NC H947

Requires North Carolina public schools to provide free breakfast and lunch to all K-12 students at no cost, effective July 1, 2019, with the Department of Public Instruction allocating supplementary funds to cover costs up to federal reimbursement rates.

Establishes the North Carolina School Breakfast and Lunch Fund as a special revenue fund financed through individual taxpayer designations of $3.00 from income taxes and voluntary donations, with funding administered by the State Board of Education.

Appropriates $200,000,000 in nonrecurring funds for fiscal year 2019-2020 and $200,000,000 in recurring funds for 2020-2021 from the General Fund to support free meal programs.

Extends free breakfast and lunch requirements to charter schools, innovative schools, regional schools, and UNC laboratory schools, with the Department of Public Instruction providing supplementary funds to each school type.

Requires school nutrition programs to operate on a nonprofit basis, prohibits trans-fatty acids in school food, and mandates schools use any surplus earnings to reduce food costs, improve food quality, or fund student meal programs.