Sponsored by:
Assemblyman CRAIG J. COUGHLIN
District 19 (Middlesex)
Assemblywoman PAMELA R. LAMPITT
District 6 (Burlington and Camden)
Assemblyman JAMEL C. HOLLEY
District 20 (Union)
Co-Sponsored by:
Assemblywomen Tucker, Murphy, Quijano, Vainieri Huttle, McKnight and Assemblyman Johnson
SYNOPSIS
Requires State to pay difference between federal allocation and total cost of reduced price breakfast or lunch; appropriates $4.5 million.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning school breakfast and school lunch programs, supplementing Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes, and making an appropriation.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. Notwithstanding any other law, or rule or regulation adopted pursuant thereto to the contrary, no public school student eligible for a reduced price breakfast under a School Breakfast Program established pursuant to P.L.2003, c.4 (C.18A:33-9 et seq.), or a reduced price lunch pursuant to P.L.1974, c.53 (C.18A:33-4 et seq.), shall be required to pay for any reduced price breakfast or reduced price lunch.
b. The State shall pay the difference between the federal allocation for reduced price breakfasts and reduced price lunches and the total cost of the reduced price breakfasts and reduced price lunches served by public schools to eligible students. The Department of Agriculture, in consultation with the Department of Education, shall adopt rules and regulations pursuant to the “Administrative Procedure Act,” P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), establishing the schedule for, and the manner in which, reimbursements shall be made to school districts, and any other provisions necessary for the implementation of this act.
2. There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Agriculture the sum of $4,500,000 to be distributed pursuant to section b. of section 1 of this act for the cost of the difference between the federal allocation for reduced price breakfasts and reduced price lunches and the total cost of reduced price breakfasts and reduced price lunches served by public schools to eligible students.
3. This act shall take effect on the 180th day following the date of enactment, except the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Education may take any advance administrative action as may be necessary for the implementation of this act.
STATEMENT
This bill provides that the State pay for reduced price breakfasts and lunches so that they are no cost to eligible students. The bill would require the State to pay the difference between the federal allocation and the total cost of the reduced price breakfasts or reduced price lunches served to public school students. The bill also directs the Department of Agriculture to adopt regulations establishing the schedule for, and the manner in which, reimbursements would be made to districts, and any other provisions necessary to implement the bill. Finally, the bill appropriates $4.5 million to cover the required payment under the bill. This is the amount estimated by the Department of Agriculture to be the amount needed to make the reimbursements to school districts.