E) affordable technology and internet ac8 cess; 

9 ‘‘(F) accessible transportation; 

10 ‘‘(G) personal hygiene and clothing; and 

11 ‘‘(H) other costs described in paragraphs 

12 (2) through (14) of section 472(a). 

13 ‘‘(2) COMMUNITY COLLEGE.— 

14 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘community 

15 college’ means— 

16 ‘‘(i) a public institution of higher edu17 cation at which— 

18 ‘‘(I) the highest degree awarded 

19 is an associate degree; or 

20 ‘‘(II) an associate degree is the 

21 most frequently awarded degree, in22 cluding a 2-year Tribal College or 

23 University (as defined in section 316); 


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1 ‘‘(ii) a public postsecondary vocational 

2 institution (as defined in section 102(c)); 

3 or 

4 ‘‘(iii) at the designation of the Sec5 retary, in the case of a State in which 

6 there is no community college operated or 

7 controlled by the State that meets a defini8 tion under clause (i) or (ii), a college or 

9 similarly defined and structured academic 

10 entity— 

11 ‘‘(I) that was in existence on 

12 July 1, 2023; 

13 ‘‘(II) within a public 4-year insti14 tution of higher education; and 

15 ‘‘(III) at which— 

16 ‘‘(aa) the highest degree 

17 awarded is an associate degree; 

18 or 

19 ‘‘(bb) an associate degree is 

20 the most frequently awarded de21 gree. 

22 ‘‘(3) ELIGIBLE INSTITUTION.—The term ‘eligi23 ble institution’ means an institution of higher edu24 cation (as defined in section 101 or 102(a)(1)(B)). 

25 ‘‘(b) PLANNING GRANTS.— 


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1 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall award 

2 planning grants, on a competitive basis, to eligible 

3 institutions to enable the eligible institutions to con4 duct research and planning in accordance with para5 graph (2)— 

6 ‘‘(A) to reduce incidences of— 

7 ‘‘(i) student food insecurity; 

8 ‘‘(ii) student housing insecurity; and 

9 ‘‘(iii) students experiencing homeless10 ness; and 

11 ‘‘(B) to meet other basic needs of students. 

12 ‘‘(2) ACTIVITIES.—An eligible institution receiv13 ing a grant under this subsection shall use grant 

14 funds to carry out the following activities: 

15 ‘‘(A) Establish a basic needs steering com16 mittee that will be— 

17 ‘‘(i) responsible for developing and ap18 proving the basic needs strategy described 

19 in subparagraph (C); and 

20 ‘‘(ii) comprised of relevant campus 

21 stakeholders, such as— 

22 ‘‘(I) students who have experi23 enced challenges in meeting basic 

24 needs; 


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1 ‘‘(II) student government rep2 resentatives; 

3 ‘‘(III) staff of the eligible institu4 tion representing the areas of student 

5 financial aid, housing, dining, student 

6 affairs, academic advising, equity sup7 port services, accessibility services, 

8 campus security, legal services, and 

9 health and well-being services (includ10 ing counseling or psychological serv11 ices); 

12 ‘‘(IV) faculty; 

13 ‘‘(V) relevant administrators, in14 cluding local human services adminis15 trators; 

16 ‘‘(VI) community-based and 

17 other nonprofit organizations; and 

18 ‘‘(VII) representatives from local 

19 governmental agencies. 

20 ‘‘(B) Conduct research regarding— 

21 ‘‘(i) the level of unmet basic needs at 

22 the eligible institution, disaggregated by 

23 race and ethnicity, income quintile, status 

24 as a first generation college student (as de25 fined in section 402A(h)), Federal Pell 


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1 Grant eligibility status, disability status, 

2 status as a student parent, sex (including 

3 sexual orientation and gender identity), or 

4 other subgroup as determined by the eligi5 ble institution; 

6 ‘‘(ii) the presence of institutional bar7 riers (such as award displacement) and 

8 current institutional interventions to ad9 dress basic needs insecurity; 

10 ‘‘(iii) the presence of administrative 

11 barriers for students in applying, certifying 

12 eligibility, and renewing applications for 

13 means-tested benefits, and interventions to 

14 address such barriers; 

15 ‘‘(iv)(I) the resources and activities 

16 available to address basic needs of stu17 dents, both on campus and off campus, as 

18 of the date of the research; and 

19 ‘‘(II) the impact of such resources and 

20 activities; and 

21 ‘‘(v) opportunities for coordination 

22 and collaboration between the eligible insti23 tution and government or community24 based organizations, such as— 


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1 ‘‘(I) the local office that admin2 isters benefits under the supplemental 

3 nutrition assistance program estab4 lished under the Food and Nutrition 

5 Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.) 

