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SB0740 • 2026

Education

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49, relative to school nutrition.

Education
Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor
Harshbarger, Lynn
Last action
2026-04-14
Official status
Placed on Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee calendar for 4/21/2026
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill summary and text do not provide specific details about updating eligibility requirements, only that local boards must establish programs based on existing rules.

Tennessee School Nutrition Act

This act amends Tennessee's laws regarding free or reduced-price meals in schools, requiring local boards of education to provide free breakfasts and lunches to eligible students and for the state to reimburse schools based on federal funding availability.

What This Bill Does

  • Requires each local board of education to establish a school lunch program that provides free meals to all eligible students.
  • Requires each local board of education to establish a school breakfast program that provides free meals to all eligible students.
  • Reimburses local educational agencies (LEAs) for the cost of providing free breakfasts and lunches after applying all available federal funds.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Local boards of education in Tennessee
  • Students eligible for free or reduced-price meals

Terms To Know

LEA (Local Educational Agency)
An agency responsible for providing public elementary and secondary education.
Eligibility requirements
The criteria that must be met to qualify for free or reduced-price meals in schools.

Limits and Unknowns

  • State reimbursement is subject to available funding and federal program rules.
  • The exact fiscal impact on local governments cannot be determined due to multiple variables.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee calendar for 4/21/2026

  2. 2026-03-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  3. 2026-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  4. 2026-02-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  5. 2025-08-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  6. 2025-04-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee calendar for 4/21/2025

  7. 2025-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee calendar for 4/15/2025

  8. 2025-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rule #83(8) Suspended, to be heard in Senate Finance, Ways & Means Committee on 4/15/2025

  9. 2025-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 4/14/2025

  10. 2025-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed behind the budget

  11. 2025-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 4/14/2025

  12. 2025-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  13. 2025-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee

  14. 2025-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass; ref to Finance, Ways, and Means Committee

  15. 2025-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  16. 2025-03-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  17. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  18. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Education Committee for 4/1/2025

  19. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  20. 2025-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in Education Committee to 4/1/2025

  21. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage, refer to Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee

  22. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Education Committee for 3/25/2025

  23. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  24. 2025-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass by s/c ref. to Education Committee

  25. 2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Education Committee calendar for 3/19/2025

  26. 2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Education Administration Subcommittee for 3/18/2025

  27. 2025-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  28. 2025-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  29. 2025-03-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  30. 2025-03-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  31. 2025-02-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  32. 2025-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  33. 2025-02-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  34. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Education Committee

  35. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  36. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Education Administration Subcommittee

  37. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Ref. to Education Committee

  38. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, caption bill, held on desk - pending amdt.

  39. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  40. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  41. 2025-02-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  42. 2025-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

T
o the extent federal funds are available for free or reduced price meals
, present
law generally requires each school board to establish
:

(1)
A
school lunch program in every school under its jurisdiction; and

(2)
A
school breakfast program in the following schools based on the cumulative analysis of school lunch participation for t
he month of April of the preceding school year:

(A) Every school that contains kindergarten through grade eight in which 25% or more of the students participated in the school lunch program at a free or reduced price; and

(B) In every school that does
not contain a kindergarten through grade eight in which 40% or more of the students participated in the school lunch program at a free or reduced price.

Present law provides a process, through administrative rules, by which a local school board may waiv
e the requirement to create a school breakfast program pursuant to (2) by making certain findings concerning disruption to the school schedule, low participation, or unavailable or inadequate cost reimbursement. Present law requires that e
ach LEA operatin
g a school breakfast program pursuant to
(2) be
reimbursed by the state for any additional expenses to that
LEA
that are incurred as a result of implementation of
the school breakfast program
.
Under present law, the continuation of the
school breakfast pr
ogram
is contingent on
federal funding.

This bill replaces present law with a requirement that e
ach local board of education establish a school lunch program and a school breakfast program that provides a free lunch and breakfast to each student enrolled
in a school under the board's jurisdiction who is eligible for free or reduced-price meals, according to rules established
by the state board of education
.

Subject to available funding,
this bill requires
the state
to
reimburse each LEA the cost of provi
ding a free breakfast and lunch served to each student enrolled in the LEA who is eligible for reduced price meals after all federal funds available have been applied.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
HOUSE BILL 1153
By Lynn

SENATE BILL 740
By Harshbarger

SB0740
002379
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49,
relative to school nutrition.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-6-2302, is amended by deleting
the section and substituting instead the following:
(a) Each local board of education shall establish a school lunch program and a
school breakfast program that provides a free lunch and breakfast to each student
enrolled in a school under the board's jurisdiction who is eligible for free or reduced-price
meals, according to rules established under § 49-6-2303.
(b) Subject to available funding, the state shall reimburse each LEA the cost of
providing a free breakfast and lunch served to each student enrolled in the LEA who is
eligible for reduced price meals after all federal funds available pursuant to the national
school lunch program created by the National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. § 1751 et
seq.), the school breakfast program created by the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C.
§ 1771 et seq.), or any other federal program have been applied.
SECTION 2. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-6-2303, is amended by deleting
the language ", regardless of its participation" in subdivision (5) and by deleting subdivision (10).
SECTION 3. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-2-114(a), is amended by deleting
"receive free or reduced-price school lunches" and substituting "are members of households
with an income that meet the eligibility requirements for free or reduced-price lunch as
determined pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1758".

- 2 - 002379

SECTION 4. This act takes effect July 1, 2025, the public welfare requiring it, and
applies to the 2025-2026 school year and each school year thereafter.