House File 575 - Introduced HOUSE FILE 575 BY SCHEETZ , JONES , BLOOMINGDALE , LUNDGREN , ANDREWS , INGELS , THOMSON , GERHOLD , LOHSE , WOOD , BEST , DUNWELL , HENDERSON , GUSTAFSON , SIECK , MOORE , GOLDING , YOUNG , and KAUFMANN A BILL FOR An Act relating to free school breakfast and lunch for students 1 eligible to receive reduced price meals under federal 2 programs at public schools, certain charter schools, and 3 certain nonpublic schools and making an appropriation. 4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 5 TLSB 1999YH (7) 90 dg/jh

H.F. 575 Section 1. NEW SECTION . 283A.3A State funding. 1 1. Each school, including charter schools that participate 2 in a United States department of agriculture school meal 3 program, and each nonpublic school participating in the school 4 breakfast program or the national school lunch program, shall 5 not collect any payment from a student for a reduced price 6 breakfast or reduced price lunch the student is eligible to 7 receive under the federal Richard B. Russell National School 8 Lunch Act of 1946, Pub. L. No. 79-396, as amended, or the 9 federal Child Nutrition Act of 1966, Pub. L. No. 111-296, as 10 amended. 11 2. a. The department of education shall, in accordance 12 with section 283A.4, distribute to each school operating a 13 school breakfast program pursuant to section 283A.2, to each 14 charter school participating in a United States department of 15 agriculture school meal program, and to each nonpublic school 16 operating a school breakfast program in accordance with section 17 283A.10, an amount equal to the difference between the federal 18 reimbursement rate for a free breakfast minus the federal 19 reimbursement rate for a reduced price breakfast multiplied by 20 the number of breakfasts provided by the school or nonpublic 21 school for free pursuant to subsection 1. 22 b. The department of education shall, in accordance 23 with section 283A.4, distribute to each school operating a 24 school lunch program pursuant to section 283A.2, to each 25 charter school participating in a United States department 26 of agriculture school meal program, and to each nonpublic 27 school operating a school lunch program in accordance with 28 section 283A.10, an amount equal to the difference between the 29 federal reimbursement rate for a free lunch minus the federal 30 reimbursement rate for a reduced price lunch multiplied by the 31 number of lunches provided by the school or nonpublic school 32 for free pursuant to subsection 1. 33 3. Each year there is appropriated from the general fund of 34 the state to the department of education an amount as necessary 35 -1- LSB 1999YH (7) 90 dg/jh 1/ 2

H.F. 575 to pay for distributions pursuant to subsection 2. 1 EXPLANATION 2 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 3 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 4 This bill relates to free school breakfast and lunch for 5 students eligible to receive reduced price meals under federal 6 programs at public schools, certain charter schools, and 7 certain nonpublic schools. 8 Code chapter 283A requires public schools, including charter 9 schools, to operate or provide for the operation of a lunch 10 program according to department of education guidelines, 11 and makes the operation or provision of a lunch program 12 optional for nonpublic schools. Code chapter 283A makes the 13 operation or provision of a school breakfast program according 14 to department of education guidelines optional for public 15 schools, including charter schools, and nonpublic schools. 16 The bill prohibits any school, including charter schools that 17 participate in a United States department of agriculture school 18 meal program, from collecting payment from a student for a 19 reduced price breakfast or reduced price lunch the student 20 is eligible to receive under the Richard B. Russell National 21 School Lunch Act of 1946 or the Child Nutrition Act of 1966. 22 The bill requires the department of education to distribute 23 to each school operating a school breakfast program an amount 24 equal to the difference between the federal reimbursement rate 25 for a free breakfast minus the federal reimbursement rate for a 26 reduced price breakfast multiplied by the number of breakfasts 27 provided by the school or nonpublic school for free pursuant 28 to the bill. The bill makes a similar requirement for reduced 29 price lunches. The bill creates a standing appropriation from 30 the general fund of the state to the department of education 31 in an amount as necessary to pay for the costs of such required 32 distributions. 33 -2- LSB 1999YH (7) 90 dg/jh 2/ 2