Bill > SB0785

This bill modifies the state school aid act to expand free school lunch and breakfast programs for public school students in grades pre-K through 12, allocating over $200 million from the state school aid fund and $1.6 million from the general fund for the 2025-2026 school year. It removes the requirement for participating entities to be part of the National School Lunch Program and instead mandates they meet the requirements of the free school lunch and breakfast program as defined in section 1271 of the revised school code, which clarifies what constitutes a "participating entity." The bill also removes previous detailed requirements for program operation, such as maximizing federal reimbursement through the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) and forgiving school meal debt, and simplifies the funding mechanism to pay participating entities an amount equal to federal rates for free breakfasts and lunches, minus federal revenue already received. Additionally, it includes provisions for reimbursement for children participating in the great start readiness program and allows for payments to be made on a schedule determined by the department, with an appropriation from a school meals reserve fund if the initial allocation is insufficient.

Education

https://legislature.mi.gov/Bills/Bill?ObjectName=2026-SB-0785