Harder and Gomez Introduce Legislation to Combat Hunger on College Campuses

WASHINGTON – Representatives Josh Harder (CA-10) and Jimmy Gomez (CA-34) today introduced legislation to address the growing crisis of food insecurity among college students. The Enhanced Access to SNAP (EATS) Act would amend the Food and Nutrition Act to include "attending an institution of higher education" as a form of qualification, expanding SNAP eligibility to millions of college students experiencing hunger. Rep. Harder's office heard directly from Central Valley students about this issue, including a Modesto Junior College (MJC) student who is living with homelessness and food insecurity.

"A lot of my students at Modesto Junior College told me about having to skip meals because they couldn't afford to make ends meet – we can do better than that in the United States of America," said Rep. Harder, a member of the House Agriculture and Education and Labor Committees. "Our bill will make sure these kids get the healthy food they need to get through school and on to their careers without having to choose between buying books and buying dinner."

"Across the United States, many college students are skipping meals while others are going whole days without eating because they lack the means to support themselves," said Rep. Gomez. "These students – many of whom are from low-income families and have worked tirelessly for their higher education – deserve access to basic necessities like healthy meals without having to choose between going hungry and compromising their academic standings. Through the passage of the EATS Act, we can help lighten the financial burden college students have to bare, help them prioritize their academic success, and make the ‘starving college student' stereotype a thing of the past."

"Making sure that I could get access to CalFresh would allow me to save up to put a deposit on an apartment and get off the streets and also save for the next chapter of my education," said Modesto Junior College Student Dimitri Hiyood, a homeless student who struggles with food insecurity. "I appreciate the fact that Josh is working to help students like me."

Dimitri Hiyood, a disabled history student at MJC who is struggling with homelessness, has sought out CalFresh (California's Supplementary Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, but was denied. He is currently living out of his car. Reps. Harder and Gomez's bill would fix this problem by allowing students access to benefits.A recent study by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that 39 percent of all low-income students experience food insecurity with approximately 31 percent of those students being first-generation college students. The study also showed that college students experiencing hunger have a harder time succeeding in school.

The bill has been endorsed by over 50 organizations, including numerous anti-hunger groups from across California.