20250AB__173496AMD INTRODUCED 2026-02-05 AMENDED_ASSEMBLY 2026-04-16 AMENDED_ASSEMBLY 2026-05-18 AMENDED_SENATE 2026-06-15 2025 AB AMD Introduced by Assembly Member Stefani (Coauthors: Assembly Members Garcia, Harabedian, Rogers, and Schiavo) LEAD_AUTHOR ASSEMBLY Stefani COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Garcia COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Harabedian COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Rogers COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Schiavo

An act to add

Chapter 26 (commencing with

Section 28050) to Division of the Health and Safety Code, relating to nutrition. nutrition Count Hunger Act. Existing law declares the established policy of the state that every human being has the right to access sufficient affordable and healthy food. Existing law defines food insecurity as the occasional or constant lack of access to the food one needs to live a healthy life and the uncertainty of being able to acquire enough food to meet the needs of an individual or household due to insufficient money or other resources.

Existing law requires the State Department of Public Health to consider the above-described state policy when establishing grant criteria pertinent to the distribution of sufficient affordable food.

Existing law requires the department to administer or oversee various programs addressing nutrition, including, among other things, pupil access to healthy food and the California Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children.</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>This bill, the Count Hunger Act, would require the department to establish a 2-year pilot program, in collaboration with the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), to ensure that certain sets of questions linked to food insecurity are funded and covered within the California Health Interview Survey (CHIS).

The bill would define CHIS as the statewide health survey administered by UCLA and conducted annually through interviews with thousands of households in the state, as specified.</xhtml:p><xhtml:p> Under the bill, the CHIS portion relating to food insecurity would apply to all households whose income is at or below 400% of the federal poverty level.

The bill would require UCLA, in collaboration with the department, to publish any available statewide-, regional-, and county-level data, as feasible, that are linked to the food insecurity portion, as specified.</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>The bill would condition implementation of these provisions on an appropriation by the Legislature and a resolution by the Regents of the University of California, for implementation in the and calendar years or as otherwise specified.

The bill would specify the intent of the Legislature that an appropriation for these purposes consist of grants or other contributions from local, private, or philanthropic sources for the purposes of the bill.</xhtml:p>"?> Existing law establishes the University of California, under the administration of the Regents of the University of California, as one of the segments of public postsecondary education within this state. The University of California comprises institutions of higher education located at various campuses, including in the City of Los Angeles.

This bill, the Count Hunger Act, would encourage the University of California, Los Angeles, in administering the California Health Interview Survey, to expand the portion of the survey relating to food insecurity to include households with incomes at or below 400% of the federal poverty level.

The bill would further encourage the University of California, Los Angeles, to make available statewide, regional, and county-level data regarding food insecurity among households with incomes at or below 400% of the federal poverty level through the AskCHIS reporting tool or a successor public reporting platform, as specified. The bill would encourage these provisions to be undertaken only to the extent that the University of California, Los Angeles, determines sufficient resources are available. MAJORITY NO YES NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1. This act shall be known, and may be cited, as the Count Hunger Act. <caml:Num>SEC. 2.</caml:Num><caml:ActionLine action="IS_ADDED" xlink:href="urn:caml:codes:HSC:caml#xpointer(%2Fcaml%3ALawDoc%2Fcaml%3ACode%2Fcaml%3ALawHeading%5B%40type%3D'DIVISION'%20and%20caml%3ANum%3D'20.'%5D%2Fcaml%3ALawHeading%5B%40type%3D'CHAPTER'%20and%20caml%3ANum%3D'26.'%5D)" xlink:label="fractionType: LAW_SPREAD||commencingWith: 28050" xlink:type="locator">Chapter 26 (commencing with

Section 28050) is added to Division of the <caml:DocName>Health and Safety Code</caml:DocName>, to read:</caml:ActionLine><caml:Fragment><caml:LawHeading id="id_7A34D0B0-FB7E-45B2-995C-D01D5E711BF4" type="CHAPTER"><caml:Num>26.</caml:Num><caml:LawHeadingVersion id="id_6F54FC7E-C435-45F9-BE90-46027AD624FA"><caml:LawHeadingText>California Health Interview Survey</caml:LawHeadingText></caml:LawHeadingVersion><caml:LawSection id="id_238BB9D4-9F89-4AF3-839C-198211246A33"><caml:Num>28050.</caml:Num><caml:LawSectionVersion id="id_990A41F2-8A09-4560-9819-34C59C9C93AD"><caml:Content><xhtml:p>For purposes of this chapter, “California Health Interview Survey” or “CHIS” means the statewide health survey administered by the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) in collaboration with state departments and other agencies, and conducted annually through interviews with thousands of households in the state.

