School food waste reduction; free school milk during the lunch meal in place of a full school lunch authorization; appropriating money

1.1 A bill for an act​ 1.2 relating to education finance; reducing school food waste; authorizing free school​ 1.3 milk during the lunch meal in place of a full school lunch; appropriating money;​ 1.4 amending Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 124D.118.​ 1.5 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:​ 1.6 Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 124D.118, is amended to read:​ 1.7 124D.118 SCHOOL MILK PROGRAM.​ 1.8 Subdivision 1. Legislative findings. (a) The legislature finds that for best health and​ 1.9 well-being, school children in the state should receive at least one serving of milk each day.​ 1.10 (b) The legislature finds that the school milk program established in this section is to​ 1.11 provide districts for kindergartners provides schools in the state with added resources so​ 1.12 that all kindergarten students in public and nonpublic schools may have access to wholesome​ 1.13 milk on a daily basis.​ 1.14 (c) The legislature finds that the school lunch milk program provides an additional​ 1.15 nutritional benefit to students. The legislature also finds that some students interested in​ 1.16 receiving only school milk at lunch take a complete school lunch and consume only the​ 1.17 milk. The school lunch milk program provides schools with resources so that students in​ 1.18 public and nonpublic schools may have daily access to school milk to supplement meals​ 1.19 brought from home, eliminating the need for a student to take a complete school meal only​ 1.20 to obtain the school milk at lunch.​ 1.21 Subd. 2. Establishment; school participation Kindergarten milk. Each district school​ 1.22 in the state is encouraged to participate in the state-supported school milk program for​ 1​Section 1.​ 25-04791 as introduced​03/10/25 REVISOR CR/LJ​ SENATE​ STATE OF MINNESOTA​ S.F. No. 2840​NINETY-FOURTH SESSION​ (SENATE AUTHORS: CLARK)​ OFFICIAL STATUS​D-PG​DATE​ Introduction and first reading​03/20/2025​ Referred to Education Finance​ 2.1 kindergartners. Participating districts schools must provide one serving of milk on each​ 2.2 school day to each kindergarten student attending a public or nonpublic school in the district.​ 2.3 No student is required to accept the milk that is provided by the district. The program must​ 2.4 be promoted and operated under the direction of the commissioner or the commissioner's​ 2.5 designee.​ 2.6 Subd. 2a. School lunch milk. Each school in the state is encouraged to participate in​ 2.7 the state-supported school lunch milk program. The program provides one half-pint of milk​ 2.8 for a student desiring a school milk at lunch who does not take part in the school lunch​ 2.9 program on that day. The school lunch milk program provides milk to students and eliminates​ 2.10 unnecessary food waste.​ 2.11 Subd. 3. Program guidelines; duties of the commissioner. (a) The commissioner shall​ 2.12 must:​ 2.13 (1) encourage all districts to participate in the school milk program for kindergartners​ 2.14 and the school lunch milk program;​ 2.15 (2) prepare program guidelines for the school milk program for kindergartners, not​ 2.16 subject to chapter 14 until July 1, 1998, which will effectively and efficiently distribute​ 2.17 appropriated and donated money to participating districts; and​ 2.18 (3) seek donations and matching funds from appropriate private and public sources.​ 2.19 (b) Program guidelines may provide for disbursement to districts through a mechanism​ 2.20 of prepayments or by reimbursement for approved program expenses.​ 2.21 (c) The commissioner may establish program guidelines for school lunch milk served​ 2.22 in place of a school lunch by a participant in the national school lunch program under section​ 2.23 124D.111.​ 2.24 Subd. 4. Reimbursement; breakfast milk and school lunch milk. (a) In accordance​ 2.25 with program guidelines, the commissioner shall must reimburse each participating public​ 2.26 or nonpublic school 20 cents for each half-pint of milk that is served to kindergarten students​ 2.27 and is not part of a school lunch or breakfast reimbursed under section 124D.111 or​ 2.28 124D.1158.​ 2.29 (b) The commissioner must reimburse each public or nonpublic school participating in​ 2.30 the free meals program for each half-pint of milk served to a student who brings a meal​ 2.31 from home on that day or otherwise forgoes a school lunch provided at no cost on that day.​ 2.32 The reimbursement rate for each half-pint of milk equals the greater of 50 cents or the​ 2​Section 1.​ 25-04791 as introduced​03/10/25 REVISOR CR/LJ​ 3.1 special school milk rate established by the United States Department of Agriculture Food​ 3.2 and Nutrition Services division for that school year.​ 3.3 EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective for fiscal year 2026 and later.​ 3.4 Sec. 2. APPROPRIATIONS; SCHOOL MILK.​ 3.5 Subdivision 1. Department of Education. The sums indicated in this section are​ 3.6 appropriated from the general fund to the Department of Education in the fiscal years​ 3.7 designated.​ 3.8 Subd. 2. School milk. For kindergarten milk and school lunch milk aid under Minnesota​ 3.9 Statutes, section 124D.118:​ 2026​.....​.......​3.10 $​ 2027​.....​.......​3.11 $​ 3​Sec. 2.​ 25-04791 as introduced​03/10/25 REVISOR CR/LJ​