The bill amends the State School Aid Act of 1979, specifically section 30d, to increase funding allocations for free school lunch and breakfast programs for public school pupils in grades pre-K to 12. The proposed changes include raising the maximum allocation from the state school aid fund from $100 million to $200 million for the 2024-2025 fiscal year and extending the funding period to include the 2025-2026 fiscal year. Additionally, the bill modifies the requirements for participating entities to receive funding, specifying that they must meet the criteria of the free school lunch and breakfast program under section 1271 of the revised school code.

Furthermore, the bill removes several previous requirements for participating entities, such as the necessity to participate in the National School Lunch Program and specific obligations related to maximizing federal reimbursements and submitting meal data. It also clarifies the definition of "participating entity" to align with the revised school code. The bill ensures that if the allocated funds are insufficient to fully reimburse districts for meals, additional funds will be appropriated from the school meals reserve fund to cover the shortfall. The enactment of this bill is contingent upon the passage of House Bill No. 4870.

Statutes affected:
House Introduced Bill: 388.1630