I 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 4812 
To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to authorize the Secretary 
of Education to make grants to institutions of higher education to 
provide free meals to low-income students through existing on-campus 
meal programs, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 20, 2023 
Mr. SCHIFF (for himself, Ms. BARRAGA´N, Mr. BOWMAN, Ms. BUSH, Mr. 
CA´RDENAS, Mr. CARSON, Ms. CLARKE of New York, Ms. DEAN of Penn-
sylvania, Mr. DESAULNIER, Ms. ESCOBAR, Mr. EVANS, Mrs. HAYES, Mr. 
HUFFMAN, Mr. JACKSON of Illinois, Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, Ms. 
MENG, Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin, Mr. NADLER, Ms. NORTON, Mr. PA-
NETTA, Mr. PAYNE, Ms. PORTER, Mr. SABLAN, Ms. SA´NCHEZ, Ms. 
SCHAKOWSKY, Ms. SEWELL, Ms. STANSBURY, Mr. THOMPSON of Mis-
sissippi, Ms. TITUS, Ms. VELA´ZQUEZ, Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN, and Ms. 
WILSON of Florida) introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
the Committee on Education and the Workforce 
A BILL 
To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to authorize 
the Secretary of Education to make grants to institutions 
of higher education to provide free meals to low-income 
students through existing on-campus meal 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, 
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Food for Thought Act 
of 2023’’. 
SEC. 2. FREE MEALS FOR LOW-INCOME COLLEGE STU-
DENTS. 
Part A of title IV of the Higher Education Act of 
1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070 et seq.) is amended by inserting 
after subpart 7 the following: 
‘‘Subpart 8—Meals for Low-Income Students 
‘‘SEC. 420A. FREE MEALS FOR LOW-INCOME STUDENTS. 
‘‘(a) AUTHORIZATION.—From amounts made avail-
able under subsection (j), the Secretary is authorized to 
award grants, on a competitive basis, to eligible entities 
to provide free meals to low-income students through on- 
campus meal programs. 
‘‘(b) APPLICATIONS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—An eligible entity desiring 
to receive an award under subsection (a) shall sub-
mit an application to the Secretary at such time, in 
such manner, and containing such information as 
the Secretary may require. Such application shall in-
clude— 
‘‘(A) a plan for identifying eligible students 
and conducting outreach; and 
‘‘(B) an assurance that the eligible entity 
will— 
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‘‘(i) conduct outreach to students with 
respect to the grant program under this 
section, encourage student participation in 
such program, and inform students of— 
‘‘(I) their potential eligibility for 
participation in other Federal, State, 
and local benefit and support pro-
grams, including means-tested Fed-
eral benefits programs such as SNAP; 
and 
‘‘(II) the processes for obtaining 
more information, confirming eligi-
bility, and accessing benefits under 
such programs; 
‘‘(ii) evaluate institutional policies re-
lating to the purchase of on-campus meal 
plans and whether such policies create bar-
riers to enrollment and persistence for low- 
income students; 
‘‘(iii) identify ways to mitigate any in-
stitutional policies that are found, through 
the evaluation described in clause (ii), to 
create barriers described in such clause; 
and 
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‘‘(iv) in the case of an eligible entity 
that is a consortia of eligible institutions of 
higher education that includes eligible in-
stitutions that do not have on-campus meal 
programs, provide an explanation with re-
spect to how the eligible entity will ensure 
that low-income students attending such 
institutions will be able to easily access 
free meals provided under this section. 
‘‘(2) PRIORITY.—In awarding grants under this 
section, the Secretary shall give priority to— 
‘‘(A) an eligible entity that is an eligible 
institution of higher education that is— 
‘‘(i) a community college; 
‘‘(ii) a minority-serving institution de-
scribed in section 371(a); or 
‘‘(iii) located in an area served by a 
local educational agency that is eligible for 
special assistance payments under section 
11(a)(1) of the Richard B. Russell Na-
tional School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 
1759a(a)(1)); and 
‘‘(B) an eligible entity that is a consortia 
of eligible institutions of higher education, in 
which at least 50 percent of such institutions 
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meet at least 1 of the requirements under 
clauses (i) through (iii) of subparagraph (A). 
‘‘(c) MANDATORY ACTIVITIES.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—An eligible entity that re-
ceives a grant under this section shall use such 
grant funds to provide, through on-campus meal 
programs, not fewer than 1, and not more than 10, 
free meals per week to each low-income student se-
lected by such entity to participate in the program 
under this section. 
‘‘(2) PRIORITY.—In selecting low-income stu-
dents to participate in the program under this sec-
tion, an eligible entity shall give priority to— 
‘‘(A) students with the greatest financial 
need; and 
‘‘(B) students who indicate that they are 
experiencing food insecurity, housing insecurity, 
homelessness, or other insecurity with respect 
to basic needs. 
