Hunger-Free Campus Pilot Program (SB 534)

The Frame

What this does

The bill would have mandated specific administrative and support services for students facing food insecurity at selected public institutions, contingent on state funding, while requiring a statewide study on campus hunger.

Who is mentioned in the record

Potentially affected actors named in the source documents. Mention is not a position.

Pell Grant-eligible students

These students would have been the primary focus for the selection of participating institutions and the intended recipients of new food security services.

State universities and Florida College System institutions

Selected institutions would have been required to implement task forces, reporting mechanisms, and food access programs.

What changed

Last recorded activity March 13, 2026.

What's next

Introduced.

Background

The Florida College System consists of 28 public colleges that provide workforce education and associate degrees. context

Summary

This bill proposed a one-year pilot program to address food insecurity at three Florida public colleges or universities with the highest percentage of students. Participating schools would have been required to establish hunger task forces, assist students with enrollment, and provide access to food pantries or meal credit programs.

Key Facts

You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which schools would have participated in the program?

The program would have included the three state universities or Florida College System institutions with the highest percentage of students eligible for Pell Grants.

What specific services would participating schools have provided?

Schools would have been required to provide enrollment assistance, on-campus food pantries or stigma-free food access, and a student meal credit donation program.

What was the status of this bill?

The bill died in the Appropriations Committee on Agriculture, Environment, and General Government on March 13, 2026.

Why It Matters

The bill would have mandated specific administrative and support services for students facing food insecurity at selected public institutions, contingent on state funding, while requiring a statewide study on campus hunger.

News Coverage

No news coverage found yet. Articles are indexed twice daily.

Voting Record

Motion succeededupper1/13/2026openstates_bulkOfficial roll call ↗

Favorable

Total

4

Yes

4

No

0

Present

0

Not Voting

0

Abstain

0

How they voted (4)

Darryl Rouson

Democratic · yes

Colleen Burton

Republican · yes

Mack Bernard

Democratic · yes

Erin Grall

Republican · yes

Full roll-call analysis →

Discoveries

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift90% confidence

Legislative focus on campus food insecurity

The bill demonstrates a legislative attempt to formalize food security infrastructure within the Florida public higher education system.

Florida College System State University System

Connected Entities

organizationFlorida College System Map →

organizationDepartment of Agriculture and Consumer Services Map →

personCommissioner of Agriculture Map →

organizationOffice of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability Map →

organizationState University System Map →

Sources

Open source document

openstates.org

Analysis Score

0–100

Significance65
How much this matters to a regular citizen
Controversy20
Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
Entertainment5
Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
Buzz10
Current news / social attention level