1.1 A bill for an act
1.2 relating to education finance; reducing school food waste; authorizing free school
1.3 milk during the lunch meal in place of a full school lunch; appropriating money;
1.4 amending Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 124D.118.
1.5BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:
1.6 Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 124D.118, is amended to read:
1.7 124D.118 SCHOOL MILK PROGRAM.
1.8 Subdivision 1.Legislative findings.(a) The legislature finds that for best health and
1.9well-being, school children in the state should receive at least one serving of milk each day.
1.10 (b) The legislature finds that the school milk program established in this section is to
1.11provide districts for kindergartners provides schools in the state with added resources so
1.12that all kindergarten students in public and nonpublic schools may have access to wholesome
1.13milk on a daily basis.
1.14 (c) The legislature finds that the school lunch milk program provides an additional
1.15nutritional benefit to students. The legislature also finds that some students interested in
1.16receiving only school milk at lunch take a complete school lunch and consume only the
1.17milk. The school lunch milk program provides schools with resources so that students in
1.18public and nonpublic schools may have daily access to school milk to supplement meals
1.19brought from home, eliminating the need for a student to take a complete school meal only
1.20to obtain the school milk at lunch.
1.21 Subd. 2.Establishment; school participation Kindergarten milk.Each district school
1.22in the state is encouraged to participate in the state-supported school milk program for
1Section 1.
REVISOR CR/LJ 25-0479103/10/25
State of Minnesota
This Document can be made available
in alternative formats upon request
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
H. F. No. 2387
NINETY-FOURTH SESSION
Authored by Allen, Hicks, Burkel, Schultz, Nelson and others03/17/2025
The bill was read for the first time and referred to the Committee on Education Finance 2.1kindergartners. Participating districts schools must provide one serving of milk on each
2.2school day to each kindergarten student attending a public or nonpublic school in the district.
2.3No student is required to accept the milk that is provided by the district. The program must
2.4be promoted and operated under the direction of the commissioner or the commissioner's
2.5designee.
2.6 Subd. 2a.School lunch milk.Each school in the state is encouraged to participate in
2.7the state-supported school lunch milk program. The program provides one half-pint of milk
2.8for a student desiring a school milk at lunch who does not take part in the school lunch
2.9program on that day. The school lunch milk program provides milk to students and eliminates
2.10unnecessary food waste.
2.11 Subd. 3.Program guidelines; duties of the commissioner.(a) The commissioner shall
2.12must:
2.13 (1) encourage all districts to participate in the school milk program for kindergartners
2.14and the school lunch milk program;
2.15 (2) prepare program guidelines for the school milk program for kindergartners, not
2.16subject to chapter 14 until July 1, 1998, which will effectively and efficiently distribute
2.17appropriated and donated money to participating districts; and
2.18 (3) seek donations and matching funds from appropriate private and public sources.
2.19 (b) Program guidelines may provide for disbursement to districts through a mechanism
2.20of prepayments or by reimbursement for approved program expenses.
2.21 (c) The commissioner may establish program guidelines for school lunch milk served
2.22in place of a school lunch by a participant in the national school lunch program under section
2.23124D.111.
2.24 Subd. 4.Reimbursement; breakfast milk and school lunch milk.(a) In accordance
2.25with program guidelines, the commissioner shall must reimburse each participating public
2.26or nonpublic school 20 cents for each half-pint of milk that is served to kindergarten students
2.27and is not part of a school lunch or breakfast reimbursed under section 124D.111 or
2.28124D.1158.
2.29 (b) The commissioner must reimburse each public or nonpublic school participating in
2.30the free meals program for each half-pint of milk served to a student who brings a meal
2.31from home on that day or otherwise forgoes a school lunch provided at no cost on that day.
2.32The reimbursement rate for each half-pint of milk equals the greater of 50 cents or the
2Section 1.
REVISOR CR/LJ 25-0479103/10/25 3.1special school milk rate established by the United States Department of Agriculture Food
3.2and Nutrition Services division for that school year.
3.3 EFFECTIVE DATE.This section is effective for fiscal year 2026 and later.
3.4 Sec. 2. APPROPRIATIONS; SCHOOL MILK.
3.5 Subdivision 1.Department of Education.The sums indicated in this section are
3.6appropriated from the general fund to the Department of Education in the fiscal years
3.7designated.
3.8 Subd. 2.School milk.For kindergarten milk and school lunch milk aid under Minnesota
3.9Statutes, section 124D.118:
2026............3.10 $
2027............3.11 $
3Sec. 2.
REVISOR CR/LJ 25-0479103/10/25