[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 153 (Thursday, September 21, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Page S4657]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. PADILLA (for himself, Mr. Welch, Mr. Heinrich, Mr. Wyden, 
        Mrs. Shaheen, Mr. Bennet, and Mr. Fetterman):
  S. 2881. A bill to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require 
institutions of higher education to provide notice to students 
participating in a State or federally financed work-study program about 
potential eligibility for participation in the supplemental nutrition 
assistance program, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Health, 
Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  Mr. PADILLA. Madam President, I rise to speak in support of the 
Opportunity to Address College Hunger Act, which I introduced today.
  According to a 2018 GAO study, roughly 2 million at-risk college 
students who were potentially eligible for Supplemental Nutrition 
Assistance Program, SNAP, benefits did not report receiving them. 
Millions of eligible college students across the Nation face steep 
barriers to accessing these critical benefits due to a complex 
application process and a lack of information-sharing from their own 
colleges and universities.
  In California alone, 127,000 college students received CalFresh 
before the pandemic, despite upwards of 690,000 students being 
potentially eligible. Through my conversations with California college 
students, many have said that they wished their campuses told them they 
were eligible for SNAP and how to access benefits.
  That is why I am introducing this bill--to increase awareness of SNAP 
for potentially eligible college students and to continue the fight to 
tackle student hunger.
  If enacted, this bill would require colleges and universities to 
notify students participating in State or federally financed work-study 
programs of their potential eligibility for SNAP benefits. Institutions 
would also need to provide students with details about how they can 
obtain more information about SNAP, confirm their eligibility for the 
program, and access benefits.
  This notification would be developed by the U.S. Department of 
Education, in consultation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and 
would be specific to the student's State of residence and provide 
contact information for the local office where the student can apply 
for SNAP.
  The notification would also include an official document confirming 
that the student participates in a work-study program and meets one of 
the SNAP eligibility requirements for college students. This 
documentation would help students overcome a common paperwork hurdle 
they face when applying for SNAP benefits.
  Finally, this bill would require the Department of Education and USDA 
to provide guidance to States and institutions on how to better engage 
with potentially eligible students.
  While I support eliminating the restrictive work requirements that 
limit access to critical nutrition benefits for millions of low-income 
college students, this bill works to tackle barriers students face with 
the eligibility requirements currently in place.
  I want to thank Representative Suzanne Bonamici for introducing this 
bill in the House and for her continued work to combat student hunger. 
I urge my colleagues to support this commonsense legislation to help 
improve student food security, health, and learning.
                                 ______