II 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 5004 

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 SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 10, 2024 

Ms. WARREN (for herself, Mr. PADILLA, Mr. MURPHY, Mr. SANDERS, Mr. 

FETTERMAN, Mr. BLUMENTHAL, Mr. DURBIN, Ms. SMITH, Mr. VAN

HOLLEN, Mr. WELCH, Mr. WYDEN, and Mr. MARKEY) introduced the 

following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry 

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, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

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

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


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

2 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. 

3 TITLE I—STUDENT ELIGIBILITY 

4 FOR NUTRITION ASSISTANCE 

5 PROGRAMS 

6 SEC. 101. ELIGIBILITY OF STUDENTS TO PARTICIPATE IN 

7 SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION ASSISTANCE 

8 PROGRAM. 

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

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

11 2012(m)(4)) is amended— 

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

13 the following: 

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

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

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

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


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

2 any dependents of the individual) may con3 stitute a household if the individual is a student 

4 and resident of an institution of higher edu5 cation (as defined in section 102 of the Higher 

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

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

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

9 amended— 

10 (1) in the section heading, by inserting 

11 ‘‘QUALIFICATIONS AND’’ after ‘‘ELIGIBILITY’’; 

12 (2) in subsection (d)(2)(C)— 

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

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

15 ‘‘half-time’’; and 

16 (C) by striking ‘‘(except’’ and all that fol17 lows through ‘‘section)’’ and inserting ‘‘(as de18 termined by the school, training program, or in19 stitution of higher education, as applicable) and 

20 meets the requirements for eligibility under sub21 section (e)’’; and 

22 (3) in subsection (e)— 

23 (A) in paragraph (3)— 

24 (i) in subparagraph (B), by redesig25 nating clauses (i) and (ii) as subclauses (I) 


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1 and (II), respectively, and indenting appro2 priately; and 

3 (ii) by redesignating subparagraphs 

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

5 (iv), respectively, and indenting appro6 priately; 

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

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

9 (ii), respectively, and indenting appropriately; 

10 (C) by redesignating paragraphs (1) 

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

12 respectively, and indenting appropriately; 

13 (D) in subparagraph (D) (as so redesig14 nated), by striking ‘‘20’’ and inserting ‘‘10’’; 

15 (E) in subparagraph (E)(ii) (as so redesig16 nated), by striking ‘‘paragraph (4)’’ and insert17 ing ‘‘subparagraph (D)’’; 

18 (F) in subparagraph (G) (as so redesig19 nated), by striking ‘‘or’’ at the end after the 

20 semicolon; 

21 (G) in subparagraph (H) (as so redesig22 nated), by striking the period at the end and in23 serting a semicolon; 

24 (H) in the matter preceding subparagraph 

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1 dividual’’ and all that follows through ‘‘indi2 vidual—’’ and inserting the following: 

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

4 enrolled in any recognized school, training program, or in5 stitution of higher education (as defined in section 102 

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

7 shall be eligible to participate in the supplemental nutri8 tion assistance program if— 

9 ‘‘(1) the student satisfies the other require10 ments of this section; and 

11 ‘‘(2) the student—’’; and 

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

13 adding at the end the following: 

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

15 federally financed work study program, includ16 ing the program authorized under part C of 

17 title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 

18 (20 U.S.C. 1087–51 et seq.); 

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

20 defined in section 480(d) of the Higher Edu21 cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1087vv(d))); and 

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

23 than 0, as determined in accordance with part 

24 F of title IV of the Higher Education Act of 

25 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1087kk et seq.); or 


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1 ‘‘(II) meets the financial eligibility criteria 

2 for receiving a maximum Federal Pell Grant 

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

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

5 1070a et seq.)— 

6 ‘‘(aa) regardless of whether the stu7 dent has completed the Free Application 

8 for Federal Student Aid described in sec9 tion 483 of that Act (20 U.S.C. 1090); and 

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

11 State using the income of the student, as 

12 determined under— 

13 ‘‘(AA) the supplemental nutrition 

14 assistance program or another Fed15 eral or State means-tested program; 

16 or 

17 ‘‘(BB) another reasonable simpli18 fying assumption; or 

19 ‘‘(K)(i) is an independent student (as de20 fined in section 480(d) of the Higher Education 

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

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

23 eligible to participate in the supplemental nutri24 tion assistance program.’’. 


