I 
117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3100 
To amend the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to expand the eligibility 
of students to participate in the supplemental nutrition assistance pro-
gram, establish college student food insecurity demonstration programs, 
and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 11, 2021 
Mrs. HAYES (for herself, Mr. LAWSON of Florida, and Mrs. TORRES of Cali-
fornia) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 
on Education and Labor, and in addition to the Committee on Agri-
culture, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in 
each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdic-
tion 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 supple-
mental nutrition assistance program, establish college 
student food insecurity demonstration programs, and for 
other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 
‘‘Student Food Security Act of 2021’’. 
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(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 
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 the supplemental nutrition as-
sistance program. 
Sec. 102. Communication of information on student eligibility for nutrition as-
sistance programs. 
Sec. 103. Demonstration program. 
Sec. 104. Effective date. 
TITLE II—REDUCING STUDENT FOOD INSECURITY 
Sec. 201. Data sharing. 
Sec. 202. Questions on food and housing insecurity in national postsecondary 
student aid study. 
Sec. 203. Grants to address student basic needs. 
TITLE I—STUDENT ELIGIBILITY 
FOR NUTRITION ASSISTANCE 
PROGRAMS 
SEC. 101. ELIGIBILITY OF STUDENTS TO PARTICIPATE IN 
THE 
SUPPLEMENTAL 
NUTRITION 
ASSIST-
ANCE PROGRAM. 
(a) DEFINITION OF HOUSEHOLD.—Section 3(m)(4) 
of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 
2012(m)(4)) is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘(4) In no event’’ and inserting 
the following: 
‘‘(4) INSTITUTION OR BOARDING HOUSE.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in 
subparagraph (B), in no event’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following: 
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‘‘(B) STUDENTS.—An individual (including 
any dependents of the individual) may con-
stitute a household if the individual is a student 
and resident of an institution of higher edu-
cation (as defined in section 102 of the Higher 
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1002)).’’. 
(b) ELIGIBILITY OF STUDENTS.—Section 6 of the 
Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2015) is 
amended— 
(1) in the section heading, by inserting 
‘‘QUALIFICATIONS AND’’ after ‘‘ELIGIBILITY’’; 
(2) in subsection (d)(2)(C)— 
(A) by inserting ‘‘who is’’ after ‘‘student’’; 
and 
(B) by striking ‘‘(except’’ and all that fol-
lows through ‘‘section)’’ and inserting ‘‘and 
meets the requirements for eligibility under sub-
section (e)’’; and 
(3) in subsection (e)— 
(A) in paragraph (3)— 
(i) in subparagraph (B), by redesig-
nating clauses (i) and (ii) as subclauses (I) 
and (II), respectively, and indenting appro-
priately; and 
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(ii) by redesignating subparagraphs 
(A) through (D) as clauses (i) through 
(iv), respectively, and indenting appro-
priately; 
(B) in paragraph (5), by redesignating 
subparagraphs (A) and (B) as clauses (i) and 
(ii), respectively, and indenting appropriately; 
(C) 
by 
redesignating 
paragraphs 
(1) 
through (8) as subparagraphs (A) through (H), 
respectively, and indenting appropriately; 
(D) in subparagraph (D) (as so redesig-
nated), by striking ‘‘20’’ and inserting ‘‘10’’; 
(E) in subparagraph (E)(ii) (as so redesig-
nated), by striking ‘‘paragraph (4)’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘subparagraph (D)’’; 
(F) in subparagraph (G) (as so redesig-
nated), by striking ‘‘or’’ at the end after the 
semicolon; 
(G) in subparagraph (H) (as so redesig-
nated), by striking the period at the end and in-
serting a semicolon; 
(H) in the matter preceding subparagraph 
(A) (as so redesignated), by striking ‘‘(e) No in-
dividual’’ and all that follows through ‘‘indi-
vidual—’’ and inserting the following: 
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‘‘(e) QUALIFICATIONS FOR STUDENTS.—A student 
enrolled in any recognized school, training program, or in-
stitution of higher education (as defined in section 102 
of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1002)) 
shall be eligible to participate in the supplemental nutri-
tion assistance program if— 
‘‘(1) the student satisfies the other require-
ments of this section; and 
‘‘(2) the student—’’; and 
(I) in paragraph (2) (as so designated), by 
adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(I) is eligible to participate in a State or 
federally financed work study program, includ-
ing the program authorized under part C of 
title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 
(20 U.S.C. 1087–51 et seq.); 
‘‘(J)(i) is not an independent student (as 
