HF 4075 Summary

• Requires Minnesota school lunch program participants to adopt and post written school meal policies that prohibit lunch shaming, address debt collection practices, ensure trained staff handle communications, and prevent meal withdrawal after service.

• Establishes state meal aid of 12.5 cents per full-price/free meal and 52.5 cents per reduced-price meal, with additional 52.5 cents plus federal reimbursement for meals served to students with family income between 185-200 percent of federal poverty level.

• Prohibits schools from denying meals to eligible students due to outstanding meal debt, restricting student activities, or using collection agencies; requires all debt collection communications be made only to parents/guardians by trained staff.

• Appropriates funds to the Department of Education for fiscal year 2021 for grants to school districts to purchase and maintain automated school meal payment and communication systems.

• Increases school lunch appropriations from $16,306,000 in fiscal year 2020 to $16,575,000 in fiscal year 2021, effective July 1, 2020.