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1 SEC. 102. COMMUNICATION OF INFORMATION ON STUDENT 

2 ELIGIBILITY FOR NUTRITION ASSISTANCE 

3 PROGRAMS. 

4 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

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

6 student’’ means a student enrolled in an institution 

7 of higher education. 

8 (2) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—The 

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

10 meaning given the term in section 102 of the Higher 

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

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

13 the supplemental nutrition assistance program es14 tablished under the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 

15 (7 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.). 

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

17 the Secretary of Agriculture. 

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

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

20 submit to Congress a report that describes the strategy 

21 to be used by the Secretary— 

22 (1) to increase the awareness of State agencies 

23 and institutions of higher education about— 

24 (A) college student food insecurity; 

25 (B) the eligibility of college students and 

26 their families for the program; and 


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1 (C) the procedures and resources available 

2 to college students who are not participating in 

3 the program to access benefits under the pro4 gram; 

5 (2) to identify— 

6 (A) existing or potential informational, 

7 educational, policy, and psychological barriers 

8 to enrolling in the program and barriers to 

9 complying with program requirements; 

10 (B) mitigation strategies with respect to 

11 those barriers; and 

12 (C) opportunities for collaboration with the 

13 Department of Education, the Department of 

14 Housing and Urban Development, the Depart15 ment of Health and Human Services, and other 

16 relevant Federal agencies; and 

17 (3) to update the State Outreach Plan Guid18 ance under subsection (c). 

19 (c) UPDATED STATE OUTREACH PLAN GUIDANCE.— 

20 Not later than 90 days after the Secretary submits to Con21 gress a report under subsection (b), the Secretary shall 

22 publish an updated State Outreach Plan Guidance that— 

23 (1) describes existing data on college student 

24 food insecurity; 


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1 (2) describes the manner in which college stu2 dents can access the supplemental nutrition assist3 ance program; 

4 (3) recommends outreach activities to address 

5 college student food insecurity and encourages 

6 States to conduct those and other outreach activi7 ties; 

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

9 information to the Secretary describing the outreach 

10 activities being carried out by the State to address 

11 college student food insecurity; and 

12 (5) contains updated guidance based on the 

13 contents of that report. 

14 SEC. 103. DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM. 

15 Section 17 of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 

16 (7 U.S.C. 2026) is amended by adding at the end the fol17 lowing: 

18 ‘‘(o) COLLEGE STUDENT FOOD INSECURITY DEM19 ONSTRATION PROGRAM.— 

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

21 ‘‘(A) COLLEGE STUDENT.—The term ‘col22 lege student’ means a student enrolled in an in23 stitution of higher education. 

24 ‘‘(B) DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM.—The 

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1 onstration program established under para2 graph (2). 

3 ‘‘(C) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDU4 CATION.— 

5 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘institu6 tion of higher education’ has the meaning 

7 given the term in section 101 of the High8 er Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 

9 1001). 

10 ‘‘(ii) INCLUSION.—The term ‘institu11 tion of higher education’ includes a post12 secondary vocational institution (as defined 

13 in section 102 of the Higher Education 

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

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

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

17 the Secretary of Education, shall establish a dem18 onstration program under which the Secretary shall 

19 carry out demonstration projects in accordance with 

20 paragraph (3)— 

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

22 institutions of higher education; and 

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

24 fully utilizing supplemental nutrition assistance 

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1 cation available to college students and their 

2 families. 

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

4 out the demonstration program, the Secretary shall 

5 carry out demonstration projects that test the fol6 lowing new supplemental nutrition assistance pro7 gram delivery methods: 

8 ‘‘(A) Allowing a college student receiving 

9 supplemental nutrition assistance program ben10 efits— 

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

12 prepared foods from a campus dining hall, 

13 on-campus store, or other on-campus mer14 chant or provider that typically sells pre15 pared meals and participates in the stu16 dent meal program at the institution of 

17 higher education at which the student is 

18 enrolled; and 

19 ‘‘(ii) to be exempt from requirements 

20 to purchase a campus meal plan as part of 

21 the attendance of the college student at the 

22 institution of higher education. 

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

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


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

2 or a retailer authorized under section 9. 

3 ‘‘(4) PROJECT LIMIT.— 

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

5 carry out not more than 10 demonstration 

6 projects under the demonstration program si7 multaneously. 

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

9 carry out not more than 1 demonstration 

10 project under the demonstration program at 

11 any single institution of higher education. 

