Legislative Analysis
Phone: (517) 373-8080
HUNGER-FREE CAMPUS ACT
http://www.house.mi.gov/hfa
House Bill 5097 (proposed substitute H-1) Analysis available at
Sponsor: Rep. Jenn Hill http://www.legislature.mi.gov
Committee: Higher Education
Complete to 5-14-24
SUMMARY:
House Bill 5097 would create a new act, the Hunger-Free Campus Act, which would create the
hunger-free campus program. This program would be intended to aid students who lack basic
needs while attending an institution of higher education and aid in connecting college students
with applicable resources to address their basic needs. The program would be administered by
the Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential (MiLEAP).
Institution of higher education would mean either of the following:
• A degree- or certificate-granting public or private college or university, junior
college, or community college in Michigan.
• A federally recognized tribal college in Michigan.
The purpose of the program would be to do all of the following:
• Address student hunger at institutions of higher education.
• Leverage sustainable solutions to address basic needs on the campuses of institutions
of higher education.
• Raise awareness of basic-needs services offered on the campuses of institutions of
higher education.
• Build strategic partnerships at the local, state, and national levels to address food
insecurity among students attending institutions of higher education.
• Reduce barriers to student achievement resulting from basic needs insecurity.
The bill would require MiLEAP to designate a campus of an institution of higher education as
a “hunger-free campus” if the institution of higher education meets all the following regarding
that campus:
• Establishes a hunger task force that includes representatives from the student body and
campus administration and that meets at least three times per academic year to set at
least two goals with action plans.
• Designates a staff member responsible for informing students about enrollment
opportunities in Michigan’s supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP) and
other assistance programs offered by the Department of Health and Human Services
(DHHS).
• Provides options for students to use SNAP electronic benefits transfer (EBT) benefits
at campus stores or provides students with information on establishments in the
surrounding area where they can use SNAP EBT benefits.
• Holds, participates in, or promotes at least one hunger awareness event per academic
year.
House Fiscal Agency Page 1 of 2
 • Provides at least one physical food pantry on campus or enables students to receive
food through a separate, stigma-free arrangement. A campus could partner with a local
food bank or food pantry to meet this requirement.
• Develops a student meal credit donation program or designates a certain amount of
funds for free food vouchers that might otherwise be raised through such a program.
Each institution of higher education could develop its own procedures for a meal
donation program.
• Each academic year, conducts a student survey on hunger, developed by MiLEAP, that
is formulated by using best practices from the Trellis Research Student Financial
Wellness Survey 1 and submits the results of the survey to MiLEAP at a time prescribed
by MiLEAP for inclusion in a comparative profile of each campus designated as a
hunger-free campus
MiLEAP would also have to promulgate rules it considers necessary to implement the bill, in
accordance with the Administrative Procedures Act.
FISCAL IMPACT:
House Bill 5097 would have a minimal increase of costs to the state and an indeterminate
increase of costs to public colleges and universities. Under the bill, the Michigan Department
of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential would be required to promulgate rules for
the program and ensure general monitoring of institutions who participate. Costs to MiLEAP
would fall to the Office of Higher Education and should be covered under current appropriation
levels.
Public universities and community colleges could face increased costs to implement aspects of
the hunger-free campus program if the institutions decided to seek certification as a hunger-
free campus from MiLEAP. Some aspects of the proposed program are already happening on
a number of college campuses, such as a designated food pantry for students. Due to the
variables in meeting aspects of the hunger-free campus program, from conducting student
surveys, creating a meal donation program, and establishing and running a food pantry, the
potential increased costs faced by public universities and community colleges that choose to
participate in the program cannot be determined.
Legislative Analyst: Josh Roesner
Fiscal Analysts: Perry Zielak
Noel Benson
■ This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan House Fiscal Agency staff for use by House members in their
deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.
1
https://www.trellisstrategies.org/sfws/
House Fiscal Agency HB 5097 (proposed H-1 substitute) Page 2 of 2