,,ii #aahth ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 #bdda ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,july #bj1 #bjbc,mr4 ,welch 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,lujn1 ,mr4 ,booker1 ,mr4 ,fetterman1 ,mr4 ,sanders1 and ,mr4 ,wyden7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,health1 ,education1 ,labor1 and ,pensions ,a ,,bill ,to amend the ,higher ,education ,act of #aife 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 programs1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,food for ,thought ,act of #bjbc4 #b4 ,free meals for low-income college students ,part ,a of title ,,iv of the ,higher ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ajgj et seq47 is amended by inserting after subpart #g the following3 #h ,meals for low-,income students #dbj;,a4 ,free meals for low-income students 7a7 ,authorization ,from amounts made available under subsection 7j71 the ,secretary is authorized to award grants1 on a competitive basis1 to eligible entities to provide free meals to low-income students through on-campus meal programs4 7b7 ,applications 7#a7 ,in general ,an eligible entity desiring to receive an award under subsection 7a7 shall submit an application to the ,secretary at such time1 in such manner1 and containing such information as the ,secretary may require4 ,such application shall include-- 7,a7 a plan for identifying eligible students and conducting outreach2 and 7,b7 an assurance that the eligible entity will-- 7i7 conduct outreach to students with respect to the grant program under this section1 encourage student participation in such program1 and inform students of-- 7,i7 their potential eligibility for participation in other ,federal1 ,state1 and local benefit and support programs1 including means-tested ,federal benefits programs such as ,,snap2 and 7,,ii7 the processes for obtaining more information1 confirming eligibility1 and accessing benefits under such programs2 7ii7 evaluate institutional policies relating to the purchase of on-campus meal plans and whether such policies create barriers to enrollment and persistence for low-income students2 7iii7 identify ways to mitigate any institutional policies that are found1 through the evaluation described in clause 7ii71 to create barriers described in such clause2 and 7iv7 in the case of an eligible entity that is a consortia of eligible institutions of higher education that includes eligible institutions that do not have on-campus meal programs1 provide an explanation with respect 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 section4 7#b7 ,priority ,in awarding grants under this section1 the ,secretary shall give priority to-- 7,a7 an eligible entity that is an eligible institution of higher education that is-- 7i7 a community college2 7ii7 a minority-serving institution described in section #cga7;a72 or 7iii7 located in an area served by a local educational agency that is eligible for special assistance payments under section #aa7;a77#a7 of the ,richard ,b4 ,russell ,national ,school ,lunch ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #agei;a7a77#a772 and 7,b7 an eligible entity that is a consortia of eligible institutions of higher education1 in which at least #ej percent of such institutions meet at least #a of the requirements under clauses 7i7 through 7iii7 of subparagraph 7,a74 7c7 ,mandatory activities 7#a7 ,in general ,an eligible entity that receives a grant under this section shall use such grant funds to provide1 through on-campus meal programs1 not fewer than #a1 and not more than #aj1 free meals per week to each low-income student selected by such entity to participate in the program under this section4 7#b7 ,priority ,in selecting low-income students to participate in the program under this section1 an eligible entity shall give priority to-- 7,a7 students with the greatest financial need2 and 7,b7 students who indicate that they are experiencing food insecurity1 housing insecurity1 homelessness1 or other insecurity with respect to basic needs4 7d7 ,permissible activities ,in addition to the mandatory activities in subsection 7c71 an eligible entity that receives a grant under this section may use not more than #aj percent of such grant funds to-- 7#a7 facilitate the enrollment of on-campus vendors as authorized retailers in ,,snap2 7#b7 support the operation of an on-campus food pantry2 and 7#c7 purchase food infrastructure equipment1 including microwaves1 refrigerators1 and other such equipment determined by the ,secretary to be necessary4 7e7 ,administrative costs ,not more than #e percent of the grant funds provided to an eligible entity under this section for any fiscal year may be used for administrative purposes4 7f7 ,grant period ,grants awarded to eligible entities under this section shall be for a period of #e years4 7g7 ,campus meal program ,eligible entities receiving grants under this section may contract with third-party food service vendors to provide on-campus meals4 7h7 ,reports 7#a7 ,recipient reports 7,a7 ,in general ,at the end of the #e-year grant period1 an eligible entity that receives a grant under this section shall submit to the ,secretary a report on-- 7i7 how such entity used the grant funds1 including the shares of such funds used for each of the activities described in subsections 7c71 7d77#a71 and 7d77#b72 and 7ii7 the success rates of students who participated in the grant program under this section 7using benchmarks such as persistence1 coursework completion1 transfer1 and completion rates74 7,b7 ,disaggregation ,the information reported in subparagraph 7,a77ii7 shall be disaggregated1 where possible1 by-- 7i7 race2 7ii7 ethnicity2 7iii7 ,pell recipient status2 7iv7 income2 7v7 gender2 and 7vi7 age4 7#b7 ,secretary report 7,a7 ,in general ,not later than #a year after the ,secretary receives the reports required under paragraph 7#a71 the ,secretary shall submit a report to ,congress on the overall impact of the program under this section4 7,b7 ,disaggregation ,the information described in subparagraph 7,a7 shall be disaggregated1 where possible1 by-- 7i7 sectors and types of institutions2 7ii7 whether an institution is a minority-serving institution described in section #cga7;a72 and 7iii7 whether an institution has an open admissions policy4 7i7 ,sense of congress ,it is the sense of ,congress that an eligible entity awarded a grant under this section should1 to the extent practicable-- 7#a7 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 #cja of the ,national ,nutrition ,monitoring and ,related ,research ,act of #aiij 7#g ,u4,s4,c4 #ecda72 7#b7 ensure access to vegetarian meals1 vegan meals1 culturally and religiously appropriate meals1 and meals that accommodate common food allergies2 7#c7 build and encourage the use of on-campus food pantries2 7#d7 encourage on-campus vendors to increase the use of climate-friendly options2 and 7#e7 buy products to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions associated with providing free meals to students and purchasing food infrastructure equipment4 7j7 ,authorization of appropriations ,there are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section such sums as may be necessary for fiscal year #bjbc and each of the #e succeeding fiscal years4 7k7 ,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7 ,community college ,the term community college means a public institution of higher education at which the highest degree that is predominantly awarded to students is an associate's degree1 including #b-year ,tribal ,colleges or ,universities under section #caf and public #b-year institutions of higher education operated by a ,state4 7#b7 ,eligible entity ,the term eligible entity means-- 7,a7 an eligible institution of higher education 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 vendors2 or 7,b7 a consortia of eligible institutions of higher education1 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 vendors1 provided that such an eligible institution with an on-campus meal program is geographically accessible to the students of the eligible institutions that do not have on-campus meal programs4 7#c7 ,eligible institution of higher education ,the term eligible institution of higher education means an institution of higher education under section #aja or #ajb7;a77#a77;,b7 in which at least #cj percent of the undergraduate students enrolled at such institution are eligible to receive a ,federal ,pell ,grant4 7#d7 ,snap ,the term ,,snap means the supplemental nutrition assistance program 7as defined in section #c7t7 of the ,food and ,nutrition ,act of #bjjh 7#g ,u4,s4,c4 #bjab7t7774 4