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

13 higher education at which to carry out a demonstra14 tion project, the Secretary shall give priority to an 

15 institution of higher education— 

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

17 enrolled students are students that are eligible 

18 to receive a Federal Pell Grant under subpart 

19 1 of part A of title IV of the Higher Education 

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

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

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

23 1067q(a)). 

24 ‘‘(6) PROJECT ADMINISTRATION.— 


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

2 establish criteria and parameters for selecting, 

3 operating, monitoring, and terminating each 

4 demonstration project under the demonstration 

5 program. 

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

7 shall ensure that prices charged by food pro8 viders participating in a demonstration project 

9 under the demonstration program are com10 parable to prices charged by those food pro11 viders prior to participation. 

12 ‘‘(7) PROJECT TERMINATION.—To the max13 imum extent practicable, the Secretary shall ensure 

14 that the termination of a demonstration project 

15 under the demonstration program shall not cause 

16 sudden adverse changes, including a reduction of in17 stitutional financial aid or the elimination of benefits 

18 under the supplemental nutrition assistance pro19 gram, for students participating in the demonstra20 tion project. 

21 ‘‘(8) PROGRAM TERMINATION.—The demonstra22 tion program shall terminate on the date that is 10 

23 years after the date on which the demonstration pro24 gram is established. 


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

2 demonstration program, the Secretary shall, in col3 laboration with the Director of the Institute of Edu4 cation Sciences, conduct an annual evaluation of 

5 each demonstration project carried out under the 

6 demonstration program during the year covered by 

7 the evaluation, including an analysis of the extent to 

8 which the project is meeting the desired outcomes, 

9 which include reduction in food insecurity and im10 proved academic performance. 

11 ‘‘(10) REPORT.—For the duration of the dem12 onstration program, the Secretary shall submit to 

13 the Committees on Agriculture, Nutrition, and For14 estry and Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 

15 of the Senate and the Committees on Agriculture 

16 and Education and the Workforce of the House of 

17 Representatives an annual report that includes— 

18 ‘‘(A) a description of each demonstration 

19 project carried out under the demonstration 

20 program during the year covered by the report; 

21 ‘‘(B) the evaluation conducted under para22 graph (9); and 

23 ‘‘(C) recommendations for legislation to 

24 improve the supplemental nutrition assistance 

25 program to better serve college students. 


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1 ‘‘(11) WAIVER AND MODIFICATION AUTHOR2 ITY.— 

3 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Subject to subpara4 graph (B), the Secretary may, as may be nec5 essary solely to carry out the demonstration 

6 program— 

7 ‘‘(i) waive any provision under this 

8 Act, including— 

9 ‘‘(I) the requirement relating to 

10 local sales tax under section 4(a); 

11 ‘‘(II) requirements relating to the 

12 issuance and use of supplemental nu13 trition assistance program benefits 

14 under section 7; and 

15 ‘‘(III) requirements for approval 

16 of retail food stores under section 9; 

17 and 

18 ‘‘(ii) modify the definitions under this 

19 Act for the purposes of the demonstration 

20 program, including the definitions of the 

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

22 store’ under section 3. 

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

24 not waive a provision or modify a definition 


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1 under subparagraph (A) if the waiver or modi2 fication will— 

3 ‘‘(i) cause increased difficulty for any 

4 household to apply for or access supple5 mental nutrition assistance program bene6 fits; or 

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

8 for any household. 

9 ‘‘(12) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

10 There are authorized to be appropriated to the Sec11 retary such sums as are necessary to carry out this 

12 subsection.’’. 

13 TITLE II—REDUCING STUDENT 

14 FOOD INSECURITY 

15 SEC. 201. DATA SHARING. 

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

17 coordination with the Secretary of Agriculture, the Sec18 retary of Housing and Urban Development, the Secretary 

19 of Health and Human Services, the Secretary of the 

20 Treasury, and the head of any other applicable Federal 

21 or State agency, shall maintain agreements— 

22 (1) to securely share data among the respective 

23 Federal agencies of such Secretaries in order to 

24 identify students who have applied for Federal fi25 nancial aid and who are enrolled at institutions of 


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1 higher education (as defined in section 102 of the 

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

3 who may be eligible for federally funded programs to 

4 support basic needs through— 

5 (A) the supplemental nutrition assistance 

6 program established under the Food and Nutri7 tion Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.), a nu8 trition assistance program carried out under 

