BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SENATE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Senator Ricardo Lara, Chair
2015 - 2016 Regular Session
SB 708 (Mendoza) - Pupil nutrition: free or reduced-price meals:
online applications.
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|Version: April 16, 2015 |Policy Vote: ED. 9 - 0 |
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|Urgency: No |Mandate: Yes |
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|Hearing Date: May 11, 2015 |Consultant: Jillian Kissee |
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This bill meets the criteria for referral to the Suspense File.
Bill
Summary: This bill authorizes school districts and county
offices of education to make electronic applications available
for free or reduced-priced meals. This bill also requires both
paper and electronic applications to contain clear instructions
for families that are homeless or are migrants.
Fiscal
Impact:
This bill's authorization of school districts and county
offices of education to make electronic applications for free
or reduced-priced meals available will not likely result in
additional costs to the state as these would be local
decisions. Any decision to make these applications available
online would result in a cost pressure to make any changes
necessary to ensure the application complies with the
requirements in this bill.
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The California Department of Education (CDE) indicates that it
annually makes updates to eligibility materials for the free
or reduced-priced meals program available to local educational
agencies. CDE anticipates that this bill would generate
workload between $15,000 to $17,000 General Fund to update
materials to reflect the requirements of this bill.
To the extent this bill increases participation in the other
public benefit programs, as intended, it could result in
additional costs to the state. For example, if an additional
50 members participate in Medi-Cal because they were
encouraged to do so by having access to information included
in the free or reduced-price meals application, the annual
impact the state could be about $66,000 in a mix of federal
and General Fund (assuming a per member, per month cost of
$110).
Background: Current law requires each school district or county office of
education to provide for each student in need one nutritionally
adequate free or reduced-price meal during each school day.
It also requires school districts and county offices of
education to make applications for free or reduced-price meals
available to students at all times during each regular school
day.
In addition, school districts or county offices of education are
authorized to incorporate information relative to Medi-Cal and
health care coverage through the California Health Benefit
Exchange into the School Lunch Program application packet or
notification of eligibility. (EC § 49557.2)
Existing law requires all applications and records concerning
any individual made or kept by any public officer or agency
relating to free or reduced-price meal eligibility to be
confidential; they may not be open to examination for any
purpose not directly connected with the administration of a free
or reduced-price meal program. (EC § 49558)
Proposed Law:
This bill authorizes school districts and county offices of
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education to make electronic applications for free or
reduced-priced meals available, contingent on compliance with
specified requirements. This bill also requires both paper and
electronic applications to contain clear instructions for
families that are homeless or are migrants.
Specifically, this bill requires that if the governing board of
a school district, a county office of education, or a school
food service officer chooses to provide access to an online
application, the application must contain certain components.
These components include: a link to websites in which translated
applications are posted by the United States Department of
Agriculture; only necessary questions to determine eligibility;
clear instructions for families that are homeless or are
migrants; compliance with privacy rights and disclosure
protections, as specified; links to applications for CalFresh
and health care and links to the State Department of Public
Health website that provides referrals to the Special
Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children
(WIC), and a summer lunch program.
Related
Legislation:1. AB 608 (Gordon, 2015) among other things, requires a county human
services agency to inform households applying for CalFresh that
if the household is certified for CalFresh, children under five
years of age in the household are income-eligible for the WIC
Program, and all children in the household are directly
certified for the National School Lunch Program and the School
Breakfast Program without further application. AB 608 is
pending in the Senate Rules Committee.
Chapter 440, Statutes of 2013, (AB 422, Nazarian) adds
information regarding health care coverage available through the
California Health Benefit Exchange to notifications that school
districts or county superintendents may include on applications
for the School Lunch Program.
Chapter 504, Statutes of 2011, (AB 402, Skinner) authorizes
school districts and county offices of education to share
information provided on the School Lunch Program application
with the local agency that determines CalFresh program
eligibility, or to an agency that determines eligibility for
nutrition assistance programs.
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