What's happening
This bill requires all New York schools participating in federal meal programs to provide free breakfast and lunch to students.
Why it matters
Reduces stigma and food insecurity. By making school meals free for all students, the bill removes the social stigma associated with free/reduced-price lunch programs and ensures that no child goes hungry during the school day, regardless of family income.
Maximizes federal funding and minimizes local costs. Schools are required to use every available federal reimbursement option (like Community Eligibility Provision or Provision 2), ensuring that New York leverages as much federal funding as possible for meal programs, with the state covering any shortfall.
Promotes enrollment in supplemental nutrition programs. The bill mandates that schools actively help families access the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), aiming to increase the number of students automatically certified for free/reduced meals and potentially bringing more federal dollars into New York.
Provides technical support for transition. The state education department must assist schools in shifting to universal free meal service, helping them navigate eligibility, compliance, and funding—especially for schools not currently qualifying for the most generous federal provisions—so the transition is efficient and sustainable.
Albany, before your first meeting.
Every bill that moved yesterday, summarized in a sentence and ranked by impact. The Albany Scorecard follows on Sundays.
Free. Unsubscribe in one click. Want alerts on specific bills? Create an account.
Who cares
Headline styles
Free Meals for All Students
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
101 Co-sponsors
- Philip Ramos
- Carrie Woerner
- Jonathan Rivera
- Jen Lunsford
- Brian Maher
- David McDonough
- Emily Gallagher
- Emerita Torres
- Didi Barrett
- William Conrad
- John Zaccaro Jr.
- Dana Levenberg
- Nily Rozic
- MaryJane Shimsky
- Sarah Clark
- George Alvarez
- Harvey Epstein
- Simcha Eichenstein
- Khaleel Anderson
- Sarahana Shrestha
- Maritza Davila
- Jo Anne Simon
- Anna Kelles
- Manny De Los Santos
- Vivian Cook
- Chantel Jackson
- Joe DeStefano
- Keith Brown
- Karl Brabenec
- Josh Jensen
- David Weprin
- Marianne Buttenschon
- Tony Simone
- Alex Bores
- Billy Jones
- Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn
- Chris Tague
- Steven Otis
- Yudelka Tapia
- Jonathan Jacobson
- Angelo Santabarbara
- Grace Lee
- Latrice Walker
- Matthew Simpson
- Matthew Slater
- Doug Smith
- Donna Lupardo
- Rebecca Seawright
- Jeff Gallahan
- Scott H. Bendett
- Christopher Eachus
- Chris Burdick
- Lester Chang
- Anil Beephan Jr.
- Sam Berger
- Jake Ryan Blumencranz
- Harry B. Bronson
- Joe Angelino
- Catalina Cruz
- Brian Cunningham
- Landon C. Dais
- Robert C. Carroll
- Jeffrey Dinowitz
- Michael Durso
- Phara Souffrant Forrest
- Jerett Gandolfo
- Eddie Gibbs
- Deborah Glick
- Andrew Hevesi
- Ron Kim
- Charles Lavine
- Zohran Mamdani
- Brian Manktelow
- Karen McMahon
- Demond Meeks
- John K. Mikulin
- Marcela Mitaynes
- Michael Novakhov
- Stacey Pheffer Amato
- Steven Raga
- Nader Sayegh
- Phil Steck
- Albert A. Stirpe
- Al Taylor
- Steve Stern
- Karines Reyes
- Philip Palmesano
- Brian D. Miller
- Linda Rosenthal
- William Colton
- Micah Lasher
- Paula Kay
- Gabriella Romero
- Patrick Chludzinski
- Patrick J. Carroll
- Andrew Molitor
- Mary Beth Walsh
- Noah Burroughs
- Judy Griffin
- Rebecca Kassay
- John T. McDonald III
History
- Referred to education
- Referred to education
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Free Meals for All Students
In Senate Committee · Education · Sponsor Michelle Hinchey
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
282
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY (Prefiled)
January 8, 2025