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

10 nutrition assistance program carried out by the 

11 Secretary of Agriculture in the Northern Mar12 iana Islands; 

13 (B) the supplemental security income pro14 gram under title XVI of the Social Security Act 

15 (42 U.S.C. 1381 et seq.); 

16 (C) the program of block grants to States 

17 for temporary assistance for needy families 

18 under part A of title IV of the Social Security 

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

20 (D) the special supplemental nutrition pro21 gram for women, infants, and children estab22 lished by section 17 of the Child Nutrition Act 

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


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1 (E) the Medicaid program under title XIX 

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

3 seq.); 

4 (F) Federal housing assistance programs, 

5 including tenant-based assistance under section 

6 8(o) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 

7 (42 U.S.C. 1437f(o)), and public housing, as 

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

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

10 (G) Federal child care assistance pro11 grams, including assistance under the Child 

12 Care and Development Block Grant Act of 

13 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858 et seq.) and the Child 

14 Care Access Means Parents in School Program 

15 under section 419N of the Higher Education 

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

17 (H) the free and reduced price school 

18 lunch program established under the Richard 

19 B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 

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

21 (I) refundable credit for coverage under a 

22 qualified health plan under section 36B of the 

23 Internal Revenue Code of 1986; 


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1 (J) the Earned Income Tax Credit under 

2 section 32 of the Internal Revenue Code of 

3 1986; 

4 (K) the Child Tax Credit under section 24 

5 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986; or 

6 (L) any other federally funded program de7 termined by the Secretary to be appropriate; 

8 and 

9 (2) to coordinate efforts to provide assistance to 

10 institutions of higher education to facilitate the en11 rollment of eligible students in the programs de12 scribed in paragraph (1). 

13 (b) INFORMATION ON FEDERALLY FUNDED PRO14 GRAMS TO SUPPORT BASIC NEEDS.— 

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

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

17 by adding at the end the following: 

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

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

21 ‘‘(A) BENEFIT PROGRAM.—The term ‘ben22 efit program’ means a program described in 

23 any of subparagraphs (A) through (L) of sec24 tion 201(a)(1) of the Student Food Security 

25 Act of 2024. 


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1 ‘‘(B) ELIGIBLE STUDENT.—The term ‘eli2 gible student’ means any student who, as a re3 sult of information submitted on the application 

4 for Federal student financial aid, has been de5 termined by the Secretary (in consultation with 

6 the heads of applicable Federal agencies) to be 

7 potentially eligible for a benefit program. 

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

9 year for which an eligible student submits an appli10 cation for Federal student financial aid, the Sec11 retary shall send, in written and electronic form, to 

12 the eligible student information regarding potential 

13 eligibility for assistance under, and application proc14 ess for, benefit programs. 

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

16 under paragraph (2) shall include a description of 

17 the appropriate State or Federal resources to which 

18 to apply for each benefit program.’’. 

19 (2) CONSULTATION.—The Secretary of Edu20 cation shall consult with the Secretary of Agri21 culture, the Secretary of Health and Human Serv22 ices, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Develop23 ment, the Secretary of the Treasury, and the head 

24 of any other applicable Federal or State agency, in 

25 designing the written and electronic communication 


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1 regarding potential eligibility for assistance under, 

2 and application process for, the benefit programs (as 

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

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

5 (c) FURTHER INFORMATION ON FEDERALLY FUND6 ED PROGRAMS TO SUPPORT BASIC NEEDS.—Section 483 

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

8 is amended— 

9 (1) in subsection (a)(2)(E)— 

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

11 the semicolon; 

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

13 the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

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

15 ‘‘(iii) an authorization under subpara16 graph (D) and disclosing the information 

17 as described in clause (ii), the Secretary 

18 shall provide the applicant with notification 

19 of the appropriate Federal or State re20 sources necessary to apply for Federal and 

21 State programs that support basic needs.’’; 

22 and 

23 (2) in subsection (c)(3)— 

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

25 ‘‘shall enter’’; and 


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

2 the heads of applicable Federal agencies in de3 signing the written and electronic communica4 tion regarding potential eligibility for assistance 

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

6 (d) REPORT.—The Secretary of Education, in coordi7 nation with the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of 

8 Housing and Urban Development, the Secretary of Health 

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

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

11 shall prepare and submit to Congress a report that pre12 sents summary statistics on students who have applied for 

13 Federal financial aid and who are enrolled at institutions 

14 of higher education (as defined in section 102 of the High15 er Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1002)) and are expe16 riencing student food insecurity and housing insecurity, 

17 disaggregated by race and ethnicity, income quintile, sta18 tus as a first generation college student, Federal Pell 

19 Grant eligibility status, disability status, status as a stu20 dent parent, sex (including sexual orientation and gender 

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

22 heads of agencies. 


