U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Al Lawson introduced on Wednesday legislation that would make low-income college students eligible for benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

The College Student Hunger Act of 2019 would amend the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to include college students who qualify for a federal Pell grant or whose families are considered low-income. Most people ages 18 to 49 who are enrolled in college and have no disabilities are ineligible for food stamps, except for certain students in state-designated work and training programs, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture website. Warren is a Democrat from Massachusetts and Lawson is a Florida Democrat.

The legislation comes months after a Government Accountability Office report found that 2 million at-risk college students who could be eligible for SNAP didn’t receive benefits in 2016.

In Massachusetts, college students have reported going hungry. Emerson College and Bunker Hill Community College, both in Boston, are just two of several universities across the country that have launched food pantries for students who can’t afford meals.

“As more and more students struggle to afford college and take on a mountain of student loan debt, nearly one in three college students cannot even afford basic necessities like food,” said Warren who is running for the president. “Our bill will ensure students have the support they need to work toward a better future without going hungry.”

Several senators, including Warren, submitted a letter in February requesting a study on food insecurity at U.S. colleges and universities.

The bill would also require the USDA to inform states and colleges about student eligibility for SNAP benefits and launch pilot projects to test ways to make SNAP more accessible to students, including using SNAP to purchase prepared food from dining halls.

Sens. Ed Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat and Kamala Harris, a California Democrat running for president, are cosponsors. Seven House Democrats cosponsored the legislation, including Rep. James McGovern.

“Too often, we stereotype what hunger and food insecurity looks like and stigmatize those who use anti-hunger programs, but the reality is that nearly 40 million Americans experience hunger, and there isn’t a community or a college campus in this country that is hunger-free," McGovern, a Worcester Democrat, said.

Democrats on Beacon Hill welcomed the legislation, including Senate Assistant Majority Leader Sal DiDomenico, Sen. Anne Gobi, Rep. Smitty Pignatelli and Rep. Jeffrey N. Roy.

Roy, House chair of the Joint Committee on Higher Education, said he has heard stories from college students having to choose between meals and materials for school. “And with ever increasing education costs, this legislation would provide concrete ways to assist students with the nutrition they need to thrive,” he said.

The GAO report analyzed food insecurity among college students at colleges in four states: California, Kentucky, Massachusetts, and Michigan. In Massachusetts, researchers did site visits of a two-year institution, Bunker Hill, and a four-year institution, the University of Massachusetts, Boston.