defined in section 480(d) of the Higher Edu-
cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1087vv(d))); and 
‘‘(ii)(I) has an expected family contribution 
or student aid index of not more than $0, as 
determined in accordance with part F of title 
IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 
U.S.C. 1087kk et seq.); or 
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‘‘(II) meets the financial eligibility criteria 
for receiving a maximum Federal Pell Grant 
under subpart 1 of part A of title IV of the 
Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
1070a et seq.)— 
‘‘(aa) regardless of whether the stu-
dent has completed the Free Application 
for Federal Student Aid described in sec-
tion 483 of that Act (20 U.S.C. 1090); and 
‘‘(bb) as determined by a State using 
the income of the student, as determined 
under— 
‘‘(AA) the supplemental nutrition 
assistance program or another Fed-
eral or State means-tested program; 
or 
‘‘(BB) another reasonable simpli-
fying assumption; or 
‘‘(K)(i) is an independent student (as de-
fined in section 480(d) of the Higher Education 
Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1087vv(d))); and 
‘‘(ii) is a member of a household otherwise 
eligible to participate in the supplemental nutri-
tion assistance program.’’. 
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(c) 
CONFORMING
AMENDMENTS.—Section 
6(d)(2)(C) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 
U.S.C. 2015(d)(2)(C)) is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘half time’’ and inserting ‘‘half- 
time’’; and 
(2) by inserting ‘‘(as determined by the school, 
training program, or institution of higher education, 
as applicable)’’ before ‘‘(except’’. 
SEC. 102. COMMUNICATION OF INFORMATION ON STUDENT 
ELIGIBILITY FOR NUTRITION ASSISTANCE 
PROGRAMS. 
(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) COLLEGE
STUDENT.—The term ‘‘college 
student’’ means a student enrolled in an institution 
of higher education. 
(2) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—The 
term ‘‘institution of higher education’’ has the 
meaning given the term in section 102 of the Higher 
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1002). 
(3) PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘program’’ means 
the supplemental nutrition assistance program es-
tablished under the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 
(7 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.). 
(4) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of Agriculture. 
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(b) STRATEGIES REPORT.—Not later than 180 days 
after the effective date of this title, the Secretary shall 
submit to Congress a report that describes the strategy 
to be used by the Secretary— 
(1) to increase the awareness of State agencies 
and institutions of higher education about— 
(A) college student food insecurity; 
(B) the eligibility of college students for 
the program; and 
(C) the procedures and resources available 
to college students who are not participating in 
the program to access benefits under the pro-
gram; 
(2) to identify— 
(A) existing or potential informational, 
educational, policy, and psychological barriers 
to enrolling in the program and barriers to 
complying with program requirements; 
(B) mitigation strategies with respect to 
those barriers; and 
(C) opportunities for collaboration with the 
Department of Education and other relevant 
Federal agencies; and 
(3) to update the State Outreach Plan Guid-
ance under subsection (c). 
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(c) UPDATED STATE OUTREACH PLAN GUIDANCE.— 
Not later than 90 days after the Secretary submits to Con-
gress a report under subsection (b), the Secretary shall 
publish an updated State Outreach Plan Guidance that— 
(1) describes existing data on college student 
food insecurity; 
(2) describes the manner in which college stu-
dents can access the supplemental nutrition assist-
ance program; 
(3) recommends outreach activities to address 
college student food insecurity and encourages 
States to conduct those and other outreach activi-
ties; 
(4) provides a template for a State to submit 
information to the Secretary describing the outreach 
activities being carried out by the State to address 
college student food insecurity; and 
(5) contains updated guidance based on the 
contents of that report. 
SEC. 103. DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM. 
Section 17 of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 
(7 U.S.C. 2026) is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(o) COLLEGE STUDENT FOOD INSECURITY DEM-
ONSTRATION PROGRAM.— 
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‘‘(1) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 
‘‘(A) COLLEGE STUDENT.—The term ‘col-
lege student’ means a student enrolled in an in-
stitution of higher education. 
‘‘(B) DEMONSTRATION
PROGRAM.—The 
term ‘demonstration program’ means the dem-
onstration program established under para-
graph (2). 
