Rhode Island 2025 Regular Session

Rhode Island House Bill H5742 Compare Versions

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

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5	5	2025 -- H 5742
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7	7	LC001565
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9	9	S T A T E O F R H O D E I S L A N D
10	10	IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
11	11	JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2025
12	12	____________
13	13
14	14	A N A C T
15	15	RELATING TO EDUCATION -- FEDERAL AID
16	16	Introduced By: Representatives Caldwell, Stewart, Potter, Cotter, Carson, Donovan,
17	17	Edwards, Diaz, O'Brien, and Shanley
18	18	Date Introduced: February 26, 2025
19	19	Referred To: House Finance
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22	22	It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:
23	23	SECTION 1. Findings. 1
24	24	The general assembly hereby finds and declares that: 2
25	25	(1) Globally, diet-related chronic diseases are the leading cause of death; 3
26	26	(2) In 2024, almost forty percent (40%) of Rhode Island households with children were 4
27	27	food insecure, 5
28	28	(3) Student hunger is associated with poor learning outcomes, absenteeism, and behavioral 6
29	29	issues; 7
30	30	(4) Healthy school meals are associated with improved test scores; 8
31	31	(5) Many children consume one-third (1/3) to one-half (1/2) of their daily calories during 9
32	32	the school day; 10
33	33	(6) The 2012 nutrition standards for school meals (Nutrition Standards in the National 11
34	34	School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs, 77 Fed. Reg. 4088 [Jan. 26, 2012]) and 2016 12
35	35	nutrition standards for competitive foods (National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast 13
36	36	Program - Nutrition Standards for All Foods Sold in School as Required by the Healthy, Hunger- 14
37	37	Free Kids Act of 2010, 81 Feb. Reg. 50131 [July 29, 2016]) promulgated by the U.S. Department 15
38	38	of Agriculture were estimated to save up to seven hundred ninety-two million dollars 16
39	39	($792,000,000) in healthcare related costs over ten (10) years, prevent more than two million 17
40	40	(2,000,000) cases of childhood obesity, and reduce the risk of obesity by half among low-income 18
41	41	students over five (5) years; 19
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45	45	(7) It is in the best interests of the people of the state to provide that all students have access 1
46	46	to a healthy and nutritious school breakfast and lunch during the school day. 2
47	47	SECTION 2. Chapter 16-8 of the General Laws entitled "Federal Aid [See Title 16 Chapter 3
48	48	97 — The Rhode Island Board of Education Act]" is hereby amended by adding thereto the 4
49	49	following section: 5
50	50	16-8-16. “Healthy school meals for all” -- School breakfast and lunch programs. 6
51	51	(a) The healthy school meals for all program will be phased in over three (3) years. 7
52	52	Beginning in the 2026-2027 school year, all public elementary schools shall be required to make 8
53	53	breakfasts and lunches available to elementary students attending those schools. Beginning in the 9
54	54	2027-2028 school year, all public elementary and secondary schools shall be required to make 10
55	55	breakfast and lunches available to elementary and middle school (through grade 8) students 11
56	56	attending those schools. Beginning in the 2028-2029 school year, all public elementary and 12
57	57	secondary schools shall be required to make breakfasts and lunches available to elementary, middle 13
58	58	and high school students attending those schools in accordance with rules and regulations as set 14
59	59	forth by the United States Department of Agriculture and adopted by the department of elementary 15
60	60	and secondary education pursuant to the provisions of subsection (c) of this section. 16
61	61	(1) Schools that participate in the School Breakfast Program authorized under section 4 of 17
62	62	the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. § 1773) and National School Lunch Program authorized 18
63	63	under the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. § 1751 et seq.) shall provide 19
64	64	breakfast and lunch without charge to all enrolled, attending students, every school day. 20
65	65	(b) In operating its school breakfast and lunch program pursuant to this section, each public 21
66	66	educational entity shall seek to achieve the highest level of student participation, which may include 22
67	67	any or all of the following: 23
68	68	(1) Providing breakfast meals that can be picked up by students for consumption outside 24
69	69	the cafeteria; 25
70	70	(2) Making breakfast available to students in the classroom after the start of the school day; 26
71	71	(3) Collaborating with the entity’s health and wellness subcommittee, as established under 27
72	72	§ 16-21-28, in planning school meals; and 28
73	73	(4) Providing lunch periods of no less than twenty (20) minutes for students to be seated 29
74	74	and consume their lunch. 30
75	75	(c) In operating its school breakfast and lunch program, each public educational entity shall 31