The survey addresses various health matters, including, but not limited to, use of and access to health care, health conditions and behaviors, and a range of topics that influence health, such as public program participation, housing, income and employment, climate change, food, gun violence, and adverse childhood experiences.</xhtml:p></caml:Content></caml:LawSectionVersion></caml:LawSection><caml:LawSection id="id_3122B323-4CCA-40C9-9C78-7FD18A87DAC8"><caml:Num>28051.</caml:Num><caml:LawSectionVersion id="id_4A2D43C7-268A-444F-97A0-920F8E99F05E"><caml:Content><xhtml:p>(a)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>The State Department of Public Health shall establish a two-year pilot program, in collaboration with UCLA, to ensure that the sets of questions linked to food insecurity, as those sets were implemented in the California Health Interview Survey for the calendar year, are funded and covered within the CHIS for purposes of the two years of the pilot program as described in paragraph (3) of subdivision (d).</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(b)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>Within the sample of households surveyed for CHIS purposes, the CHIS portion relating to food insecurity, as described in subdivision (a), shall apply to all households whose income is at or below percent of the federal poverty level.</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(c)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>(1)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>UCLA, in collaboration with the department and upon receipt of funding pursuant to subdivision (d), shall publish any available statewide-, regional-, and county-level data, as feasible, that are linked to the food insecurity portion described in subdivision (a).

UCLA shall post those data on the AskCHIS reporting tool of the CHIS internet website in a manner accessible to the public.</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(2)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>Data published or posted pursuant to paragraph (1) shall exclude any personally identifiable information.</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(d)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>(1)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>(A)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>This

section shall be implemented upon an appropriation made by the Legislature for this purpose.</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(B)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>It is the intent of the Legislature that an appropriation pursuant to subparagraph (

A) consist of moneys from grants or other contributions from local, private, or philanthropic sources for the purposes expressed in this chapter.</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(2)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>This

section shall not be applicable to UCLA unless the Regents of the University of California, by resolution, make this

section applicable.</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(3)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>The two-year pilot program described in this

section shall be implemented for the and calendar years, or two subsequent calendar years, whichever is earlier based on when the appropriation described in paragraph (1) is made available.</xhtml:p></caml:Content></caml:LawSectionVersion></caml:LawSection></caml:LawHeading></caml:Fragment></caml:BillSection>"?>

SEC. 2.

Chapter 26 (commencing with

Section 28050) is added to Division of the Health and Safety Code , to read: 26. California Health Interview Survey 28050. (

a) The Legislature finds and declares that food insecurity is an urgent, nutrition-related health crisis for Californians that experience it. (

b) The Legislature further funds and declares that the statewide health survey administered by the University of California, Los Angeles, known as the “California Health Interview Survey” or “CHIS,” is a critical measure of food insecurity in California. 28051. (

a) The Legislature encourages the University of California, Los Angeles, in administering the California Health Interview Survey, to expand the portion of the survey relating to food insecurity to include households with incomes at or below percent of the federal poverty level. (

b) The Legislature further encourages the University of California, Los Angeles, to make available, to the extent feasible and in a manner that does not include personally identifiable information, statewide, regional, and county-level data regarding food insecurity among households with incomes at or below percent of the federal poverty level through the AskCHIS reporting tool or a successor public reporting platform. (

c) The Legislature encourages the activities described in this

section to be undertaken only to the extent that the University of California, Los Angeles, determines that sufficient resources are available. Nothing in this

section shall be construed to require the appropriation of state funds or create an entitlement to state funding.