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Amend the bill by striking out the title and substituting the following:
‘An Act Regarding Meals in Public Schools’
Amend the bill by striking out everything after the enacting clause and before the summary and inserting the following:
‘Sec. 1.  20-A MRSA c. 223, sub-c. 11  is enacted to read:
SUBCHAPTER 11
FOOD RIGHTS
§ 6681. Access to food and use of food discipline
 
1.  Serving of reimbursable meals.     A public school that provides meals under the National School Lunch Program to students pursuant to subchapter 7 or otherwise provides to students meals eligible for reimbursement under a program administered by the United States Department of Agriculture shall provide such a meal to a student who requests the meal and is otherwise eligible for the meal regardless of the student's ability to pay for the school meal or failure in the past to pay for school meals.
 
2.  Student privacy required.     A public school may not openly identify or otherwise stigmatize a student who cannot pay for a meal or who has payments due for previous meals.
 
3.  Required communications.     A public school's communications about a student's meal debts must be made directly to the parent or guardian of the student with no involvement of the student.
 
4.  Required collection policy.    A school board of a public school that provides meals under the National School Lunch Program pursuant to subchapter 7 shall establish a policy for collection of debts owed to the school lunch program.’
 
SUMMARY
This amendment is the majority report of the committee. The amendment changes the title and strikes the bill. The amendment:
1. Requires a public school that provides National School Lunch Program meals to students pursuant to the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 20-A, chapter 223, subchapter 7 or otherwise provides to students meals eligible for reimbursement under a program administered by the United States Department of Agriculture to provide such a meal to a student who requests the meal and is otherwise eligible for the meal regardless of the student's ability to pay for the meal or failure in the past to pay for meals;
2. Prohibits a public school from openly identifying or stigmatizing a student who cannot pay for a meal or who has payments due for previous meals;
3. Requires a public school to communicate about a student's meal debts directly to the parent or guardian of the student rather than to the student; and
4. Requires the school board of a public school to establish a policy for collection of debts owed to the school lunch program.
The fiscal note on the amendment identifies a requirement in this amendment as a potential significant state mandate. In order to be a mandate pursuant to the Constitution of Maine, a provision must require a local unit of government to expand or modify its activities so as to necessitate additional expenditures from local revenue. The committee finds that the provisions identified as a potential mandate do not require a local school administrative unit to expand or modify its activities so as to necessitate additional expenditures from local revenue.
The committee has determined that the potential state mandate provision prepared by the Office of Fiscal and Program Review is not in fact a mandate for public schools. The amendment does not require the public school to pay for the school meal debts, since the amendment requires the public school to directly communicate with a parent or guardian about the student’s meal debts and requires the school board of the public school to establish a policy for the collection of debts owed to the school lunch program.
FISCAL NOTE REQUIRED
(See attached)