District Of Columbia 2025-2026 Regular Session

District Of Columbia Council Bill B26-0108 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
2	2	The John A. Wilson Building
3	3	1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
4	4	Washington, D.C. 20004
5	5	Statement of Introduction
6	6	Universal Free School Meals Amendment Act of 2025
7	7	February 3, 2025
8	8	Today, I am proud to introduce the Universal Free School Meals Amendment Act of 2025, along
9	9	with Councilmembers Zachary Parker, Charles Allen, Robert C. White, Jr., Janeese Lewis
10	10	George, Matthew Frumin, Brooke Pinto, Brianne K. Nadeau, Kenyan R. McDuffie, and Anita
11	11	Bonds. This legislation would provide free universal school breakfast, lunch, and after-school
12	12	snacks to students in public, charter, and participating private schools in the District of
13	13	Columbia. This measure was first introduced in Council Period 25 and received a hearing in
14	14	November 2023.
15	15	For many children in the District, schools serve as more than a place
16	16	of learning; schools provide
17	17	essential resources to students and families to support their overall wellbeing. Through the
18	18	National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program, District schools provide
19	19	nutritious meals to thousands of children each day. All students in the District receive free school
20	20	breakfast. Students are eligible for free meals if their family’s income is no more than 130% of
21	21	the federal poverty line and are eligible for reduced price meals if their family’s income is
22	22	between 130% and 185% of the federal poverty line. Students whose household’s income is
23	23	above 185% of the federal poverty line can receive a low-cost, full-price lunch.
24	24	The research on the benefits of access to regular and nutritious school meals is clear. Students
25	25	who receive free school meals have shown improved academic achievement, experience lower
26	26	obesity rates, consume more fruits and vegetables, have a lower risk of behavioral issues, and
27	27	have improved nutrition overall. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the lack of nutritious meals
28	28	disproportionally affected Black and Latinx children in the District, with 47% of Black
29	29	households and approximately 52% of Latinx households with children reporting food insecurity,
30	30	which is defined as a lack of consistent access to enough food for an active, healthy life.
31	31	1
32	32
33	33	Pre-pandemic, 7% of children in the District received free or reduced-price school meals.
34	34	2
35	35
36	36	During the pandemic, the federal government implemented universal free school meals by
37	37	issuing a waiver allowing schools to offer all students free school meals, regardless of income.
38	38	This policy ended at the start of the 2022 -2023 school year. Subsequent United States
39	39	Department of Agriculture (USDA) analysis revealed that states that did not continue the
40	40	1
41	41	2023 Food System Assessment. DC Food Policy Council. https://dcfoodpolicy.org/wp-
42	42	content/uploads/2024/04/2023-food-system-assessment- 1.pdf
43	43	2
44	44	The District of Columbia’s School Meals Report for School Year 2018–2019. DC Hunger Solutions.
45	45	https://www.dchunger.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/DCHS_School_Meals_Report_2018-2019.pdf
46	46	Christina Henderson Committee Member
47	47	Councilmember, At-Large Facilities
48	48	Chairperson, Committee on Health Human Services
49	49	Transportation and the Environment COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
50	50	The John A. Wilson Building
51	51	1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
52	52	Washington, D.C. 20004
53	53
54	54
55	55	universal free school meals policy experienced a 9.8% increase in food insufficiency, driven by
56	56	students whose household incomes were just above the free and reduced school meals program’s
57	57	eligibility threshold.
58	58	3
59	59	In addition to reducing food insufficiency for children because of a benefits
60	60	cliff, universal free school meals reduces the social stigma that children who receive free and
61	61	reduced price school meals experience.
62	62
63	63	As of April 2024, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New
64	64	Mexico, New York, and Vermont passed laws or ballot initiatives to permanently supplement
65	65	federal free school meals programs with local funds, making free and reduced-price breakfast
66	66	and lunch available to all students throughout the school year. I am eager for the District to join
67	67	this group of states, and the obstacles to doing so are minimal.
68	68
69	69	A 2022 D.C. Food Policy Council analysis estimated that universal free school meals would cost
70	70	the District $8 million annually.
71	71	4
72	72	However, the USDA’s 2023 expansion of the Community
73	73	Eligibility Provision, which designates individual schools as eligible for universal free school
74	74	meals depending on federal benefits programs participation, indicates that the cost to the District
75	75	would now be considerably lower.
76	76	5
77	77
78	78
79	79	Grocery costs have risen, families whose income barely misses the free school meals eligibility
80	80	cutoff struggle to feed their children, and many children in the District are hungry and experience
81	81	food insecurity. We know from other states how to solve that issue. A measure of a city’s
82	82	greatness is how well it does by its children, and by ensuring that all children are nourished and
83	83	can flourish in school, the District will live up to its ideals.
