North Dakota House Bill HB1624

North Dakota 2025-2026 Regular Session

Caption

A BILL for an Act to create and enact two new sections to chapter 15.1-07 of the North Dakota Century Code, relating to offering school breakfast and lunch at no cost and the school meals fund; to provide an appropriation; to provide for a transfer; and to provide an effective date.

Summary

HB 1624 would require North Dakota public school districts and public schools to provide one breakfast and one lunch each school day at no cost to enrolled students who request them. It would also allow nonpublic schools, tribal schools, public charter schools, and schools funded by the Bureau of Indian Education to offer the same no-cost meals. To receive state reimbursement, participating schools would need to be in applicable child nutrition and food distribution programs and encourage families to apply for free or reduced-price meals. The bill creates a new school meals fund in the state treasury and appropriates $65 million for the 2025-27 biennium to reimburse schools for the difference between federal meal reimbursements and the cost of providing meals at no charge. It also directs the Office of Management and Budget to transfer $65 million from the strategic investment and improvements fund into the new fund, and sets the act’s effective date for July 1, 2026. The superintendent of public instruction would administer reimbursements and could adopt rules for implementation.

Impact

HB 1624 would amend chapter 15.1-07 of the North Dakota Century Code by establishing a statewide no-cost school breakfast and lunch program and creating a dedicated funding mechanism for it. It would affect public school districts directly and extend optional participation to nonpublic, tribal, charter, and Bureau of Indian Education-funded schools. The bill would also require state reimbursement procedures, create a new school meals fund, and authorize a transfer from the strategic investment and improvements fund to finance the program.

Sentiment

Based on the available record, the bill appears to have been introduced as a broad school nutrition expansion measure with a strong policy focus on universal access to meals. However, there are no committee transcripts or recorded votes provided, and the bill ultimately failed on January 23, 2026. That outcome suggests the proposal did not secure enough legislative support to advance, even though the text itself reflects a clear intent to make school meals available without charge.

Contention

The main points of contention likely centered on the cost of the program, the use of $65 million from the strategic investment and improvements fund, and whether the state should mandate free meals for all requesting students rather than limit aid to students who qualify for existing free or reduced-price meal programs. Another likely issue was the scope of the mandate, since the bill would require public schools to provide meals at no cost while only allowing, rather than requiring, nonpublic and tribal schools to participate. No specific objections or supporter arguments are included in the provided transcripts, so these concerns are inferred from the bill’s structure and funding provisions.