House File 575 - Introduced
HOUSE FILE 575
BY SCHEETZ, JONES,
BLOOMINGDALE, LUNDGREN,
ANDREWS, INGELS, THOMSON,
GERHOLD, LOHSE, WOOD,
BEST, DUNWELL, HENDERSON,
GUSTAFSON, SIECK, MOORE,
GOLDING, YOUNG, and
KAUFMANN
A BILL FOR
1 An Act relating to free school breakfast and lunch for students
2 eligible to receive reduced price meals under federal
3 programs at public schools, certain charter schools, and
4 certain nonpublic schools and making an appropriation.
5 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
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1 Section 1. NEW SECTION. 283A.3A State funding.
2 1. Each school, including charter schools that participate
3 in a United States department of agriculture school meal
4 program, and each nonpublic school participating in the school
5 breakfast program or the national school lunch program, shall
6 not collect any payment from a student for a reduced price
7 breakfast or reduced price lunch the student is eligible to
8 receive under the federal Richard B. Russell National School
9 Lunch Act of 1946, Pub. L. No. 79-396, as amended, or the
10 federal Child Nutrition Act of 1966, Pub. L. No. 111-296, as
11 amended.
12 2. a. The department of education shall, in accordance
13 with section 283A.4, distribute to each school operating a
14 school breakfast program pursuant to section 283A.2, to each
15 charter school participating in a United States department of
16 agriculture school meal program, and to each nonpublic school
17 operating a school breakfast program in accordance with section
18 283A.10, an amount equal to the difference between the federal
19 reimbursement rate for a free breakfast minus the federal
20 reimbursement rate for a reduced price breakfast multiplied by
21 the number of breakfasts provided by the school or nonpublic
22 school for free pursuant to subsection 1.
23 b. The department of education shall, in accordance
24 with section 283A.4, distribute to each school operating a
25 school lunch program pursuant to section 283A.2, to each
26 charter school participating in a United States department
27 of agriculture school meal program, and to each nonpublic
28 school operating a school lunch program in accordance with
29 section 283A.10, an amount equal to the difference between the
30 federal reimbursement rate for a free lunch minus the federal
31 reimbursement rate for a reduced price lunch multiplied by the
32 number of lunches provided by the school or nonpublic school
33 for free pursuant to subsection 1.
34 3. Each year there is appropriated from the general fund of
35 the state to the department of education an amount as necessary
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 H.F. 575
1 to pay for distributions pursuant to subsection 2.
2 EXPLANATION
3 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with
4 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly.
5 This bill relates to free school breakfast and lunch for
6 students eligible to receive reduced price meals under federal
7 programs at public schools, certain charter schools, and
8 certain nonpublic schools.
9 Code chapter 283A requires public schools, including charter
10 schools, to operate or provide for the operation of a lunch
11 program according to department of education guidelines,
12 and makes the operation or provision of a lunch program
13 optional for nonpublic schools. Code chapter 283A makes the
14 operation or provision of a school breakfast program according
15 to department of education guidelines optional for public
16 schools, including charter schools, and nonpublic schools.
17 The bill prohibits any school, including charter schools that
18 participate in a United States department of agriculture school
19 meal program, from collecting payment from a student for a
20 reduced price breakfast or reduced price lunch the student
21 is eligible to receive under the Richard B. Russell National
22 School Lunch Act of 1946 or the Child Nutrition Act of 1966.
23 The bill requires the department of education to distribute
24 to each school operating a school breakfast program an amount
25 equal to the difference between the federal reimbursement rate
26 for a free breakfast minus the federal reimbursement rate for a
27 reduced price breakfast multiplied by the number of breakfasts
28 provided by the school or nonpublic school for free pursuant
29 to the bill. The bill makes a similar requirement for reduced
30 price lunches. The bill creates a standing appropriation from
31 the general fund of the state to the department of education
32 in an amount as necessary to pay for the costs of such required
33 distributions.
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