Universal Free Breakfast and Lunch.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2025
H 1
HOUSE BILL 1031

Short Title: Universal Free Breakfast and Lunch. (Public)
Sponsors: Representatives Quick, Buansi, Johnson-Hostler, and Roberson (Primary
Sponsors).
For a complete list of sponsors, refer to the North Carolina General Assembly web site.
Referred to: Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House
April 22, 2026
*H1031-v-1*
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
AN ACT TO PROVIDE BREAKFAST AND LUNCH IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS AT NO COST 2
TO STUDENTS. 3
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 4
SECTION 1.(a) G.S. 115C-263 reads as rewritten: 5
"§ 115C-263. School nutrition services. 6
(a) As a part of the function of the public school system, local boards of education public 7
school units shall have a school food authority to provide to the extent practicable school nutrition 8
services in the schools under their jurisdiction. The school food authority shall offer students two 9
meals per day, breakfast and lunch, at no cost to the student. All school nutrition services made 10
available under this authority shall be provided in accordance with federal guidelines established 11
by the Food and Nutrition Service of the United States Department of Agriculture. 12
(b) The To the extent that funds are made available for the purpose, the State Board of 13
Education shall allocate funds to school food authorities at public school units for the purpose of 14
providing healthy nutrition services at no cost to students . In issuing the allocation, the Board 15
shall do the following: 16
(1) Determine the amount to allocate to each school food authority based on an 17
evaluation of the authority's nutrition services. The Board shall develop the 18
method and criteria for the evaluation, which, at a minimum, shall account for 19
the following: 20
a. The size of the school s served by the school food authority as 21
determined by Average Daily Membership. 22
b. The number of students that are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch 23
and the estimated receipts from the National School Lunch Program. 24
c. The funds actually expended in the prior year, which may be waived 25
if the school food authority was not in operation in the year prior. 26
d. The extent to which the nutrition services promote health and wellness 27
by providing food that is of high quality and nutrient content. 28
e. The extent to which the school food authority uses locally sourced 29
food and products. 30
f. Any other information t he Board deems relevant to the cost and 31
operation of the nutrition services. 32
(2) Ensure the funds are distributed on a fair and equitable basis. 33
General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Page 2 House Bill 1031-First Edition
(3) Issue the allocation at the beginning of each fiscal year, except that the Board 1
may reserve for future all ocation a reasonable amount, not to exceed ten 2
percent (10%) of the total funds available for providing nutrition services. 3
(c) The State Board of Education may adopt rules regulating the provision of school 4
nutrition that impose additional restrictions that are not inconsistent with the federal guidelines. 5
(d) Funds allocated pursuant to this section shall supplement and not supplant funds from 6
any other source provided for the same purpose." 7
SECTION 1.(b) G.S. 115C-264(a) reads as rewritten: 8
"(a) Local boards of education operating school nutrition programs shall participate in the 9
federal National School Lunch Program established by the federal government. and, if eligible, 10
the Community Eligibility Provision Program. School nutrition programs shall be under the 11
jurisdiction of the Division of School Nutrition of the Department of Public Instruction." 12
SECTION 1.(c) G.S. 115C-150.14 is amended by adding a new subsection to read: 13
"(a1) A school governed by this Article shall provide school nutrition services in 14
accordance with G.S. 115C-263 and G.S. 115C-264." 15
SECTION 1.(d) G.S. 115C-218.75 is amended by adding a new subsection to read: 16
"(p) A charter school shall provide school nutriti on services in accordance with 17
G.S. 115C-263 and G.S. 115C-264." 18
SECTION 1.(e) G.S. 115C-238.72(b) reads as rewritten: 19
"(b) Food Nutrition Service. – The local school administrative unit identified by resolution 20
shall provide, to the extent practicable, school food provide school nutrition services to the 21
regional school. school in accordance with G.S. 115C-263 and G.S. 115C-264. For purposes of 22
federal funding through the National School Lunch Program or other federally supported food 23
nutrition service programs, the local school administrative unit identified by resolution shall be 24
permitted to include eligible students enrolled in the regional school. Other participating units 25
shall not include students enrolled in the regional school for purposes of federally supported food 26
nutrition service programs." 27
SECTION 1.(f) G.S. 116-239.8(b)(4)c. reads as rewritten: 28
"c. Food Nutrition services. – Laboratory school s shall provide school 29
nutrition services in accordance with G.S. 115C-263 and 30
G.S. 115C-264. The laboratory school shall strive to ensure that one 31
hundred percent (100%) muscadine grape juice is made available to 32
students as a part of the school's nutrition program or through the 33
operation of the school's vending facilities. Upon request, the local 34
school administrative unit in which the laboratory school is located 35
shall administer the National School Lunch Program for the laboratory 36
school in accordance with G.S. 115C-264.school." 37
SECTION 2. There is appropriated from the General Fund to th e Department of 38
Public Instruction the sum of one hundred sixteen million dollars ($116,000,000) in recurring 39
funds beginning in the 2026 -2027 fiscal year to provide nutrition services to students in public 40
school units at no cost to the students in accord ance with this act. Should this appropriation not 41
be sufficient to fulfill the provisions of this section for the 2026-2027 fiscal year, the State Board 42
of Education may use funds appropriated to State Aid for Public Schools for this purpose. 43
SECTION 3. This act becomes effective July 1, 2026, and applies beginning with 44
the 2026-2027 school year. 45