The proposed bill establishes a statewide "Healthy School Meals for All" program in Rhode Island, aimed at providing universal access to free breakfast and lunch for all public school students. The implementation of this program will be phased in over three years, beginning in the 2026-2027 school year with all public elementary schools required to make breakfasts and lunches available to elementary students. In the 2027-2028 school year, the program will expand to include all public middle schools, and by the 2028-2029 school year, it will extend to all public high schools, ensuring that breakfasts and lunches are available to students in grades K-12.

The bill mandates that schools participating in the School Breakfast Program and National School Lunch Program provide meals without charge to all enrolled students every school day. It also requires public educational entities to seek to maximize student participation and access to federal funds to support the program's costs. This includes operational requirements such as providing breakfast meals that can be picked up outside the cafeteria, making breakfast available in classrooms, collaborating with health and wellness committees, and ensuring adequate lunch periods for students.

Additionally, the bill outlines measures to improve meal quality, including compliance with state nutrition requirements, purchasing locally grown food items, freshly preparing meals, and engaging students and families in menu development. Public educational entities must report quarterly on the use of locally sourced food items.

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education is tasked with reimbursing public educational entities for the difference between the federal free reimbursement rate and the federal reimbursement rate received for each meal served. The General Assembly is required to make annual appropriations to cover the costs of providing free meals in state-subsidized early childhood education programs and to support the administration of the program, including funding for a full-time employee at the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

The bill also includes provisions for schools designated as eligible for the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) to participate in the program, with state funding covering costs for non-eligible grades in certain schools. All local education agencies and eligible schools are required to participate in the CEP if they meet the criteria, and failure to do so without a valid exemption will result in the forfeiture of state funding intended for CEP-related costs.

The act is set to take effect on July 1, 2026.