‘‘(d) PERMISSIBLE ACTIVITIES.—In addition to the 
mandatory activities in subsection (c), an eligible entity 
that receives a grant under this section may use not more 
than 10 percent of such grant funds to— 
‘‘(1) facilitate the enrollment of on-campus ven-
dors as authorized retailers in SNAP; 
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‘‘(2) support the operation of an on-campus 
food pantry; and 
‘‘(3) purchase food infrastructure equipment, 
including microwaves, refrigerators, and other such 
equipment determined by the Secretary to be nec-
essary. 
‘‘(e) ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS.—Not more than 5 per-
cent of the grant funds provided to an eligible entity under 
this section for any fiscal year may be used for administra-
tive purposes. 
‘‘(f) GRANT PERIOD.—Grants awarded to eligible en-
tities under this section shall be for a period of 5 years. 
‘‘(g) CAMPUS MEAL PROGRAM.—Eligible entities re-
ceiving grants under this section may contract with third- 
party food service vendors to provide on-campus meals. 
‘‘(h) REPORTS.— 
‘‘(1) RECIPIENT REPORTS.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—At the end of the 5- 
year grant period, an eligible entity that re-
ceives a grant under this section shall submit to 
the Secretary a report on— 
‘‘(i) how such entity used the grant 
funds, including the shares of such funds 
used for each of the activities described in 
subsections (c), (d)(1), and (d)(2); and 
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‘‘(ii) the success rates of students who 
participated in the grant program under 
this section (using benchmarks such as 
persistence, coursework completion, trans-
fer, and completion rates). 
‘‘(B) DISAGGREGATION.—The information 
reported in subparagraph (A)(ii) shall be 
disaggregated, where possible, by— 
‘‘(i) race; 
‘‘(ii) ethnicity; 
‘‘(iii) Pell recipient status; 
‘‘(iv) income; 
‘‘(v) gender; and 
‘‘(vi) age. 
‘‘(2) SECRETARY REPORT.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year 
after the Secretary receives the reports required 
under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall submit 
a report to Congress on the overall impact of 
the program under this section. 
‘‘(B) DISAGGREGATION.—The information 
described 
in 
subparagraph 
(A) 
shall 
be 
disaggregated, where possible, by— 
‘‘(i) sectors and types of institutions; 
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‘‘(ii) whether an institution is a mi-
nority-serving institution described in sec-
tion 371(a); and 
‘‘(iii) whether an institution has an 
open admissions policy. 
‘‘(i) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con-
gress that an eligible entity awarded a grant under this 
section should, to the extent practicable— 
‘‘(1) ensure meals served pursuant to a grant 
under this section are consistent with the nutritional 
requirements and goals of the most recent Dietary 
Guidelines for Americans published under section 
301 of the National Nutrition Monitoring and Re-
lated Research Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 5341); 
‘‘(2) ensure access to vegetarian meals, vegan 
meals, culturally and religiously appropriate meals, 
and meals that accommodate common food allergies; 
‘‘(3) build and encourage the use of on-campus 
food pantries; 
‘‘(4) encourage on-campus vendors to increase 
the use of climate-friendly options; and 
‘‘(5) buy products to reduce the greenhouse gas 
emissions associated with providing free meals to 
students and purchasing food infrastructure equip-
ment. 
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‘‘(j) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 
such sums as may be necessary for fiscal year 2023 and 
each of the 5 succeeding fiscal years. 
‘‘(k) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
‘‘(1) COMMUNITY COLLEGE.—The term ‘com-
munity college’ means a public institution of higher 
education at which the highest degree that is pre-
dominantly awarded to students is an associate’s de-
gree, including 2-year Tribal Colleges or Universities 
under section 316 and public 2-year institutions of 
higher education operated by a State. 
‘‘(2) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘eligible en-
tity’ means— 
‘‘(A) an eligible institution of higher edu-
cation that has an on-campus meal program 
that is provided through an institutionally 
owned or operated food service or one or more 
third-party food service vendors; or 
‘‘(B) a consortia of eligible institutions of 
higher education, of which at least one has an 
on-campus meal program that is provided 
through an institutionally owned or operated 
food service or one or more third-party food 
service vendors, provided that such an eligible 
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institution with an on-campus meal program is 
geographically accessible to the students of the 
eligible institutions that do not have on-campus 
meal programs. 
‘‘(3) ELIGIBLE INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDU-
CATION.—The term ‘eligible institution of higher 
education’ means an institution of higher education 
under section 101 or 102(a)(1)(B) in which at least 
30 percent of the undergraduate students enrolled at 
such institution are eligible to receive a Federal Pell 
Grant. 
‘‘(4) SNAP.—The term ‘SNAP’ means the sup-
plemental nutrition assistance program (as defined 
in section 3(t) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 
2008 (7 U.S.C. 2012(t))).’’. 
Æ 
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