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HLS 26RS-1027 ORIGINAL
2026 Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO. 269
BY REPRESENTATIVE GREEN
SCHOOLS/FOOD PROGRAMS: Creates and provides for the Free School Breakfast
Program to be administered by the state Department of Education
1 AN ACT
2 To enact R.S. 17:192(C), relative to school meals; to create a Free School Breakfast
3 Program for the distribution of free breakfasts to certain public school students; to
4 require the state Department of Education to administer the program; to provide for
5 funding; to provide definitions; to provide relative to implementation; and to provide
6 for related matters.
7 Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
8 Section 1. R.S. 17:192(C) is hereby enacted to read as follows:
9 §192. Lunches and breakfasts; duty to furnish
10 * * *
11 C.(1)(a) There is hereby created within the state Department of Education
12 the Free School Breakfast Program.
13 (b) For each governing authority of a school nutrition program that meets the
14 requirements of the program as provided in Paragraph (2) of this Subsection, the
15 department shall provide funding for each reimbursable school breakfast that is
16 served to a student, up to one breakfast per student per school day. The
17 reimbursement amount for each governing authority shall be the difference between
18 the amount paid by the United States Department of Agriculture and the free rate as
19 set annually by the United States Secretary of Agriculture under 42 U.S.C. 1759a.
20 (c) The department may establish a payment schedule.
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HLS 26RS-1027 ORIGINAL
HB NO. 269
1 (2) To receive funding from the department for the program, a governing
2 authority shall:
3 (a) Participate in the federal School Breakfast Program.
4 (b) Provide reimbursable breakfasts, pursuant to 7 CFR Part 210, at no cost
5 to all students each school day for any school breakfast program operated by the
6 governing authority.
7 (c) Maximize access to federal funds for the cost of school breakfast
8 programs by adopting the United States Department of Agriculture's Community
9 Eligibility Provision or any federal provision that results in the maximum possible
10 amount of federal funding for meals served in that program. Each governing
11 authority that has an identified student percentage greater than or equal to the
12 minimum requirement to be eligible to participate in the Community Eligibility
13 Provision shall participate in the subsequent school year and through the duration of
14 the Community Eligibility Provision's four-year cycle. To the extent practicable, the
15 governing authority shall group schools for purposes of maximizing the number of
16 schools eligible to participate in the Community Eligibility Provision.
17 (d) Maximize student participation, which may include providing breakfasts
18 that can be picked up, or making breakfasts available in classrooms after the start of
19 the school day.
20 (3) The State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education shall
21 promulgate rules as necessary for the implementation of this Subsection.
22 (4) The department shall convene a group of stakeholders to examine the
23 potential impact of offering statewide free school meals through other state funded
24 programs.
25 (5) The implementation of the provisions of this Subsection is subject to the
26 appropriation of funds by the legislature.
27 (6) For the purposes of this Subsection, the following terms have the
28 following meanings:
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HLS 26RS-1027 ORIGINAL
HB NO. 269
1 (a) "Community Eligibility Provision" means the federal provision created
2 by 42 U.S.C. Section 1759a, which allows school districts to choose to receive
3 federal special assistance payments for school meals in exchange for providing free
4 school meals to all students enrolled.
5 (b) "Identified student percentage" means the percentage of a school food
6 authority's student enrollment that is certified as eligible for free meals based on
7 documentation of benefit of receipt or categorical eligibility pursuant to 7 CFR Part
8 245.
9 Section 2. The provisions of this Act shall be initially implemented at the beginning
10 of the 2026-2027 school year subject to R.S. 17:192(C)(5) as enacted by this Act.
DIGEST
The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument. The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute
part of the law or proof or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)]
HB 269 Original 2026 Regular Session Green
Abstract: Creates the Free School Breakfast Program within the state Dept. of Education
(DOE).
Proposed law requires DOE to provide funding to governing authorities of school nutrition
programs that participate in the Free School Breakfast Program for each reimbursable school
breakfast served, up to one breakfast per student per school day. Authorizes DOE to
establish a payment schedule.
Requires participating governing authorities to:
(1) Participate in the federal School Breakfast Program.
(2) Provide reimbursable breakfasts at no cost to all students each school day.
(3) Pursue the maximum amount of federal funding possible.
Implementation of proposed law is subject to the appropriation of funds by the legislature.
(Adds R.S. 17:192(C))
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CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.