Florida Senate - 2026 SB 534
By Senator Bernard
24-00965-26 2026534__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to the Hunger-Free Campus Pilot
3 Program; providing a short title; establishing,
4 subject to legislative appropriation, the pilot
5 program within the Department of Agriculture and
6 Consumer Services for a specified period; providing
7 the purpose of the pilot program; defining the terms
8 “commissioner” and “department”; requiring the
9 Commissioner of Agriculture to identify the three
10 state universities or Florida College System
11 institutions with the highest percentage of Pell
12 Grant-eligible students for participation in the pilot
13 program; requiring the commissioner to develop a
14 specified survey instrument; providing requirements
15 for participating universities and institutions;
16 requiring participating universities and institutions
17 to submit a report to the department; requiring the
18 commissioner to submit a report to the Governor and
19 the Legislature by a specified date; specifying
20 requirements for the report; authorizing the
21 department to adopt rules; requiring the Office of
22 Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability
23 to conduct a study to evaluate food insecurity on the
24 campuses of state universities and Florida College
25 System institutions; providing requirements for the
26 office and the study; requiring the office to submit a
27 report to the Legislature by a specified date;
28 providing an effective date.
29
30 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
31
32 Section 1. This act may be cited as the “Hunger-Free Campus
33 Act.”
34 Section 2. (1) Subject to legislative appropriation, the
35 Hunger-Free Campus Pilot Program is established within the
36 Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to support
37 efforts to fight hunger on the campuses of public postsecondary
38 educational institutions. The pilot program is established for a
39 period of 1 year, beginning July 1, 2026.
40 (2) For purposes of this section, the term:
41 (a) “Commissioner” means the Commissioner of Agriculture.
42 (b) “Department” means the Department of Agriculture and
43 Consumer Services.
44 (3)(a) The commissioner shall identify from among all state
45 universities and Florida College System institutions the three
46 that have the highest percentage of Pell Grant-eligible
47 students, which universities or institutions shall participate
48 in the pilot program.
49 (b) The commissioner shall also develop the survey
50 instrument described in subsection (4).
51 (4) A participating state university or Florida College
52 System institution shall:
53 (a) Establish a hunger task force, which must include
54 representatives from the student body and meet at least three
55 times during the life of the pilot program. The task force shall
56 set at least two goals to address hunger on campus, each
57 accompanied by an action plan.
58 (b) Designate a staff member responsible for assisting
59 students with enrollment in the Supplemental Nutrition
60 Assistance Program (SNAP) as defined in s. 414.456(1), Florida
61 Statutes.
62 (c) Provide options that enable students to use SNAP
63 benefits on campus or provide students with information on
64 authorized SNAP retailers in the area surrounding the campus
65 where they may use SNAP electronic benefit transfer cards.
66 (d) Host an activity or event during Hunger and
67 Homelessness Awareness Week to promote awareness of hunger on
68 the nation’s campuses.
69 (e) Provide at least one physical food pantry on campus or
70 enable students to receive food at no cost through a stigma-free
71 process. The campus may partner with a local food bank or food
72 pantry to comply with this paragraph.
73 (f) Develop a student meal credit donation program or
74 designate funds that might be raised through such a program for
75 free food vouchers.
76 (g) Conduct a student survey on hunger, using a survey
77 instrument developed by the commissioner, and submit the results
78 of the survey and a best practices campus profile to the
79 department by a date prescribed by the department for inclusion
80 in a comparative profile of each campus designated as a hunger
81 free campus.
82 (5)(a) Each participating state university or Florida
83 College System institution shall submit a report to the
84 department, in a manner prescribed by the department, which
85 describes how it implemented the pilot program and the program
86 results.
87 (b) The commissioner shall submit a report on the pilot
88 program to the Governor, the President of the Senate, and the
89 Speaker of the House of Representatives by January 1, 2028. The
90 report must include, but need not be limited to, the impact of
91 the program on establishing hunger-free campuses at
92 participating state universities or Florida College System
93 institutions; the impact of the program on reducing the number
94 of students at such universities and institutions who are
95 experiencing food insecurity; and recommendations regarding
96 future funding and implementation of the program on a long-term
97 basis.
98 (6) The department may adopt rules to implement the
99 program.
100 Section 3. (1) The Office of Program Policy Analysis and
101 Government Accountability (OPPAGA) shall conduct a study to
102 evaluate food insecurity on the campuses of state universities
103 and Florida College System institutions.
104 (2) The study must include recommendations for any changes
105 to general law, Board of Governors’ regulations, or State Board
106 of Education rules needed to address food insecurity on the
107 campuses of state universities and Florida College System
108 institutions.
109 (3) In conducting the study, OPPAGA shall consult with the
110 Board of Governors of the State University System, the board of
111 trustees of the Florida College System, the Department of
112 Education, and any other relevant stakeholders.
113 (4) OPPAGA shall submit a report on its findings to the
114 President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of
115 Representatives by December 1, 2026.
116 Section 4. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026.