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1 SEC. 202. QUESTIONS ON BASIC NEEDS IN NATIONAL POST2 SECONDARY STUDENT AID STUDY. 

3 The Secretary of Education shall permanently add to 

4 the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study validated 

5 questions that measure food security, housing security, 

6 and homelessness. 

7 SEC. 203. GRANTS TO SUPPORT THE BASIC NEEDS OF STU8 DENTS. 

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

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

11 the following: 

12 ‘‘PART BB—GRANTS TO SUPPORT THE BASIC 

13 NEEDS OF STUDENTS 

14 ‘‘SEC. 899. GRANTS TO SUPPORT THE BASIC NEEDS OF STU15 DENTS. 

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

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

18 with respect to a student, means the physiological 

19 and safety necessities that are central conditions for 

20 the student to learn, including— 

21 ‘‘(A) nutritious and sufficient food; 

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

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

24 shower); 

25 ‘‘(C) health care to promote sustained 

26 mental and physical well-being; 


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

2 ‘‘(E) affordable technology and internet ac3 cess; 

4 ‘‘(F) accessible transportation; 

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

6 ‘‘(H) other costs described in paragraphs 

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

8 ‘‘(2) COMMUNITY COLLEGE.— 

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

10 college’ means— 

11 ‘‘(i) a public institution of higher edu12 cation at which— 

13 ‘‘(I) the highest degree awarded 

14 is an associate degree; or 

15 ‘‘(II) an associate degree is the 

16 most frequently awarded degree, in17 cluding a 2-year Tribal College or 

18 University (as defined in section 316); 

19 ‘‘(ii) a public postsecondary vocational 

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

21 or 

22 ‘‘(iii) at the designation of the Sec23 retary, in the case of a State in which 

24 there is no community college operated or 

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1 tion under clause (i) or (ii), a college or 

2 similarly defined and structured academic 

3 entity— 

4 ‘‘(I) that was in existence on 

5 July 1, 2023; 

6 ‘‘(II) within a public 4-year insti7 tution of higher education; and 

8 ‘‘(III) at which— 

9 ‘‘(aa) the highest degree 

10 awarded is an associate degree; 

11 or 

12 ‘‘(bb) an associate degree is 

13 the most frequently awarded de14 gree. 

15 ‘‘(3) ELIGIBLE INSTITUTION.—The term ‘eligi16 ble institution’ means an institution of higher edu17 cation (as defined in section 101 or 102(a)(1)(B)). 

18 ‘‘(b) PLANNING GRANTS.— 

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

20 planning grants, on a competitive basis, to eligible 

21 institutions to enable the eligible institutions to con22 duct research and planning in accordance with para23 graph (2)— 

24 ‘‘(A) to reduce incidences of— 

25 ‘‘(i) student food insecurity; 


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1 ‘‘(ii) student housing insecurity; and 

2 ‘‘(iii) students experiencing homeless3 ness; and 

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

5 ‘‘(2) ACTIVITIES.—An eligible institution receiv6 ing a grant under this subsection shall use grant 

7 funds to carry out the following activities: 

8 ‘‘(A) Establish a basic needs steering com9 mittee that will be— 

10 ‘‘(i) responsible for developing and ap11 proving the basic needs strategy described 

12 in subparagraph (C); and 

13 ‘‘(ii) comprised of relevant campus 

14 stakeholders, such as— 

15 ‘‘(I) students who have experi16 enced challenges in meeting basic 

17 needs; 

18 ‘‘(II) student government rep19 resentatives; 

20 ‘‘(III) staff of the eligible institu21 tion representing the areas of student 

22 financial aid, housing, dining, student 

23 affairs, academic advising, equity sup24 port services, accessibility services, 

25 campus security, legal services, and 


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1 health and well-being services (includ2 ing counseling or psychological serv3 ices); 

4 ‘‘(IV) faculty; 

5 ‘‘(V) relevant administrators, in6 cluding local human services adminis7 trators; 

8 ‘‘(VI) community-based and 

9 other nonprofit organizations; and 

10 ‘‘(VII) representatives from local 

11 governmental agencies. 

