129th MAINE LEGISLATURE
		LD 549		LR 1089(02)
	An Act To Promote Academic Achievement through Hunger Relief for Maine Children
	Fiscal Note for Bill as Amended by Committee Amendment " "
	Committee: Education and Cultural Affairs
	Fiscal Note Required: Yes
Fiscal Note
Current biennium cost increase - General Fund
Fiscal Detail and Notes
	This bill requires a public school participating in the National School Lunch Program to provide lunch to all students who are eligible for free and reduced-price meals at no cost to the students.  The estimated cost to fund the difference between the federal reimbursements for reduced-price and free lunches is $669,788 in fiscal year 2019-20 and $584,483 in fiscal year 2020-21.  Of the fiscal year 2019-20 amount, approximately $100,000 is associated with the one-time cost to modify the existing school meal software application to accommodate this change.
	LD 1001, the Governor's proposed budget for the 2020-2021 biennium includes General Fund appropriations to the School Finance and Operations program within the Department of Education to fully fund this initiative, thus no funding is provided in this bill.  However, if the funding is not included in the final budget approved by the Legislature, the fiscal note for this bill will need to be revised to include the General Fund appropriations necessary to fund the costs of this provision.