What's happening
This bill requires all New York schools in federal meal programs to provide free breakfast and lunch to students, with state reimbursement for costs not covered by federal funds.
Why it matters
All students, regardless of family income, will receive free breakfast and lunch at schools participating in federal meal programs, which could reduce food insecurity and financial strain for many families.
Schools will be required to maximize participation in federal programs (like the Community Eligibility Provision) to secure as much federal funding as possible, potentially increasing administrative efficiency and maximizing resources.
The state will cover any gap between federal reimbursement and the full cost of meals, ensuring schools are not financially penalized for providing free meals to all students.
Schools and state agencies must actively promote SNAP (food assistance) enrollment and facilitate direct certification for free/reduced meals, likely increasing access to other social supports for eligible families and streamlining benefits distribution.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Free Meals for All Students
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
27 Co-sponsors
- Jake Ashby
- Jamaal Bailey
- George Borrello
- Samra Brouk
- Cordell Cleare
- Jeremy Cooney
- Nathalia Fernandez
- Andrew Gounardes
- Pete Harckham
- Robert Jackson
- John Liu
- Monica Martinez
- Jack M. Martins
- Rachel May
- Dean Murray
- Zellnor Myrie
- Peter Oberacker
- Jessica Ramos
- Steve Rhoads
- Robert Rolison
- Christopher Ryan
- Sean Ryan
- Julia Salazar
- Luis R. Sepúlveda
- James Skoufis
- Lea Webb
- William Weber
History
- Referred to education
- Reported and committed to finance
- 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 Assembly Committee · Education · Sponsor Jessica Gonzalez-Rojas
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
594
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE (Prefiled)
January 8, 2025
Introduced by Sens. HINCHEY, ASHBY, BAILEY, BROUK, CLEARE, COONEY, FERNANDEZ, GOUNARDES, HARCKHAM, JACKSON, MARTINEZ, MARTINS, MAY, MURRAY, MYRIE, RAMOS, RHOADS, ROLISON, RYAN S, SALAZAR, SEPULVEDA, SKOUFIS, WEBB -- 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 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.
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
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD00977-01-5
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.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the education law, in relation to providing universal school meals to students
Purpose or general idea of bill
Relates to providing universal school meals to students
Summary of provisions
Section 1 amends education law by adding a new section 915-a to require all public school districts, charter schools, and non-public schools to serve breakfast and lunch at no cost to students.
Section 2 sets forth the bill's effective date.
Justification
The health and economic crises brought on by the COV1D-19 pandemic have made the importance of the federal school meat programs clearer than ever. A record number of New Yorkers do not have enough to eat, and it is Likely that the economic recovery for families who struggle to put food on the table will take years beyond the end of the pandemic.
While many New York schools - predominantly our larger, urban school districts - offer meals at no cost for all through CEP, 270 schools in our state are eligible for CEP but not participating, often because they are unable to make it work financially. Many of these schools are our smallest school districts in rural communities, where poverty is less concentrated but still prevalent.
There has never been a more important time to invest in school meals. As of 2024 nine states have fully implemented free school meals regard- less of income, as well as several municipalities in New York State including New York City and Albany. 1
This bill would ensure that every K-12 student in New York has equal access to a nutritious breakfast and lunch at school to support their health and academic success at no cost to them.
Prior legislative history
2023: S1678A referred to Education / A1941 referred to Education
2024: S1678A referred to Education / A1941 referred to Education
Fiscal implications to state and local governments
None
EFFECTIVE DATE:, This act shall take effect July 1, 2024 1 States that Have Passed Universal Free School Meats (So Far)
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.