Bill Text: CA ACR116 | 2017-2018 | Regular Session | Introduced

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

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Bill Title: Student Hunger Action Month.

Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 50-19-1)

Status: (Passed) 2017-09-25 - Chaptered by Secretary of State - Res. Chapter 202, Statutes of 2017. [ACR116 Detail]

Download: California-2017-ACR116-Introduced.html

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CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2017–2018 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Concurrent Resolution

No. 116

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Introduced by Assembly Member Limón

July 20, 2017

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Relative to Student Hunger Action Month.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

ACR 116, as introduced, Limón. Student Hunger Action Month.

This measure would recognize the month of September 2017 as Student Hunger Action Month.

Digest Key

Fiscal Committee: NO  

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Bill Text

WHEREAS, Many students attending the campuses of the University of California (UC), the California State University (CSU), and the California Community Colleges (CCC) are facing food insecurity and homelessness; and

WHEREAS, Students skip meals or take on several jobs to prioritize paying for the rising cost of tuition, books, rent, and additional fees; and

WHEREAS, Food insecurity and homelessness affect a student’s ability to focus on academic performance and can result in withdrawal from his or her academic enrollment; and

WHEREAS, Food insecurity is linked to health risks, including obesity, hypertension, and cardiovascular risk factors; and

WHEREAS, The majority of students facing food insecurity and homelessness come from working and middle class backgrounds where they may already experience food insecurity and homelessness; and

WHEREAS, The College Equity Assessment Lab at San Diego State University finds that approximately one-third of students surveyed are facing housing insecurity or homelessness, and 12 percent face food insecurity; and

WHEREAS, Students attending a community college who are facing food insecurity are more likely to indicate their intention to drop out of that community college than those who are food secure; and

WHEREAS, According to a CSU report, “Serving Displaced and Food Insecure Students,” staff, faculty, and administrators estimate that 8.7 percent of CSU students were displaced and 21 percent of students were food insecure; and

WHEREAS, According to the UC’s 2016 Global Food Initiative report, “Student Food Access and Security Study,” 19 percent of UC students indicated that they had “very low” food security, which the United States Department of Agriculture defines as experiencing reduced food intake at times due to limited resources; and

WHEREAS, The University of California, Santa Barbara, has taken the lead in outreaching, enrolling, and maximizing the CalFresh program benefits for students who are food insecure; and

WHEREAS, Several initiatives have surfaced in the UC, the CSU, and the CCC systems to combat food insecurity, such as the UC’s Global Food Initiative and the CSU’s Basic Needs Initiative; and

WHEREAS, Students who experience food insecurity and homelessness need additional institutional support to continue their studies and gain their certificate or degree; and

WHEREAS, The month of September is National Hunger Action Month, an initiative to raise awareness of hunger across the nation; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate thereof concurring, That the Legislature recognizes the month of September 2017 as Student Hunger Action Month, and encourages all Californians to join the campaign and become concerned about student hunger and food insecurity in the hope of achieving optimum health for all California students; and be it further

Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.