‘‘(C) 
INSTITUTION
OF
HIGHER
EDU-
CATION.—The term ‘institution of higher edu-
cation’— 
‘‘(i) has the meaning given the term 
in section 101 of the Higher Education 
Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001); and 
‘‘(ii) includes a postsecondary voca-
tional institution (as defined in section 102 
of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 
U.S.C. 1002)). 
‘‘(2) DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM.—Pursuant to 
subsection (b), the Secretary, in collaboration with 
the Secretary of Education, shall establish a dem-
onstration program under which the Secretary shall 
carry out demonstration projects in accordance with 
paragraph (3)— 
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‘‘(A) to decrease student food insecurity at 
institutions of higher education; and 
‘‘(B) to reduce barriers to college students 
fully utilizing supplemental nutrition assistance 
program benefits at institutions of higher edu-
cation. 
‘‘(3) DEMONSTRATION
PROJECTS.—To carry 
out the demonstration program, the Secretary shall 
carry out demonstration projects that test the fol-
lowing new supplemental nutrition assistance pro-
gram delivery methods: 
‘‘(A) Allowing a college student receiving 
supplemental nutrition assistance program ben-
efits— 
‘‘(i) to use those benefits to purchase 
prepared foods from a campus dining hall, 
on-campus store, or other on-campus mer-
chant or provider that typically sells pre-
pared meals and participates in the stu-
dent meal program at the institution of 
higher education at which the student is 
enrolled; and 
‘‘(ii) to be exempt from requirements 
to purchase a campus meal plan as part of 
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the attendance of the college student at the 
institution of higher education. 
‘‘(B) Allowing a college student to use an 
EBT card or a campus-specific card at any of 
the locations described in subparagraph (A)(i) 
or a retailer authorized under section 9. 
‘‘(4) PROJECT LIMIT.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary shall 
carry out not more than 10 demonstration 
projects under the demonstration program si-
multaneously. 
‘‘(B) INSTITUTIONS.—The Secretary shall 
carry out not more than 1 demonstration 
project under the demonstration program at 
any single institution of higher education. 
‘‘(5) PRIORITY.—In selecting an institution of 
higher education at which to carry out a demonstra-
tion project, the Secretary shall give priority to an 
institution of higher education— 
‘‘(A) at which not less than 25 percent of 
enrolled students are students that are eligible 
to receive a Federal Pell Grant under subpart 
1 of part A of title IV of the Higher Education 
Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070a et seq.); or 
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‘‘(B) that is described in section 371(a) of 
the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
1067q(a)). 
‘‘(6) PROJECT ADMINISTRATION.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary shall 
establish criteria and parameters for selecting, 
operating, monitoring, and terminating each 
demonstration project under the demonstration 
program. 
‘‘(B) PRICES
CHARGED.—The Secretary 
shall ensure that prices charged by food pro-
viders participating in a demonstration project 
under the demonstration program are com-
parable to prices charged by those food pro-
viders prior to participation. 
‘‘(7) PROJECT
TERMINATION.—To the max-
imum extent practicable, the Secretary shall ensure 
that the termination of a demonstration project 
under the demonstration program shall not cause 
sudden adverse changes, including a reduction of in-
stitutional financial aid or the elimination of benefits 
under the supplemental nutrition assistance pro-
gram, for students participating in the demonstra-
tion project. 
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‘‘(8) PROGRAM TERMINATION.—The demonstra-
tion program shall terminate on the date that is 10 
years after the date on which the demonstration pro-
gram is established. 
‘‘(9) EVALUATION.—For the duration of the 
demonstration program, the Secretary shall, in col-
laboration with the Director of the Institute of Edu-
cation Sciences, conduct an annual evaluation of 
each demonstration project carried out under the 
demonstration program during the year covered by 
the evaluation, including an analysis of the extent to 
which the project is meeting the desired outcomes, 
which include reduction in food insecurity and im-
proved academic performance. 
‘‘(10) REPORT.—For the duration of the dem-
onstration program, the Secretary shall submit to 
the Committees on Agriculture, Nutrition, and For-
estry and Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 
of the Senate and the Committees on Agriculture 
and Education and Labor of the House of Rep-
resentatives an annual report that includes— 
‘‘(A) a description of each demonstration 
project carried out under the demonstration 
program during the year covered by the report; 
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‘‘(B) the evaluation conducted under para-
graph (9); and 
‘‘(C) recommendations for legislation to 
improve the supplemental nutrition assistance 
program to better serve college students. 
