APPROVED CHAPTER
MAY 3, 2022 719
BY GOVERNOR PUBLIC LAW
STATE OF MAINE
_____
IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD
TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-TWO
_____
S.P. 540 - L.D. 1679
An Act Regarding Expanding Access to Free School Meals
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 20-A MRSA §6601-A, as amended by PL 2021, c. 212, §1, is further
amended to read:
§6601-A. Free or reduced-price school meals; Internet-based school meal
applications
The department shall contract for the development and implementation of an Internet-
based application for free or reduced-price meals under the National School Lunch
Program under 7 Code of Federal Regulations, Part 210 and the School Breakfast Program
under 7 Code of Federal Regulations, Part 220. The department shall make available to
public schools the Internet‑based application for free or reduced-price meals developed
under this section on the department's publicly accessible website. The department shall
make the Internet-based application in an understandable and uniform format and, to the
maximum extent practicable, in a language that parents and legal guardians can understand.
A public school may make the Internet-based application available for school meal
applications on the public school's publicly accessible website. All public schools shall
continue to distribute paper applications for school meals to all students. A public school
is solely responsible for processing that school's online applications. Data submitted
through the Internet-based application may not be visible to the department and must be
transmitted directly to the applicable public school. All public schools shall accept data
submitted through the Internet-based application.
Sec. 2. Department of Education to study free and reduced-price meals for
publicly funded students at private schools approved for tuition purposes. The
Department of Education shall conduct an analysis to determine the cost for the State to
provide funding equal to the difference between the federal reimbursement for free and
reduced-price breakfast and lunch under the national school breakfast and lunch programs
in accordance with 7 Code of Federal Regulations, Parts 210 and 220 (2007) for each
publicly funded student who:
1. Attends a private school approved for tuition purposes that enrolls 60% or more
publicly funded students; and
Page 1 - 130LR1396(05)
 2. Is ineligible for a free or reduced-price breakfast and lunch.
The Department of Education shall submit a report with its findings to the joint
standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over education matters no later
than February 1, 2023. The joint standing committee having jurisdiction over education
matters may submit legislation based on the report to the 131st Legislature in 2023.
Page 2 - 130LR1396(05)


Statutes affected:
Bill Text LD 1679, SP 540: 20-A.6602
Bill Text ACTPUB , Chapter 719: 20-A.6601