New Jersey S 2322: Establishes "breakfast after the bell" incentive fund.

Bill Text

SENATE, No. 2322

STATE OF NEW JERSEY
220th LEGISLATURE

INTRODUCED MARCH 21, 2022

Sponsored by:
Senator NILSA I. CRUZ-PEREZ
District 5 (Camden and Gloucester)

SYNOPSIS
Establishes “breakfast after the bell” incentive fund.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.

S2322 CRUZ-PEREZ
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AN ACT concerning school breakfast programs and supplementing 1
Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes. 2
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BE IT ENACTED by the Senate and General Assembly of the State 4
of New Jersey: 5
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1. a. The Department of Agriculture, in consultation with the 7
Department of Education, shall develop and administer an incentive 8
fund that will provide a 10-cent per breakfast supplement to the 9
existing federal reimbursement to school districts that (1) 10
participate in the federal school breakfast program, and (2) meet the 11
eligibility requirements established pursuant to subsection b. of this 12
section. 13
b. A public school district with schools that participate in the 14
federal school breakfast program that serve “breakfast after the 15
bell” with 20 to 100 percent of its students eligible for free or 16
reduced price breakfast shall be eligible for this additional 17
reimbursement. 18
c. The Department of Agriculture, in consultation with the 19
Department of Education, shall provide guidance and support to 20
school districts necessary to effectuate the purposes of this act. 21
d. The Department of Agriculture, in consultation with the 22
Department of Education, shall prepare and issue an annual report 23
to the Governor and, pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 24
(C.52:14-19.1), to the Legislature on the annual cost of the 25
incentive fund to the State, and the number and percentage of 26
additional students participating in the “breakfast after the bell” 27
program for each school district. 28
e. The Legislature shall annually appropriate such funds as are 29
necessary to implement this act. 30
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2. This act shall take effect immediately. 32
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STATEMENT 35
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This bill requires the Department of Agriculture, in consultation 37
with the Department of Education, to develop and administer a 38
“breakfast after the bell” incentive fund to provide an additional 39
reimbursement to certain school districts that participate in the 40
federal school breakfast program. 41
Under the bill, the incentive fund will provide a 10-cent per 42
breakfast supplement to the existing federal reimbursement to a 43
school district with schools that participate in the federal school 44
breakfast program that serve “breakfast after the bell” with 20 to 45
100 percent of its students eligible for free or reduced price 46
breakfast. 47

S2322 CRUZ-PEREZ
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The bill directs the Department of Agriculture, in consultation 1
with the Department of Education, to provide guidance and support 2
to school districts, and to prepare and issue an annual report 3
detailing the annual cost of the incentive fund and the number and 4
percentage of additional students participating in the “breakfast 5
after the bell” program for each school district. 6
The bill specifies that the Legislature is to annually appropriate 7
funds necessary to implement the bill. 8
The purpose of the fund is to provide an incentive to school 9
districts in this State to move to a school breakfast model that has 10
the capacity to reach more hungry students since low to middle 11
income school districts face greater challenges in covering the costs 12
of an effective school breakfast program. 13