‘‘(11) WAIVER
AND
MODIFICATION
AUTHOR-
ITY.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—Subject to subpara-
graph (B), the Secretary may, as may be nec-
essary solely to carry out the demonstration 
program— 
‘‘(i) waive any provision under this 
Act, including— 
‘‘(I) the requirement relating to 
local sales tax under section 4(a); 
‘‘(II) requirements relating to the 
issuance and use of supplemental nu-
trition assistance program benefits 
under section 7; and 
‘‘(III) requirements for approval 
of retail food stores under section 9; 
and 
‘‘(ii) modify the definitions under this 
Act for the purposes of the demonstration 
program, including the definition of— 
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‘‘(I) the term ‘food’ under section 
3(k); 
‘‘(II) the term ‘household’ under 
section 3(m); and 
‘‘(III) the term ‘retail food store’ 
under section 3(o). 
‘‘(B) LIMITATION.—The Secretary may 
not waive a provision or modify a definition 
under subparagraph (A) if the waiver or modi-
fication will— 
‘‘(i) cause increased difficulty for any 
household to apply for or access supple-
mental nutrition assistance program bene-
fits; or 
‘‘(ii) reduce the value of those benefits 
for any household. 
‘‘(12) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 
There are authorized to be appropriated to the Sec-
retary such sums as are necessary to carry out this 
subsection.’’. 
SEC. 104. EFFECTIVE DATE. 
This title and the amendments made by this title 
shall take effect on the date that is 180 days after the 
date of enactment of this Act. 
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TITLE II—REDUCING STUDENT 
FOOD INSECURITY 
SEC. 201. DATA SHARING. 
(a) AGREEMENT.—Not later than 90 days after the 
date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Education, 
in coordination with the Secretary of Agriculture, the Sec-
retary of Housing and Urban Development, the Secretary 
of Health and Human Services, the Secretary of the 
Treasury, and the head of any other applicable Federal 
or State agency, shall develop and implement an agree-
ment to— 
(1) securely share data among the respective 
Federal agencies of such Secretaries in order to, not-
withstanding section 483(a)(3)(E) of the Higher 
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1090(a)(3)(E)), 
identify students who have applied for Federal fi-
nancial aid and who are enrolled at institutions of 
higher education (as defined in section 102 of the 
Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1002)) 
who may be eligible for Federally funded programs 
to support basic needs through— 
(A) the supplemental nutrition assistance 
program established under the Food and Nutri-
tion Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.), a nu-
trition assistance program carried out under 
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section 19 of such Act (7 U.S.C. 2028), or a 
nutrition assistance program carried out by the 
Secretary of Agriculture in the Northern Mar-
iana Islands; 
(B) the supplemental security income pro-
gram under title XVI of the Social Security Act 
(42 U.S.C. 1381 et seq.); 
(C) the program of block grants to States 
for temporary assistance for needy families 
under part A of title IV of the Social Security 
Act (42 U.S.C. 601 et seq.); 
(D) the special supplemental nutrition pro-
gram for women, infants, and children estab-
lished by section 17 of the Child Nutrition Act 
of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1786); 
(E) the Medicaid program under title XIX 
of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1396 et 
seq.); 
(F) Federal housing assistance programs, 
including tenant-based assistance under section 
8(o) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 
(42 U.S.C. 1437f(o)), and public housing, as 
defined in section 3(b)(1) of such Act (42 
U.S.C. 1437a(b)(1)); 
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(G) Federal child care assistance pro-
grams, including assistance under the Child 
Care and Development Block Grant Act of 
1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858 et seq.) and the Child 
Care Access Means Parents in School Program 
under section 419N of the Higher Education 
Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070e); 
(H) the free and reduced price school 
lunch program established under the Richard 
B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 
U.S.C. 1751 et seq.); 
(I) refundable credit for coverage under a 
qualified health plan under section 36B of the 
Internal Revenue Code of 1986; 
(J) the Earned Income Tax Credit under 
section 32 of the Internal Revenue Code of 
1986; 
(K) the Child Tax Credit under section 24 
of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986; or 
(L) any other Federally funded program 
determined by the Secretary to be appropriate; 
and 
(2) coordinate efforts to provide assistance to 
institutions of higher education to facilitate the en-
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