6 and carries out employment and train7 ing programs under that Act, or the 

8 temporary assistance for needy fami9 lies program and subsidized programs 

10 that meet the work requirements 

11 under part A of title IV of the Social 

12 Security Act (42 U.S.C. 601 et seq.); 

13 ‘‘(II) organizations that partici14 pate in the Federal work-study pro15 gram under part C of title IV; or 

16 ‘‘(III) low-income housing assist17 ance organizations, including such or18 ganizations assisting with tenant19 based assistance under section 8(o) of 

20 the United States Housing Act of 

21 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f(o)), and pub22 lic housing (as defined in section 3(b) 

23 of that Act (42 U.S.C. 1437a(b))). 


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1 ‘‘(C) Develop a basic needs strategy that 

2 describes the means by which the eligible insti3 tution will— 

4 ‘‘(i) seek to address or meet the basic 

5 needs of students through on-campus and 

6 off-campus providers; and 

7 ‘‘(ii) incorporate the research con8 ducted under subparagraph (B), including 

9 with respect to the subgroups identified 

10 under clause (i) of that subparagraph, into 

11 the basic needs strategy. 

12 ‘‘(D) Implement the strategy described in 

13 subparagraph (C), including by— 

14 ‘‘(i) conducting outreach to encourage 

15 students to participate in programs that 

16 provide basic needs or reduce basic needs 

17 insecurity; 

18 ‘‘(ii) educating students about Fed19 eral, State, local, and Tribal assistance 

20 programs, supporting student applications 

21 for those programs, and providing case 

22 management and training for students to 

23 maximize the assistance that students and 

24 their families receive to reduce basic needs 

25 insecurity; 


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1 ‘‘(iii) coordinating and collaborating 

2 with Federal, State, local, and Tribal agen3 cies or community-based organizations; 

4 ‘‘(iv) hiring and training personnel to 

5 build infrastructure and implement pro6 gramming to reduce basic needs insecurity 

7 at the eligible institution; and 

8 ‘‘(v) carrying out other matters deter9 mined to be appropriate by the Secretary. 

10 ‘‘(3) GRANT AMOUNTS; DURATION.— 

11 ‘‘(A) AMOUNT.—The amount of a grant 

12 under this subsection shall be not more than 

13 $75,000. 

14 ‘‘(B) DURATION.—A grant under this sub15 section shall be for a period of not more than 

16 2 years. 

17 ‘‘(4) REPORT.—Not later than 60 days after 

18 the end of the planning grant period under this sub19 section, each eligible institution that receives such a 

20 grant shall submit to the Secretary a report that de21 scribes the outcomes of the planning grant, regard22 less of whether the eligible institution intends to 

23 apply for an implementation grant. 

24 ‘‘(c) IMPLEMENTATION GRANTS.— 

25 ‘‘(1) AWARD.— 


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1 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall 

2 award implementation grants, on a competitive 

3 basis, to eligible institutions to enable the eligi4 ble institutions to develop infrastructure to 

5 meet the basic needs of students by— 

6 ‘‘(i) implementing— 

7 ‘‘(I) a basic needs strategy devel8 oped under subsection (b)(2)(C); or 

9 ‘‘(II) another existing basic needs 

10 plan approved by the Secretary; and 

11 ‘‘(ii) carrying out the activities de12 scribed in paragraph (2). 

13 ‘‘(B) ONGOING EXTERNAL FUNDING.—To 

14 be eligible to receive an implementation grant 

15 under this paragraph, an eligible institution 

16 shall identify, in the application for the grant, 

17 an ongoing non-Federal funding mechanism to 

18 support the activities carried out using grant 

19 funds after the expiration of the grant period. 

20 ‘‘(2) ACTIVITIES.—An eligible institution receiv21 ing a grant under this subsection shall use the grant 

22 funds to carry out at least 2 of the following activi23 ties: 

24 ‘‘(A) Providing to eligible students free or 

25 subsidized food, secure sleeping arrangements, 


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1 temporary housing, priority access to existing 

2 on-campus child care, and other basic needs. 

3 ‘‘(B) Conducting outreach to students to 

4 reduce stigma associated with, and educate and 

5 encourage students to participate in, programs 

6 and services (including programs and services 

7 provided through grant funding) to meet basic 

8 needs. 

9 ‘‘(C) Educating students about public as10 sistance programs (including State and local 

11 public assistance programs, the supplemental 

12 nutrition assistance program under the Food 

13 and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2011 et 

14 seq.), Federal housing assistance programs, and 

15 other income-based Federal assistance pro16 grams), supporting student applications for 

17 those programs, and providing case manage18 ment and training for students to maximize the 

19 public assistance that students and their fami20 lies receive to meet basic needs. 

