Florida SB 1098: Universal Free School Breakfast and Lunch Program

Bill Text

1098 
Universal Free School Breakfast and Lunch Program 
2026-01-05T10:18:59Z 
Requiring the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, subject to the appropriation of funds by the Legislature, to establish and operate a program to provide universal free school breakfast and lunch meals to all public school students; deleting provisions requiring school districts to implement and charge students for a breakfast program; authorizing school districts to operate free school meal programs using offsite food preparation locations, etc. 
Original Filed Version 
2026 
S 
2026-07-01T00:00:00Z 
GB 
General Bill 
__ 

 Florida Senate - 2026 SB 1098 

 By Senator Jones 

 34-00227-26 20261098__ 
 1 A bill to be entitled 
 2 An act relating to a universal free school breakfast 
 3 and lunch program; amending s. 595.402, F.S.; defining 
 4 and redefining terms; amending s. 595.405, F.S.; 
 5 requiring the Department of Agriculture and Consumer 
 6 Services, subject to the appropriation of funds by the 
 7 Legislature, to establish and operate a program to 
 8 provide universal free school breakfast and lunch 
 9 meals to all public school students; specifying 
 10 requirements for school districts; deleting provisions 
 11 requiring school districts to implement and charge 
 12 students for a breakfast program; deleting provisions 
 13 requiring only certain school districts to implement a 
 14 universal free school breakfast program and 
 15 encouraging districts to provide free breakfast meals; 
 16 revising the information that school districts are 
 17 required to provide to parents regarding the 
 18 availability of certain school meals to conform to 
 19 changes made by the act; authorizing school districts 
 20 to operate free school meal programs using offsite 
 21 food preparation locations; amending s. 595.404, F.S.; 
 22 conforming a cross-reference; providing an effective 
 23 date. 
 24 
 25 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 
 26 
 27 Section 1. Section 595.402, Florida Statutes, is amended to 
 28 read: 
 29 595.402 Definitions.—As used in this chapter, the term: 
 30 (1) “Commissioner” means the Commissioner of Agriculture. 
 31 (2) “Community eligibility provision” means the federal 
 32 program created in 42 U.S.C. s. 1759a(a)(1)(F) which allows a 
 33 school district to choose to receive federal special assistance 
 34 payments for school meals in exchange for providing free school 
 35 meals to all students enrolled in all or selected schools of the 
 36 school district, if such districts comply with specified 
 37 requirements. 
 38 (3) “Department” means the Department of Agriculture and 
 39 Consumer Services. 
 40 (4) “Eligible breakfast and lunch meals” means meals served 
 41 at breakfast and lunch which meet the nutritional requirements 
 42 specified in the National School Breakfast Program and 7 C.F.R. 
 43 s. 210.10, respectively. 
 44 (5) “National School Breakfast Program” means the federal 
 45 school breakfast program created in 42 U.S.C. s. 1773, which is 
 46 administered by the department. 
 47 (6) “National School Lunch Program” means the federal 
 48 school lunch program created in the Richard B. Russell National 
 49 School Lunch Act. 
 50 (7)(3) “Program” means any one or more of the school food 
 51 and nutrition service programs that the department has 
 52 responsibility over including, but not limited to, the National 
 53 School Lunch Program, the Special Milk Program, the National 
 54 School Breakfast Program, the Summer Food Service Program, the 
 55 Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program, and any other program that 
 56 relates to school nutrition. 
 57 (4) “School breakfast program” means a program authorized 
 58 by s. 4 of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966, as amended, and 
 59 administered by the department. 
 60 (8)(5) “School district” means any of the 67 county school 
 61 districts, including the respective district school board. 
 62 (9) “Special assistance alternative” means a special 
 63 nutrition assistance alternative federal reimbursement method 
 64 authorized by the United States Department of Agriculture 
 65 pursuant to 42 U.S.C. s. 1759a and 7 C.F.R. part 245, for 
 66 eligible schools that serve free meals to all enrolled students. 
 67 The term includes the community eligibility provision. 
 68 (10)(6) “Sponsor” means any entity that is conducting a 
 69 program under a current agreement with the department. 
 70 (11)(7) “Summer nutrition program” means any one or more of 
 71 the programs authorized under 42 U.S.C. s. 1761. 
 72 (12)(8) “Universal school breakfast and lunch program” 
 73 means a program that makes breakfast and lunch available at no 
 74 cost to all students, regardless of their household income. 
 75 Section 2. Section 595.405, Florida Statutes, is amended to 
 76 read: 
 77 595.405 Universal free school breakfast and lunch program 
 78 School nutrition program requirements.— 
 79 (1) Each district school boa