Congresswoman Norma Torres and Senator Alex Padilla Highlight Bill to Support Students’ Basic Needs

Congresswoman Norma Torres and Senator Alex Padilla Highlight Bill to Support Students' Basic Needs

WATCH: Congresswoman Torres highlights BASIC Act to help students facing basic needs challenges including access to food, housing, and health care.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Congresswoman Norma J. Torres (CA-35) and Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA) were joined by local students, as well as advocates and experts to reintroduce the Basic Assistance for Students In College Act or the "BASIC Act". This legislation aims to combat the basic needs crisis by allocating funding to help students access nutritious food, safe and secure housing, mental and physical healthcare, high-quality and affordable childcare, technology, transportation, personal hygiene, and other necessities. It also directs the federal government to streamline data sharing across agencies to help students who qualify for aid access it.

A 2024 report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that in 2020, nearly 3.8 million college students faced food insecurity, and almost 60 percent of those likely eligible were not receiving SNAP benefits. The BASIC Act establishes a $1 billion competitive grant program to help colleges and universities, including community colleges, Historically Black colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribal Colleges and Universities, and other minority-serving institutions (MSIs), address students' unmet basic needs and enhance data sharing between federal agencies that manage public assistance programs.

House Republicans are actively pushing to cut funding for essential health and education programs. Among the targeted areas is the U.S. Department of Education's Basic Needs for Postsecondary Students Program, a crucial part of the BASIC Act. This legislation is designed to provide students with the support they need, ensuring they can have their basic needs met while pursuing higher education. Without this critical funding, many students could face additional barriers to completing their degrees and achieving economic mobility.

"Students should never have to choose between buying books or buying food, safe housing, or medical care," said Congresswoman Norma Torres. "As college costs rise, the BASIC Act addresses these challenges by fostering collaboration among federal agencies and supporting colleges in identifying and aiding students in need. It also focuses on gathering crucial data on food and housing insecurity. As a mother and grandmother, this issue is deeply personal to me. This bill will help ensure that all students, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds, can succeed without compromising their well-being."

"For far too many students whose families aren't able to help them cover tuition or rent, a return to campus means having to figure out how to juggle classwork and jobs while affording everything from meals to housing to health care," said Senator Alex Padilla. "It's not enough just to get our kids to school. We need to create a student social safety net that sets them up for success. By establishing a billion-dollar competitive grant program through the BASIC Act, we can help institutions meet the basic needs of students nationwide."

"In 2019 we launched our Panther Care Program to help meet the basic needs and wellbeing of our at-risk students and we have seen first-hand the positive impact the program has on overall student success," said Chaffey College Acting Superintendent/President Lisa Bailey. "I am grateful for the efforts of Congresswoman Norma Torres as well as Chaffey professionals and students who have come together to advocate for future generations."

"We cannot expect students to focus on their education and achieve their academic, professional, and personal dreams if they are worried about where their next meal will come from or where they will sleep at night," said California State University Chancellor Mildred García. "If we truly believe in higher education as a powerful engine of social mobility, we must prove it by addressing the basic needs insecurity that tragically holds back so many of our diverse and talented students - our future leaders. Passing the 'BASIC Act' introduced today by Senator Padilla and Representative Torres would have a profound and positive impact on the lives of our students who are most at-risk and whose college success is far from guaranteed."

"Meeting both the academic and basic needs of students remains a top priority for the University of California," said University of California Essential Needs Consortium (UCENC) Co-Director Education & Training Ruben E. Canedo. "It is imperative, especially, that we work to address the basic needs of contemporary students, which impacts students' ability to thrive and obtain a degree. The University of California (UC) supports the Basic Assistance for Students in College (BASIC) Act, which would allow the Department of Education to establish a competitive grant program for the scaling up and expansion of basic needs resources on college campuses across the country. This has been a decade-long UC priority and would go a long way in providing students with the essential needs to persist in higher education."

The BASIC Act would establish a $1 billion competitive grant program to help colleges and universities address students' unmet basic needs. This funding will support institutions in providing access to essentials like nutritious food, safe housing, healthcare, childcare, technology, transportation, and hygiene products. The legislation also improves data sharing among federal agencies to ensure students who qualify for public assistance programs can access them.

The BASIC Act is cosponsored by U.S. Representatives Nanette Barragan (CA-44), Jose Luis Correa (CA-46), Jasmine Crockett (TX-30), Veronica Escobar (TX-16), Daniel Goldman (NY-10), Gwen Moore (CA-47), Barbara Lee (CA-13), James P. McGovern (MA-2), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC), Jimmy Panetta (CA-19), Raul Ruiz (CA-25), Linda T. Sanchez (CA-38), Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-5), Shri Thanedar (MI-13), Ritchie Torres (NY-15), and Juan Vargas (CA-52).

A one-pager on the BASIC Act is available here.

A copy of the bill is available here.

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