76	76	seek to maximize access to federal funds for the cost of the school breakfast and lunch program by 32
77	77	participating in one of the following options: 33
78	78	(1) National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs, Provision 2 Guidance as 34
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82	82	promulgated by United State Department of Agriculture (USDA); 1
83	83	(2) The Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) promulgated by the USDA; or 2
84	84	(3) Any other federal provision that, in the opinion of the department of elementary and 3
85	85	secondary education, draws down the most possible federal funding for meals served in that 4
86	86	program, including the active dissemination and collection of meal benefit applications, as 5
87	87	applicable. 6
88	88	(d) In operating its school breakfast and lunch program, each public educational entity shall 7
89	89	seek to improve meal quality by: 8
90	90	(1) Complying with all state-specific nutrition requirements related to meals and snacks 9
91	91	served as part of the school day; 10
92	92	(2) Purchasing, to the maximum extent possible, locally grown/produced food items, as 11
93	93	defined by the department of elementary and secondary education; 12
94	94	(3) Freshly preparing scratch-cooked foods; and 13
95	95	(4) Providing culturally relevant meals and engaging student and family voices in menu 14
96	96	development. 15
97	97	(e) No less frequently than quarterly, each public educational entity shall report to the 16
98	98	department of elementary and secondary education data related to the purchasing of locally 17
99	99	grown/produced food items as referenced in this section and used in the operation of its school 18
100	100	breakfast and lunch program. Specific reporting requirements, including data points and format, 19
101	101	shall be determined and communicated by the department annually. 20
102	102	(f) The department of elementary and secondary education shall reimburse the public 21
103	103	educational entities described in and operating in accordance with the provisions and requirements 22
104	104	of this section, the difference between: 23
105	105	(1) The federal free reimbursement rate established annually by the United States 24
106	106	Department of Agriculture for school breakfast and for school lunch; and 25
107	107	(2) The federal reimbursement rate received for each school breakfast and school lunch 26
108	108	served. 27
109	109	(g) The department of elementary and secondary education shall adopt rules and 28
110	110	regulations necessary for making reimbursements pursuant to this section. 29
111	111	(h) For each fiscal year, the general assembly shall make an appropriation by separate line 30
112	112	item in the budget to allow school food authorities to provide breakfasts and lunches at no charge 31
113	113	for children in state-subsidized early childhood education programs administered by public 32
114	114	educational entities or in kindergarten through grade twelve (k-12), participating in the school lunch 33
115	115	or breakfast program who would otherwise be required to pay for meals under these programs. The 34
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119	119	appropriation to the department of elementary and secondary education shall be considered 1
120	120	entitlement dollars and shall be adjusted as necessary to meet the needs of the program on an on-2
121	121	going basis, without disruption. 3
122	122	(i) In addition to the funding required to reimburse public educational entities as described 4
123	123	in this section, each fiscal year the general assembly shall make an appropriation by separate line 5
124	124	item in the budget to support the cost of one full-time equivalent employee at the department of 6
125	125	elementary and secondary education to aid in the administration and implementation of this 7
126	126	program. 8
127	127	SECTION 3. This act shall take effect on July 1, 2026. 9
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134	134	EXPLANATION
135	135	BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
136	136	OF
137	137	A N A C T
138	138	RELATING TO EDUCATION -- FEDERAL AID
139	139	***
140	140	This act would establish a statewide “Healthy School Meals for all” universal school 1
141	141	breakfast and lunch program in Rhode Island public schools phased in over 3 years. The program 2
142	142	would begin with all elementary school students, then add all middle school students in year two 3
143	143	(2), and then provide universal meals for all students by the 2027-2028 school year. The act would 4
144	144	also direct that in operating its school breakfast and lunch program, each public educational entity 5
145	145	would seek to maximize access to federal funds for the cost of the school breakfast and lunch 6
146	146	program by participating in one of several identified federal programs in order to obtain federal 7
147	147	funds to offset the costs to districts of providing free breakfasts and lunches and minimize the costs 8
148	148	to the state. 9
149	149	This act would take effect on July 1, 2026. 10
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