HB 157: Enact the Hunger-Free Campus Act

As Introduced

136th General Assembly Regular Session H. B. No. 157

Representatives Brennan, Hoops

Cosponsors: Representatives Upchurch, Grim, McNally, Rogers, Piccolantonio, Russo, Pizzulli

To enact section 3333.47 of the Revised Code to 1
enact the Hunger-Free Campus Act to establish 2
the Hunger-Free Campus Grant Program and 3
designation and to make an appropriation. 4

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF OHIO:

Section 1. That section 3333.47 of the Revised Code be 5
enacted to read as follows: 6
Sec. 3333.47. (A) As used in this section, "qualifying 7
institution" means either of the following: 8
(1) A state institution of higher education, as defined in 9
section 3345.011 of the Revised Code; 10
(2) A private nonprofit institution of higher education 11
that holds a certificate of authorization pursuant to Chapter 12
1713. of the Revised Code. 13
(B) The chancellor of higher education shall establish and 14
administer the hunger-free campus grant program and designation. 15
The chancellor shall establish forms and procedures for 16
qualifying institutions to apply to participate in the program, 17
including to apply for a hunger-free campus designation and 18

H. B. No. 157 As Introduced

grants under the program. The chancellor shall determine how 19
often a participating institution must reapply to maintain its 20
designation. 21
(C) The chancellor shall determine the criteria to award a 22
hunger-free campus designation to a qualifying institution, 23
which may include the following: 24
(1) Having an established on-campus food pantry or a 25
partnership with a local food bank to provide regular, on-campus 26
food distributions; 27
(2) Providing information to students on the supplemental 28
nutrition assistance program, medicaid, and other programs that 29
reduce food insecurity; 30
(3) Having an established emergency assistance grant that 31
is available to students; 32
(4) Having an established student meal plan credit 33
donation program. 34
(D) The chancellor shall develop a logo that institutions 35
that have earned the hunger-free campus designation may display. 36
An institution that has not earned the hunger-free campus 37
designation under this section shall not display the logo 38
created under this division. 39
(E) Under the program, the chancellor shall develop a 40
method to determine the amount of a grant to be awarded to 41
qualifying institutions who apply for grants. 42
The chancellor shall award initial grants to qualifying 43
institutions that have not earned the hunger-free campus 44
designation and demonstrate a need for funding to meet the 45
designation requirements. 46

H. B. No. 157 As Introduced

The chancellor shall award sustaining grants to qualifying 47
institutions that have earned the hunger-free campus designation 48
so that the institutions may leverage existing basic needs 49
infrastructure; maximize federal programs; build strategic 50
partnerships at the local, state, and national levels to address 51
food insecurity among students; raise awareness on available 52
resources to address basic food needs; and support the reduction 53
of student food insecurity in other ways, all as approved by the 54
chancellor. 55
The chancellor shall give preference to applications from 56
qualifying institutions with the highest percentage of enrolled 57
students eligible for the federal Pell grant. However, the 58
chancellor has discretion to give preference to applications 59
that demonstrate that an institution's plan for the grant will 60
have a greater impact on students experiencing food insecurity 61
than another applicant with a higher percentage of students 62
eligible for the federal Pell grant. 63
(F) The chancellor may adopt any rules necessary to 64
implement the provisions of this section. 65
(G) The chancellor shall allow grant recipients to use 66
grant funds flexibly to implement the goals of the program, 67
including giving recipients the ability to do all of the 68
following: 69
(1) Support emergency assistance; 70
(2) Hire staff to manage initiatives related to the 71
program; 72
(3) Use grant funds for operational activities related to 73
the program. 74
(H) No grant recipient shall reduce its existing funding 75

H. B. No. 157 As Introduced

designated for initiatives that address food insecurity with the 76
goal or net effect of shifting the cost burden of those 77
initiatives to the hunger-free campus grant program. 78
(I) A qualifying institution that receives a grant under 79
this section shall report to the chancellor information on how 80
the grant is used and its effects on food security on the 81
institution's campus after each academic year that the 82
institution receives the grant. The institution also shall 83
report to the chancellor its progress on working toward a 84
hunger-free campus designation. 85
(J) Notwithstanding any provision of section 121.95 of the 86
Revised Code to the contrary, a regulatory restriction contained 87
in a rule adopted under this section is not subject to sections 88
121.95 to 121.953 of the Revised Code. 89
Section 2. (A) Not later than the thirty-first day of 90
December two years after the establishment of the Hunger-Free 91
Campus Grant Program under section 3333.47 of the Revised Code, 92
the Chancellor of Higher Education shall prepare a report on the 93
grant program that compiles the reports submitted by each 94
institution of higher education that received a Hunger-Free 95
Campus Grant under the program. 96
(B) The Chancellor shall submit the report to the Governor 97
and, in accordance with section 101.68 of the Revised Code, the 98
General Assembly. 99
Section 3. All items in this act are hereby appropriated
100
as designated out of any moneys in the state treasury to the 101
credit of the designated fund. For all operating appropriations 102
made in this act, those in the first column are for fiscal year 103
2026 and those in the second column are for fiscal year 2027. 104

H. B. No. 157 As Introduced

The operating appropriations made in this act are in addition to 105
any other operating appropriations made for these fiscal years. 106

Section 4. 107

B General Revenue Fund
C GRF 235498 Hunger-Free Campus Grant \$625,000 \$625,000 Program
D TOTAL GRF General Revenue Fund \$625,000 \$625,000
E TOTAL ALL BUDGET FUND GROUPS \$625,000 \$625,000

HUNGER-FREE CAMPUS GRANT PROGRAM

The foregoing appropriation item 235498, Hunger-Free 110
Campus Grant Program, shall be used by the Chancellor of Higher 111
Education to support the Hunger-Free Campus Grant Program and 112
hunger-free campus designations pursuant to section 3333.47 of 113
the Revised Code. 114
Section 5. Within the limits set forth in this act, the 115
Director of Budget and Management shall establish accounts 116
indicating the source and amount of funds for each appropriation 117
made in this act, and shall determine the manner in which 118
appropriation accounts shall be maintained. Expenditures from 119
operating appropriations contained in this act shall be 120
accounted for as though made in, and are subject to all 121
applicable provisions of, the main operating appropriations act 122
of the 136th General Assembly. 123

H. B. No. 157 As Introduced

Section 6. This act shall be known as the Hunger-Free 124
Campus Act. 125