Opportunity to Address College Hunger Act

What it does

If Congress passes it, the Opportunity to Address College Hunger Act would require institutions of higher education that receive grants to operate work-study programs to also notify students receiving work-study assistance that they may be eligible for participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The Department of Education must provide guidance to states and IHEs on how to identify and communicate with students who are potentially eligible for SNAP.

Institutions of higher learning would also need to provide those who qualify for the program with official documentation of their eligibility, overcoming a common hurdle students face when applying for SNAP benefits.

Who supports this bill?

Representatives Suzanne Bonamici and Mark Takano introduced this bill. In the House, this bill is referred to as H.R. 309 and these Representatives are already supporting the bill. The bill has not yet been introduced in the Senate.

This bill is endorsed by the Food Research and Action Center.

Want to support this bill?

If your Senators and House Representative aren’t already on the list of cosponsors for the bill:

• Ask your two Senators to “support a companion bill to the House’s Opportunity to Address College Hunger Act, H.R.309.”
• Ask your House Representative to “cosponsor the Opportunity to Address College Hunger Act, H.R.309.”

If your elected officials are already supporting this bill, you can always contact them to thank them and help spread the word among your networks.

Resources

If you’d like to learn more about the Opportunity to Address College Hunger Act, you can:

• Find instructions for calling or writing your Representative (tip: enter your address)
• Track the bill’s progress on Congress.gov or GovTrack
• Learn why lawmakers are supporting this bill (Representative Suzanne Bonamici’s press release)
• Read the full bill text

See more bills worthy of your support in the 2023 Farm Bill.