Bill · S. 5429· Senate(119-S-5429)
Hot Meals for College Students Act of 2026
- Introduced
- 9/17/2026
- Last activity
- 9/17/2026 — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
- Sponsored by
- Adam Schiff
- Cosponsors
- None
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
The "Hot Meals for College Students Act of 2026" amends the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008. It allows eligible student households to use supplemental nutrition assistance program benefits to purchase on-campus meals. The bill defines college students, eligible student households, institutions of higher education, on-campus meals, and on-campus merchants. It sets rules for benefit use, prohibits using benefits for meal plans or student account balances, and requires on-campus merchants to be authorized without charging extra fees. Finally, the bill orders a study and report on the program's impacts and student food insecurity.
Yes· 3 of 7
Would students be better off under this?+7
The bill specifically targets college students facing food insecurity by allowing them to purchase ready-to-eat meals on campus.
Would people in their twenties and thirties be better off under this?+6
College-aged young adults benefit directly by being able to use SNAP benefits for prepared meals on campus.
Would households on low incomes be better off under this?+6
Low-income households with members enrolled in higher education gain better access to nutritional resources.
The opposite
No question was scored the opposite.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
-
Use of benefits for on-campus meals: Section 2(a) adds section 7(l)(2)(A) to the Act, allowing eligible student households to use their benefits to purchase prepared, hot on-campus meals. This could benefit college students by giving them direct access to ready-to-eat food on campus.
-
Protection against extra fees: Section 2(a) adds section 7(l)(3)(B) to the Act, which requires on-campus merchants to charge the same prices for purchases made with benefits as other funds, and prohibits them from imposing fees or surcharges for using benefits. This protects students from being financially penalized for using their assistance.
-
Privacy protections: Section 2(a) adds section 7(l)(4)(C) to the Act, requiring the protection of personally identifiable information and limiting disclosure to what is necessary for authorizing a transaction. This helps keep students' private information safe when they buy food on campus.
-
Study on food insecurity: Section 2(a) adds section 7(l)(5) to the Act, which mandates a study and a public report on college student food insecurity rates, student retention rates, and the effect of this program on food security. This helps hold officials accountable by measuring whether the law is actually helping hungry students stay in school.
Potential Negative Impacts for People
- Restrictions on benefit usage: Section 2(a) adds section 7(l)(2)(B) to the Act, which explicitly prohibits benefits from being used to purchase or prepay a meal plan, add value to a dining or stored-value account, pay an outstanding balance on a college student account, or pay any fee, gratuity, or nonfood charge. This could burden students who might want to use their benefits for broader campus dining accounts or to clear existing school account fees.
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Good For Students+7Good For Low Income Households+6Good For Young Adults+6
- Governance And Ideology
- Improves Privacy Rights+5Improves Government Transparency+4
- Economy And Finance
- Improves Consumer Protection+5
- Social Issues And Justice
- Improves Poverty Reduction+4
- 9/17/2026
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
- Introduced in Senate