The start of the college school year makes some people nervous about the unexpected, while others are diligent about paying for such things as a parking permit, tuition and books. One thing students shouldn’t have to worry about is how they are going to eat. But the reality is that there are students experiencing hunger.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program is an anti-hunger program that can help these students. But recently, the House of Representatives passed a version of the Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018 (aka the farm bill) that would make it harder for college students to receive benefits, because it adds work requirements. College students already have enough on their plates, and adding a work requirement would unduly burden them.
Luckily, the Senate’s version of the farm bill is bipartisan and protects SNAP from harmful changes or work requirements. I urge Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev., to push toward a bipartisan bill that will ensure that college students in Nevada have enough to eat.