12 ‘‘(B) Conduct research regarding— 

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

14 the eligible institution, disaggregated by 

15 race and ethnicity, income quintile, status 

16 as a first generation college student (as de17 fined in section 402A(h)), Federal Pell 

18 Grant eligibility status, disability status, 

19 status as a student parent, sex (including 

20 sexual orientation and gender identity), or 

21 other subgroup as determined by the eligi22 ble institution; 

23 ‘‘(ii) the presence of institutional bar24 riers (such as award displacement) and 


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1 current institutional interventions to ad2 dress basic needs insecurity; 

3 ‘‘(iii) the presence of administrative 

4 barriers for students in applying, certifying 

5 eligibility, and renewing applications for 

6 means-tested benefits, and interventions to 

7 address such barriers; 

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

9 available to address basic needs of stu10 dents, both on campus and off campus, as 

11 of the date of the research; and 

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

13 activities; and 

14 ‘‘(v) opportunities for coordination 

15 and collaboration between the eligible insti16 tution and government or community17 based organizations, such as— 

18 ‘‘(I) the local office that admin19 isters benefits under the supplemental 

20 nutrition assistance program estab21 lished under the Food and Nutrition 

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

23 and carries out employment and train24 ing programs under that Act, or the 

25 temporary assistance for needy famiVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:54 Sep 18, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00028 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S5004.IS S5004

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1 lies program and subsidized programs 

2 that meet the work requirements 

3 under part A of title IV of the Social 

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

5 ‘‘(II) organizations that partici6 pate in the Federal work-study pro7 gram under part C of title IV; or 

8 ‘‘(III) low-income housing assist9 ance organizations, including such or10 ganizations assisting with tenant11 based assistance under section 8(o) of 

12 the United States Housing Act of 

13 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f(o)), and pub14 lic housing (as defined in section 3(b) 

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

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

17 describes the means by which the eligible insti18 tution will— 

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

20 needs of students through on-campus and 

21 off-campus providers; and 

22 ‘‘(ii) incorporate the research con23 ducted under subparagraph (B), including 

24 with respect to the subgroups identified 


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1 under clause (i) of that subparagraph, into 

2 the basic needs strategy. 

3 ‘‘(D) Implement the strategy described in 

4 subparagraph (C), including by— 

5 ‘‘(i) conducting outreach to encourage 

6 students to participate in programs that 

7 provide basic needs or reduce basic needs 

8 insecurity; 

9 ‘‘(ii) educating students about Fed10 eral, State, local, and Tribal assistance 

11 programs, supporting student applications 

12 for those programs, and providing case 

13 management and training for students to 

14 maximize the assistance that students and 

15 their families receive to reduce basic needs 

16 insecurity; 

17 ‘‘(iii) coordinating and collaborating 

18 with Federal, State, local, and Tribal agen19 cies or community-based organizations; 

20 ‘‘(iv) hiring and training personnel to 

21 build infrastructure and implement pro22 gramming to reduce basic needs insecurity 

23 at the eligible institution; and 

24 ‘‘(v) carrying out other matters deter25 mined to be appropriate by the Secretary. 


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1 ‘‘(3) GRANT AMOUNTS; DURATION.— 

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

3 under this subsection shall be not more than 

4 $75,000. 

5 ‘‘(B) DURATION.—A grant under this sub6 section shall be for a period of not more than 

7 2 years. 

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

9 the end of the planning grant period under this sub10 section, each eligible institution that receives such a 

11 grant shall submit to the Secretary a report that de12 scribes the outcomes of the planning grant, regard13 less of whether the eligible institution intends to 

14 apply for an implementation grant. 

15 ‘‘(c) IMPLEMENTATION GRANTS.— 

16 ‘‘(1) AWARD.— 

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

18 award implementation grants, on a competitive 

19 basis, to eligible institutions to enable the eligi20 ble institutions to develop infrastructure to 

21 meet the basic needs of students by— 

22 ‘‘(i) implementing— 

23 ‘‘(I) a basic needs strategy devel24 oped under subsection (b)(2)(C); or 


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1 ‘‘(II) another existing basic needs 

2 plan approved by the Secretary; and 

3 ‘‘(ii) carrying out the activities de4 scribed in paragraph (2). 

5 ‘‘(B) ONGOING EXTERNAL FUNDING.—To 

6 be eligible to receive an implementation grant 

7 under this paragraph, an eligible institution 

8 shall identify, in the application for the grant, 

9 an ongoing non-Federal funding mechanism to 

10 support the activities carried out using grant 

11 funds after the expiration of the grant period. 

