{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.padilla.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/padilla-warren-torres-introduce-bill-to-address-basic-needs-insecurity-in-higher-education/", "Padilla, Warren, Torres Introduce Bill to Address Basic Needs Insecurity in Higher Education", "2026-09-24", "2026", "2026-09", "Democrat", "Senate", "CA", "Alex Padilla", "P000145", "www.padilla.senate.gov", "padilla", "https://www.padilla.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 Today, U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), along with Congresswoman Norma Torres (D-Calif.-35), reintroduced the Basic Assistance for Students In College (BASIC) Act, legislation to help community colleges and four-year institutions address the unmet basic needs of their students by establishing a $1 billion competitive grant program to better connect students with the resources they need to stay in school and complete their degrees.\n\nAmidst the ongoing affordability crisis, college students across America are struggling to afford food, safe housing, healthcare, childcare, transportation, and other necessities. Nearly one in four college students across the country experience food insecurity, a rate twice that of all other U.S. households, and 1 in 10 students experience homelessness. Research from The Hope Center for Student Basic Needs at Temple University shows that 3 in 5 students do not have enough to eat or a safe place to live.\n\n\u201cHigher costs fueled by the Trump Administration\u2019s policies are making it harder for millions of students to afford basic needs like housing, healthcare, and nutritious food,\u201d said Senator Padilla. \u201cNo student should have to choose between meeting their everyday needs and pursuing higher education. The BASIC Act will help bridge these gaps by providing resources to universities to support students not having to skip a meal or sacrifice their mental or physical health in pursuit of their higher education goals.\u201d\n\nStudents with limited income or access to opportunities, such as Pell Grant recipients, parenting students, first-generation students, veterans, former foster youth, students with disabilities, and students at community colleges, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), and Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs), typically experience the highest levels of basic needs insecurity.\n\n\u201cNo student working toward a college degree should have to wonder where their next meal will come from or whether they can keep a roof over their head,\u201d said Congresswoman Torres. \u201cOur students are doing everything we ask of them, pursuing an education, and building a better future, but rising costs are making it harder just to stay in school. The BASIC Act will help colleges step up, connect students with resources they already qualify for, and make sure food, housing, child care, or transportation are never the reason a student has to give up on their education. When our students succeed, our communities and our economy succeed with them.\u201d\n\nSince Fiscal Year 2021, Senator Padilla and Representative Torres have secured over $43 million for the Basic Needs for Postsecondary Students Program (\u201cBasic Needs Grants\u201d) nationwide, including $10 million in FY 2026. Basic Needs grants now reach schools in 22 states and Puerto Rico, including both rural and urban areas in Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Minnesota, North Carolina, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Wisconsin, and the program has received applications from many more states. The BASIC Act would build upon this progress and ensure students have access to basic needs.\n\nSpecifically, the BASIC Act would:\n\nAuthorize a $1 billion competitive grant program to help institutions of higher education identify and meet the basic needs of students:\n\n$40 million for planning grants to help institutions identify unmet needs and develop strategies to combat food and housing insecurity and homelessness.\n\n$960 million for implementation grants to help institutions provide direct housing, food, and childcare assistance, connect students with public benefits, partner with community organizations, and strengthen basic-needs services.\n\nGrants will prioritize institutions with 25% or higher federal Pell Grant enrollment.\n\nAt least 25% of grant funding must go to community colleges, and another 25% must go to HBCUs, Tribal Colleges and Universities, and other minority serving institutions (such as HSIs, AANAPISIs)\n\nImprove coordination and data sharing to help identify students who may qualify for programs such as SNAP, WIC, Medicaid, housing assistance, childcare assistance, tax credits, while protecting student data and privacy.\n\nRequire a national report on student food, housing, and basic-needs insecurity to better understand the challenges facing students and identify effective solutions.\n\nThe legislation authorizes $1 billion annually from fiscal years 2027 through 2033 to support planning and implementation grants for colleges and universities nationwide.\n\nIn addition to Padilla and Warren, the bill is cosponsored by Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.).\n\nThe BASIC Act of 2026 is endorsed by organizations like American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), American Association of University Women (AAUW), American Council on Education (ACE), California Community Colleges Chancellor\u2019s Office, California State University (CSU), EdTrust, Excelencia in Education, Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP), National Association for College Admission Counseling, National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, National Education Association, New America Higher Education Policy Program, The Hope Center for Student Basic Needs, The Institute for College Access & Success (TICAS), Today\u2019s Students Coalition, University of California (UC), University of California Student Association, Youth Law Center, Achieve Atlanta, Cedar Crest College, Church Women United in New York State, FoodShare South Carolina, Hunger Free America, and LeadMN.\n\n\u201cThe California State University (CSU) is proud to support Senator Alex Padilla and Congresswoman Norma Torres in advancing a comprehensive approach to meeting students\u2019 basic needs. We know that student success extends beyond the classroom. When students have reliable access to nutritious food, safe housing, childcare, transportation and technology, they are better positioned to stay enrolled, focus on their education and make meaningful progress toward their degrees. Through the CSU\u2019s Basic Needs Initiative, we have seen the importance of addressing these needs as an integral part of supporting the whole student. The BASIC Act builds on that commitment and aligns with CSU Forward\u2019s focus on creating the conditions for every student to thrive and earn a degree. By strengthening this work at colleges and universities across the country, this legislation has the potential to expand educational opportunity and create lasting benefits for students, their families and their communities,\u201d said Dr. Dilcie Perez, Vice Chancellor for Strategic Enrollment Management and Student Success\u200b.\n\n\u201cThe University of California (UC) is committed to addressing students\u2019 academic and essential needs through its Basic Needs Initiative, a multi-prong effort to identify and address key factors that contribute to food and housing insecurity so that students can succeed and thrive,\u201d said University of California Vice President and Vice Provost for Graduate, Undergraduate, and Equity Affairs Yvette Gullatt. \u201cThat is why UC is proud to support the Basic Assistance for Students in College (BASIC) Act, which would establish a grant program allowing institutions of higher education to address basic needs insecurity on campuses by providing additional resources to ensure that students can complete their degrees. UC has long advocated for federal support for basic needs and is grateful to Representative Norma Torres and Senator Alex Padilla for their continued work on this vitally important issue.\u201d\n\nSenator Padilla has been a consistent advocate for increasing access to higher education, fighting back against President Trump and Congressional Republicans\u2019 actions that are making college more unaffordable and unattainable for millions of working-class families. Last week, Padilla joined Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) in introducing the Debt-Free College Actto lower the cost of college and mitigate the student debt crisis. Last year, Padilla co-sponsored the College for All Act, which would make public colleges and universities free for 95% of students.\n\nFull text of the bill is available here.\n\nA one-pager of the bill is available here.\n\n###", 1, "2026-09-25T10:04:52Z", "2026-09-25T10:05:46Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.padilla.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/padilla-warren-torres-introduce-bill-to-address-basic-needs-insecurity-in-higher-education/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.4179041609168053, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}