Introduced by M. of A. GONZALEZ-ROJAS, RAMOS, WOERNER, RIVERA, LUNSFORD, MAHER, McDONOUGH, GALLAGHER, TORRES, BARRETT, CONRAD, ZACCARO, LEVEN- BERG, ROZIC, SHIMSKY, CLARK, ALVAREZ, EPSTEIN, EICHENSTEIN, ANDERSON, SHRESTHA, DAVILA, SIMON, KELLES, DE LOS… Show allHide
Introduced by M. of A. GONZALEZ-ROJAS, RAMOS, WOERNER, RIVERA, LUNSFORD, MAHER, McDONOUGH, GALLAGHER, TORRES, BARRETT, CONRAD, ZACCARO, LEVEN- BERG, ROZIC, SHIMSKY, CLARK, ALVAREZ, EPSTEIN, EICHENSTEIN, ANDERSON, SHRESTHA, DAVILA, SIMON, KELLES, DE LOS SANTOS, COOK, JACKSON, DeSTE- FANO, K. BROWN, BRABENEC, JENSEN, WEPRIN, BUTTENSCHON, SIMONE, BORES, JONES, BICHOTTE HERMELYN, TAGUE, OTIS, TAPIA, JACOBSON, SANTABARBARA, LEE, WALKER, SIMPSON, SLATER, SMITH, LUPARDO, SEAWRIGHT, GALLAHAN, BENDETT, EACHUS, BURDICK, CHANG, BEEPHAN, BERGER, BLUMENCRANZ, BRON- SON, ANGELINO, CRUZ, CUNNINGHAM, DAIS, R. CARROLL, DINOWITZ, DURSO, FORREST, GANDOLFO, GIBBS, GLICK, HEVESI, KIM, LAVINE, MAMDANI, MANKTE- LOW, McMAHON, MEEKS, MIKULIN, MITAYNES, NOVAKHOV, PHEFFER AMATO, RAGA, SAYEGH, STECK, STIRPE, TAYLOR, STERN, REYES, PALMESANO, MILLER, ROSEN- THAL, COLTON -- read once and referred 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 Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. The education law is amended by adding a new section 915-a to read as follows:
§ 915-a. Universal school meals. 1. The department shall require 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 Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act and the Child Nutrition Act, as amended, to serve breakfast and lunch at no cost to the student. Public school districts, charter schools and non-public schools shall maximize federal reimbursement for school breakfast and lunch programs by adopting Provision 2, the federal Community Eligibility Provision, or any other provision under such act, the National School Lunch Act or the National Child Nutrition Act.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD00977-01-5
2. The department shall reimburse the difference between the amount paid by the United States Department of Agriculture and the free rate as set annually by the United States Secretary of Agriculture under 42 U.S.C. 1759a for each school.
3. The department in consultation with the office of temporary and disability assistance shall promulgate any rule or regulation needed for public school districts, charter schools and non-public schools to promote the supplemental nutrition assistance program to a student or person in parental relation to a student by either providing application assistance or a direct referral to an outreach partner identified by the department to the office of temporary and disability assistance to increase the number of students directly certified for free or reduced price school meals.
4. In addition to fulfilling any other applicable state and federal requirements, the department shall provide technical assistance to assist public school districts, charter schools, and non-public schools in the transition to universal school meals to ensure successful program operations and to maximize federal funding, including:
a. Assisting local educational agencies with one or more community-eligibility qualifying schools in meeting any state and federal requirements necessary in order to receive reimbursement through the community eligibility provision.
b. If a school or district is ineligible to receive reimbursement through the community eligibility provision, assisting the school or district in achieving eligibility and, if that is not feasible, assist the school or district in determining the viability of using Provision 2 or other special federal provisions available to schools.
c. Maximizing direct certification for specific populations as allowable under federal rules.
§ 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2025.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.