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

14 funds to carry out at least 2 of the following activi15 ties: 

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

17 subsidized food, secure sleeping arrangements, 

18 temporary housing, priority access to existing 

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

20 ‘‘(B) Conducting outreach to students to 

21 reduce stigma associated with, and educate and 

22 encourage students to participate in, programs 

23 and services (including programs and services 

24 provided through grant funding) to meet basic 

25 needs. 


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1 ‘‘(C) Educating students about public as2 sistance programs (including State and local 

3 public assistance programs, the supplemental 

4 nutrition assistance program under the Food 

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

6 seq.), Federal housing assistance programs, and 

7 other income-based Federal assistance pro8 grams), supporting student applications for 

9 those programs, and providing case manage10 ment and training for students to maximize the 

11 public assistance that students and their fami12 lies receive to meet basic needs. 

13 ‘‘(D) Coordination and collaboration be14 tween the eligible institution and government or 

15 community-based organizations, such as the 

16 local office that administers benefits through 

17 the supplemental nutrition assistance program 

18 under the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 

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

20 assistance organization. 

21 ‘‘(E) Purchasing materials, equipment, 

22 transportation, or facilities to reduce incidences 

23 of food and housing insecurity and address the 

24 basic needs of students at the eligible institu25 tion. 


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1 ‘‘(F) Hiring and training personnel to 

2 build and improve basic needs infrastructure 

3 and implement programming to provide assist4 ance in applying for, and accessing, direct sup5 port services, financial assistance, or means6 tested benefits programs to meet the basic 

7 needs of students. 

8 ‘‘(G) Other activities or services 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 $1,000,000 for each 5-year period. 

14 ‘‘(B) DURATION.—A grant under this sub15 section shall be for a period of 5 years. 

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

17 and submit to Congress a report that describes— 

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

19 grants provided under this subsection; 

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

21 grants under this subsection; 

22 ‘‘(C) successful outcomes of grants under 

23 this subsection; 

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

25 basic services to eligible students; and 


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

2 meeting the basic needs of students at institu3 tions of higher education. 

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

5 disseminate to eligible institutions information about 

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

7 ‘‘(6) EVALUATION.—For the purpose of evalu8 ating the effectiveness of funds awarded under this 

9 subsection, the Secretary shall conduct an evaluation 

10 of each grant under this subsection to determine the 

11 impact on students, including improvements in re12 tention, progression, transfer, attainment, and basic 

13 needs security, as applicable. 

14 ‘‘(d) RESERVATION; PRIORITY; EQUITABLE DIS15 TRIBUTION.— 

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

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

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

19 percent of the total amount available for grants 

20 under those subsections for grant awards to 

21 community colleges; and 

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

23 percent of the total amount available for grants 

24 under those subsections for grant awards to 

25 historically Black colleges and universities, 


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1 Tribal Colleges and Universities, and other mi2 nority-serving institutions. 

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

4 subsections (b) and (c), the Secretary shall give pri5 ority to the following: 

6 ‘‘(A) Eligible institutions with respect to 

7 which not fewer than 25 percent of enrolled 

8 students are students that are eligible to receive 

9 a Federal Pell Grant under subpart 1 of part 

10 A of title IV. 

11 ‘‘(B) Eligible institutions described in sec12 tion 371(a). 

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

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

15 shall ensure an equitable distribution of grant 

16 awards to eligible institutions in States, based on 

17 State population. 

18 ‘‘(e) PERSONNEL EXPENSES LIMITATIONS.— 

19 ‘‘(1) PLANNING GRANTS.—An eligible institu20 tion that receives a planning grant under subsection 

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

22 funds for personnel expenses. 

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

24 institution that receives an implementation grant 


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1 under subsection (c) may use not more than 75 per2 cent of grant funds for personnel expenses. 

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

4 is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 

5 $1,000,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 through 

6 2031, of which— 

7 ‘‘(1) $40,000,000 is authorized to be appro8 priated to provide planning grants under subsection 

9 (b); and 

10 ‘‘(2) $960,000,000 is authorized to be appro11 priated to provide implementation grants under sub12 section (c).’’. 

13 SEC. 204. EFFECTIVE DATE. 

14 This title and the amendments made by this title 

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

16 date of enactment of this Act. 

Æ 


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