SPRINGFIELD, IL (Chambana Today) — On Wednesday, it was shared that Illinois state Representative Carol Ammons, a Democrat from Urbana, introduced legislation that would allocate $1 million to the Hunger-Free Campus Grant Fund. The fund would distribute grants to public university systems who meet requirements to be designated as a hunger-free campus.

“Students shouldn’t have to choose between pursuing a degree or the ability to afford food, and the Hunger-Free Campus Fund helps eliminate that choice,” said Ammons. “Food insecurity is a widespread issue on college campuses, but that doesn’t mean it should be the status quo. I’ve seen this at the two public institutions just in my district, and I know there are students in the same boat around the state. We had to do something.”

House Bill 4520 requests a $1 million deposit into the Hunger-Free Campus Fund from the General Revenue Fund. A press release from Ammons shared that funds are designed to ensure public institutions of higher education can eliminate food insecurity across their campuses.

The Hunger-Free Campus Fund was established by Ammons in 2023 through House Bill 2528, which was signed into law by Governor JB Pritzker in August of 2023. The legislation requires hunger-free campus designees to create a hunger task force to meet regularly, assist students eligible for SNAP and other programs, and provide at least one physical food pantry on campus, among other things.

“I’m so proud of the work we did to develop this fund and it’s been incredibly rewarding to see the fruits of our labor,” said Ammons. “We’re in an affordability crisis and young people are disproportionately impacted. This is just one way to ensure our future generation of leaders will succeed to their highest potential, removing some financial burden, but this is just the beginning.”

The bill has advanced to the House floor, where it awaits a chamber-wide vote.