Bill Text: NY S01678 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

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Bill Title: Requires all public school districts, charter schools and non-public schools in the state that participate in the national school lunch program or school breakfast program as provided in the national child nutrition act to serve breakfast and lunch at no cost to the student.

Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 20-5)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-03 - REFERRED TO EDUCATION [S01678 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-S01678-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          1678

                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions

                    IN SENATE

                                    January 13, 2023
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  Sens.  HINCHEY,  GOUNARDES,  SEPULVEDA -- read twice and
          ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee  on
          Education

        AN  ACT  to  amend the education law, in relation to providing universal
          school meals to students

          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section  1. The education law is amended by adding a new section 915-a
     2  to read as follows:
     3    § 915-a. Universal school meals. 1. The department shall  require  all
     4  public  school  districts, charter schools and non-public schools in the
     5  state that participate in the national school lunch  program  or  school
     6  breakfast  program  as  provided in the national child nutrition act, as
     7  amended, to serve breakfast and lunch at no cost to the student.  Public
     8  school districts, charter schools and non-public schools shall  maximize
     9  access  to  federal  funds  for  the  cost of school breakfast and lunch
    10  programs by adopting Provision 2 of the  federal  Community  Eligibility
    11  Provisions  or  any  other provision under such act, the National School
    12  Lunch Act or the National Child Nutrition Act as deemed eligible by  the
    13  department.
    14    2.  To the extent that the cost of making available school lunches and
    15  breakfasts pursuant to subdivision one of this section are not reimburs-
    16  able through federal funds, the  department  shall  reimburse  all  such
    17  costs.  The department shall reimburse the difference between the amount
    18  paid by the United States Department of Agriculture and the free rate as
    19  set annually by the United States  Secretary  of  Agriculture  under  42
    20  U.S.C. 1759a for each school.
    21    3.  The  department  in  consultation with the office of temporary and
    22  disability assistance shall promulgate any rule or regulation needed for
    23  public school districts,  charter  schools  and  non-public  schools  to
    24  promote  the  supplemental  nutrition assistance program to a student or

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD05356-02-3
        S. 1678                             2

     1  person in parental relation to a student by either providing application
     2  assistance or a direct referral to an outreach partner identified by the
     3  department to the office  of  temporary  and  disability  assistance  to
     4  increase  the  number of students directly certified for free or reduced
     5  price school meals.
     6    § 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2023.