21 ‘‘(D) Coordination and collaboration be22 tween the eligible institution and government or 

23 community-based organizations, such as the 

24 local office that administers benefits through 

25 the supplemental nutrition assistance program 


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1 under the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 

2 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.) or a low-income housing 

3 assistance organization. 

4 ‘‘(E) Purchasing materials, equipment, 

5 transportation, or facilities to reduce incidences 

6 of food and housing insecurity and address the 

7 basic needs of students at the eligible institu8 tion. 

9 ‘‘(F) Hiring and training personnel to 

10 build and improve basic needs infrastructure 

11 and implement programming to provide assist12 ance in applying for, and accessing, direct sup13 port services, financial assistance, or means14 tested benefits programs to meet the basic 

15 needs of students. 

16 ‘‘(G) Other activities or services deter17 mined to be appropriate by the Secretary. 

18 ‘‘(3) GRANT AMOUNTS; DURATION.— 

19 ‘‘(A) AMOUNT.—The amount of a grant 

20 under this subsection shall be not more than 

21 $1,000,000 for each 5-year period. 

22 ‘‘(B) DURATION.—A grant under this sub23 section shall be for a period of 5 years. 

24 ‘‘(4) REPORT.—The Secretary shall prepare 

25 and submit to Congress a report that describes— 


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1 ‘‘(A) the impact on eligible students of 

2 grants provided under this subsection; 

3 ‘‘(B) the obstacles faced by recipients of 

4 grants under this subsection; 

5 ‘‘(C) successful outcomes of grants under 

6 this subsection; 

7 ‘‘(D) best practices for the provision of 

8 basic services to eligible students; and 

9 ‘‘(E) Federal and State policy barriers to 

10 meeting the basic needs of students at institu11 tions of higher education. 

12 ‘‘(5) BEST PRACTICES.—The Secretary shall 

13 disseminate to eligible institutions information about 

14 best practices, as described in paragraph (4)(D). 

15 ‘‘(6) EVALUATION.—For the purpose of evalu16 ating the effectiveness of funds awarded under this 

17 subsection, the Secretary shall conduct an evaluation 

18 of each grant under this subsection to determine the 

19 impact on students, including improvements in re20 tention, progression, transfer, attainment, and basic 

21 needs security, as applicable. 

22 ‘‘(d) RESERVATION; PRIORITY; EQUITABLE DIS23 TRIBUTION.— 

24 ‘‘(1) RESERVATION.—In awarding grants under 

25 subsections (b) and (c), the Secretary shall reserve— 


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1 ‘‘(A) an amount equal to not less than 25 

2 percent of the total amount available for grants 

3 under those subsections for grant awards to 

4 community colleges; and 

5 ‘‘(B) an amount equal to not less than 25 

6 percent of the total amount available for grants 

7 under those subsections for grant awards to 

8 historically Black colleges and universities, 

9 Tribal Colleges and Universities, and other mi10 nority-serving institutions. 

11 ‘‘(2) PRIORITY.—In awarding grants under 

12 subsections (b) and (c), the Secretary shall give pri13 ority to the following: 

14 ‘‘(A) Eligible institutions with respect to 

15 which not fewer than 25 percent of enrolled 

16 students are students that are eligible to receive 

17 a Federal Pell Grant under subpart 1 of part 

18 A of title IV. 

19 ‘‘(B) Eligible institutions described in sec20 tion 371(a). 

21 ‘‘(3) EQUITABLE DISTRIBUTION.—In awarding 

22 grants under subsections (b) and (c), the Secretary 

23 shall ensure an equitable distribution of grant 

24 awards to eligible institutions in States, based on 

25 State population. 


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1 ‘‘(e) PERSONNEL EXPENSES LIMITATIONS.— 

2 ‘‘(1) PLANNING GRANTS.—An eligible institu3 tion that receives a planning grant under subsection 

4 (b) may use not more than 50 percent of grant 

5 funds for personnel expenses. 

6 ‘‘(2) IMPLEMENTATION GRANTS.—An eligible 

7 institution that receives an implementation grant 

8 under subsection (c) may use not more than 75 per9 cent of grant funds for personnel expenses. 

10 ‘‘(f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

11 is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 

12 $1,000,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 through 

13 2031, of which— 

14 ‘‘(1) $40,000,000 is authorized to be appro15 priated to provide planning grants under subsection 

16 (b); and 

17 ‘‘(2) $960,000,000 is authorized to be appro18 priated to provide implementation grants under sub19 section (c).’’. 

20 SEC. 204. EFFECTIVE DATE. 

21 This title and the amendments made by this title 

22 shall take effect on the date that is 180 days after the 

23 date of enactment of this Act. 

Æ 


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