84	84
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87	87	3
88	88	State Universal Free School Meal Policies Reduced Food Insufficiency Among Children in the 2022–2023 School
89	89	Year. USDA. https://www.ers.usda.gov/amber-waves/2024/june/state- universal-free-school- meal-policies-reduced-
90	90	food-insufficiency-among-children- in-the-2022-2023-school- year
91	91	4
92	92	Universal Free School Meals for DC Students. DC Food Policy Council.
93	93	https://dcfoodpolicy.org/2022/12/16/universal- free-school- meals-in-dc/
94	94	5
95	95	USDA Expands Access to School Breakfast and Lunch for More Students. USDA. https://www.usda.gov/about-
96	96	usda/news/press-releases/2023/09/26/usda-expands- access-school- breakfast-and-lunch-more-students 1
97	97
98	98	1
99	99	Councilmember Zachary Parker Councilmember Christina Henderson 2
100	100	3
101	101	4
102	102	5
103	103	Councilmember Robert C. White, Jr. Councilmember Charles Allen 6
104	104	7
105	105	8
106	106	9
107	107	Councilmember Janeese Lewis George Councilmember Matthew Frumin 10
108	108	11
109	109	12
110	110	Councilmember Brooke Pinto Councilmember Brianne K. Nadeau 13
111	111	14
112	112	15
113	113	16
114	114	Councilmember Kenyan R. McDuffie Councilmember Anita Bonds 17
115	115	18
116	116	19
117	117	20
118	118	AN ACT 21
119	119	22
120	120	______________ 23
121	121	24
122	122	IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 25
123	123	26
124	124	________________ 27
125	125	28
126	126	To provide universal free school meals and after school snacks to public school, public charter 29
127	127	school, and participating private school students in the District of Columbia. 30
128	128	31
129	129	BE IT ENACTED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this 32
130	130	act may be cited as the “Universal Free School Meals Amendment Act of 2025”. 33
131	131	Sec 2. The Healthy Schools Act of 2010, effective July 27, 2010 (D.C. Law 18-34
132	132	20; D.C. Official Code § 38-822.01 et seq.), is amended by adding a new section 203b to read as 35
133	133	follows:
134	134	36
135	135	“Sec. 203b. Universal free school meals.
136	136	37
137	137	“(a) Beginning in School Year 2025-2026, and for every school year thereafter, public 38
138	138	schools, public charter schools, and private schools that participate in the National School Lunch 39 2
139	139	Program shall offer free breakfast, lunch, and after school snacks to all students, without 40
140	140	consideration of the student’s eligibility for a federally funded free or reduced-price meal. 41
141	141	“(b) The Office of the State Superintendent of Education (“OSSE”) shall reimburse 42
142	142	public schools, public charter schools, and participating private schools for meals provided to 43
143	143	students who are ineligible for a federally funded free or reduced-price meal. 44
144	144	“(c) OSSE shall ensure that all schools continue to receive federal reimbursements for 45
145	145	school meals for which they qualify, including the Community Eligibility Provision, the National 46
146	146	School Lunch Program, the National School Breakfast Program, and any available local 47
147	147	funding. 48
148	148	“(d) Reimbursements provided by OSSE shall not exceed the difference between the sum 49
149	149	of the amounts calculated for meals claimed based on the federal reimbursement rates for free 50
150	150	and reduced-price school meal and the full price of the meal provided to each student ineligible 51
151	151	for free and reduced-price meals. 52
152	152	“(e) OSSE shall provide training to school staff and administrators on how to implement 53
153	153	universal free school meals. 54
154	154	“(f) OSSE may issue rules to implement this section.”.
155	155	55
156	156	Sec. 3. Fiscal impact statement.
157	157	56
158	158	The Council adopts the fiscal impact statement in the committee report as the fiscal 57
159	159	impact statement required by section 4a of the General Legislative Procedures Act of 1975, 58
160	160	approved October 16, 2006 (120 Stat. 2038; D.C. Official Code § 1-301.47a). 59
161	161	Sec. 4. Effective date.
162	162	60
163	163	This act shall take effect following approval by the Mayor (or in the event of veto by the 61
164	164	Mayor, action by the Council to override the veto) and a 30-day period of congressional review 62 3
165	165	as provided in section 602(c)(1) of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, approved December 63
166	166	24, 1973 (87 Stat. 813; D.C. Official Code § 1-206.02(c)(1).
167	167	64