ASSEMBLY APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE
STATEMENT TO
[First Reprint]
ASSEMBLY, No. 3260
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
DATED: SEPTEMBER 23, 2024
The Assembly Appropriations Committee reports favorably
Assembly Bill No. 3260 (1R).
This bill requires the Department of Agriculture, in consultation
with the Department of Education, to develop and make available to
each school district and nonpublic school implementing a school lunch
program or a school breakfast program, an Internet-based school meals
application. The Internet-based school meals application required
under the amended bill is designed to facilitate the subsidized school
meals determinations required by current law. A school district or
nonpublic school has the option to implement and use the
Internetbased school meals application. In the event that the school
district or nonpublic school does implement and use the Internet-based
school meals application, the district or school is still required to
continue to make available hard copies of the subsidized school meals
application required by current law. Under the amended bill, a school
district or nonpublic school, which currently provides an Internet-
based school meals application, has one year from the date of the bill’s
enactment to switch to the application developed pursuant to the bill.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The Office of Legislative Services (OLS) estimates that this bill
would result in a State expenditure increase of $14 million in the first
year of implementation, and $1 million each year thereafter. This is
based on an Executive Branch estimate provided in a previous fiscal
year, adjusted for inflation, new program qualifications, and increasing
program costs. The primary cost driver would be the cost of
developing the online application platform, incurred by the
Department of Agriculture and the Department of Education, as well
as the cost of implementing the program in school districts. The
expenditure increase also includes administrative costs, employee
benefits, training costs, and equipment services.
The OLS generally agrees with the Executive Branch estimate that
was provided, but notes the Executive estimate was not able to
determine the precise level of software integration that current schools
would need to connect with a Statewide Internet-based online school
meal application system. The OLS considers that with the various 2
software systems currently in place in the State’s schools and varying
levels of software needs, the Executive may have underestimated
costs.