Virginia 2024 Regular Session Status: In Committee

HB 686 — School meals; availability at no cost to students.

Last action — Left in Appropriations

  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. 2
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed House of Delegates
  4. 4
    Passed Senate
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill died with 2024 Regular Session. It reached “In Committee” and never advanced before the session ended, so it can no longer move — a new version would have to be reintroduced in the current session.

This bill is no longer active — its legislative session has ended, so there are no live odds of enactment. It would have to be reintroduced in the current session to move again.

Summary

School meals; availability at no cost to students. Provides that each school board shall require each public elementary and secondary school in the local school division to participate in the federal National School Lunch Program and the federal School Breakfast Program administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture or in the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) as provided in relevant law, if applicable, and to make lunch and breakfast available to any student who requests such a meal at no cost to the student, unless the student's parent has provided written permission to the school board to withhold such a meal from the student. The bill also requires the Department of Education to reimburse each public elementary and secondary school for each school breakfast and lunch served to a student, with a maximum of one breakfast and one lunch per student per school day, and provides the formula for determining the state reimbursement rate for such meals. The bill contains provisions directing each school board to adopt policies and procedures aimed at maximizing access to federal funds available for the cost of participating in school breakfast and lunch programs and maximizing determinations of student eligibility for federal free or reduced cost meal reimbursements rates and participation in CEP. The bill also lowers the minimum identified student percentage for a school to be eligible to participate in CEP from 40 to 25 percent in accordance with the updated federal CEP regulations (7 C.F.R. § 245.9(f)(3)(i)). The bill also requires the Secretary of Education, in coordination with the Secretary of Finance, to convene a stakeholder work group to study and make recommendations on ways to avoid or mitigate the impact of offering statewide free school breakfast and lunches on other state-funded programs and to submit a report on such findings and recommendations by January 15, 2025, to the Senate Committee on Education and Health and the House Committee on Education. The bill also repeals provisions of law relating to the federal School Breakfast Program and to school meal debt that are rendered obsolete by the provisions of the bill.

Bill Text

Action History

  1. Left in Appropriations

  2. Subcommittee recommends laying on the table (7-Y 0-N)

  3. Assigned App. sub: Elementary & Secondary Education

  4. Referred to Committee on Appropriations

  5. Reported from Education (18-Y 3-N)

  6. Subcommittee recommends referring to Committee on Appropriations

  7. Subcommittee recommends reporting (8-Y 0-N)

  8. Assigned Education sub: K-12 Subcommittee

  9. Referred to Committee on Education

  10. Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/10/24 24101304D

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 7 co-sponsors · 140 not signed on · 3 voted No

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (7)

Not signed on (140)

140 members have not signed on to this bill.

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"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Votes

Reported from Education (18-Y 3-N)

Passed 18 Yea · 3 Nay · 1 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Unaffiliated 18301
Total 18301
% of votes cast 82%14%0%5%
How each member voted (22)
Member Party Vote
Alex Q. Askew — Yea
Amy J. Laufer — Yea
Anne Ferrell Tata — Yea
Atoosa R. Reaser — Not Voting
Batten, Amanda E. — Yea
Briana D. Sewell — Yea
Convirs-Fowler, Kelly K. — Yea
Coyner, Carrie E. — Yea
Delores L. McQuinn — Yea
Ennis, N. Baxter — Nay
Eric R. Zehr — Yea
Freitas, Nicholas J. — Nay
Green, W. Chad — Yea
Laura Jane Cohen — Yea
LeVere Bolling, Destiny — Yea
Mike A. Cherry — Yea
Nadarius E. Clark — Yea
Phillip A. Scott — Yea
Rae Cousins — Yea
Sam Rasoul — Yea
Shelly A. Simonds — Yea
Thomas A. Garrett, Jr. — Nay

Official roll call →

Subjects

education agriculture
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Frequently asked questions

What does HB 686 do?
School meals; availability at no cost to students. Provides that each school board shall require each public elementary and secondary school in the local school division to participate in the federal National School Lunch Program and the federal School Breakfast Program administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture or in the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) as provided in relevant law, if applicable, and to make lunch and breakfast available to any student who requests such a meal at no cost to the student, unless the student's parent has provided written permission to the school board to withhold such a meal from the student. The bill also requires the Department of Education to reimburse each public elementary and secondary school for each school breakfast and lunch served to a student, with a maximum of one breakfast and one lunch per student per school day, and provides the formula for determining the state reimbursement rate for such meals. The bill contains provisions directing each school board to adopt policies and procedures aimed at maximizing access to federal funds available for the cost of participating in school breakfast and lunch programs and maximizing determinations of student eligibility for federal free or reduced cost meal reimbursements rates and participation in CEP. The bill also lowers the minimum identified student percentage for a school to be eligible to participate in CEP from 40 to 25 percent in accordance with the updated federal CEP regulations (7 C.F.R. § 245.9(f)(3)(i)). The bill also requires the Secretary of Education, in coordination with the Secretary of Finance, to convene a stakeholder work group to study and make recommendations on ways to avoid or mitigate the impact of offering statewide free school breakfast and lunches on other state-funded programs and to submit a report on such findings and recommendations by January 15, 2025, to the Senate Committee on Education and Health and the House Committee on Education. The bill also repeals provisions of law relating to the federal School Breakfast Program and to school meal debt that are rendered obsolete by the provisions of the bill.
Who sponsors HB 686?
HB 686 is sponsored by Elizabeth B. Bennett-Parker, Shelly A. Simonds, Irene Shin, Kannan Srinivasan, Joshua E. Thomas, Jeion A. Ward, Atoosa R. Reaser, and Candi Mundon King.
What is the current status of HB 686?
This bill died with 2024 Regular Session. It reached “In Committee” and never advanced before the session ended, so it can no longer move — a new version would have to be reintroduced in the current session.
Where can I track HB 686?
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