ASSEMBLY HIGHER EDUCATION COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

ASSEMBLY, No. 2166

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  FEBRUARY 22, 2024

      The Assembly Higher Education Committee reports favorably Assembly Bill No. 2166.

      This bill permits students at public institutions of higher education to donate unused meal plan funds to an emergency meal fund to be distributed to New Jersey food banks.

      This bill creates a new fund in the Department of State entitled the “New Jersey Emergency Meal Fund” and requires public institutions of higher education that offer meal plans to permit a student to voluntarily donate any unused funds that remain in the student’s meal plan at the end of a semester to the fund. Under the bill, all donated funds are to be provided to the New Jersey Federation of Food Banks to provide and distribute food to the federation’s network of food banks in the State.

      The bill directs public institutions of higher education to develop policies and procedures for verifying the amount of any unused funds remaining in a student’s meal plan at the end of a semester and for facilitating the transfer of unused funds that have been donated by students to the fund. Under the bill, unused funds from a meal plan include direct money and the amount of money that equates to the value of any unused meals or unused meal points that remain in a student’s meal plan at the end of a semester.

      This bill was pre-filed for introduction in the 2024-2025 session pending technical review.  As reported, the bill includes the changes required by technical review, which has been performed.