Permits a school food authority to attribute moneys spent on purchases of food products from New York state farmers, growers, producers or processors made for its school breakfast program to the thirty percent of costs for school lunch service programs.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
7847
IN SENATE
February 26, 2020
___________
Introduced by Sen. METZGER -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
printed to be committed to the Committee on Education
AN ACT to amend chapter 537 of the laws of 1976, relating to paid, free
and reduced price breakfast for eligible pupils in certain school
districts, in relation to purchases of food products from New York
state farmers, growers, producers or processors
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Section 5 of chapter 537 of the laws of 1976, relating to
2 paid, free and reduced price breakfast for eligible pupils in certain
3 school districts, as added by section 2 of part B of chapter 56 of the
4 laws of 2018, is amended to read as follows:
5 § 5. a. Notwithstanding any monetary limitations with respect to
6 school lunch programs contained in any law or regulation, for school
7 lunch meals served in the school year commencing July 1, 2019 and each
8 July 1 thereafter, a school food authority shall be eligible for a lunch
9 meal State subsidy of twenty-five cents, which shall include any annual
10 State subsidy received by such school food authority under any other
11 provision of State law, for any school lunch meal served by such school
12 food authority; provided that the school food authority certifies to the
13 State Education Department through the application submitted pursuant to
14 subdivision b of this section that such food authority has purchased at
15 least thirty percent of its total cost of food products for its school
16 lunch service program from New York state farmers, growers, producers or
17 processors in the preceding school year. Commencing July 1, 2020, and
18 each July 1 thereafter, a school food authority shall be allowed to
19 attribute moneys spent on purchases of food products from New York state
20 farmers, growers, producers or processors made for its school breakfast
21 program to the thirty percent of costs for school lunch service
22 programs.
23 b. The State Education Department, in cooperation with the Department
24 of Agriculture and Markets, shall develop an application for school food
25 authorities to seek an additional State subsidy pursuant to this section
26 in a timeline and format prescribed by the commissioner of education.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD15561-01-0
S. 7847 2
1 Such application shall include, but not be limited to, documentation
2 demonstrating the school food authority's total food purchases for its
3 school lunch service program, and documentation demonstrating its total
4 food purchases and percentages for such program, permitted to be counted
5 under this section, from New York State farmers, growers, producers or
6 processors in the preceding school year. The application shall also
7 include an attestation from the school food authority's chief operating
8 officer that it purchased at least thirty percent of its total cost of
9 food products permitted to be counted under this section for its school
10 lunch service program from New York State farmers, growers, producers or
11 processors in the preceding school year in order to meet the require-
12 ments for this additional State subsidy. School food authorities shall
13 be required to annually apply for this subsidy.
14 c. The State Education Department shall annually publish information
15 on its website commencing on September 1, 2019 and each September 1
16 thereafter, relating to each school food authority that applied for and
17 received this additional State subsidy, including but not limited to:
18 the school food authority name, student enrollment, average daily lunch
19 participation, total food costs for its school lunch service program,
20 total cost of food products for its school lunch service program
21 purchased from New York State farmers, growers, producers or processors,
22 and the percent of total food costs that were purchased from New York
23 State farmers, growers, producers or processors for its school lunch
24 service program.
25 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.