POLISCOPE
Back to bills
Part ofEducation →

The civic record

Read. Follow. Verify.
SB 109OHIOSession 136State Billin committee
High Impact

Ohio provides no-cost breakfast and lunch to all public and chartered nonpublic school students with $300 million appropriation

Original title: Provide no-cost breakfast and lunch to students

Last action · February 19, 2025: Referred to FinanceSponsors: Louis W. Blessing, III and 1 other

Bill progressHistory & official text ↓
Introduced
Committee
Floor Vote
Passed
Law

Track this bill to get notified when it advances a stage. One tap to stop, anytime.

Public stanceCommunity reactions are separate from the official record and reporting.

What This Bill Would Do

Ohio requires participating public and chartered nonpublic schools to provide breakfast and lunch at no charge to students, and appropriates $300 million for s 2026 and 2027 to reimburse schools for meal costs.

Who It Would Affect

Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.

Directly affected

Public and chartered nonpublic school students

Students receive breakfast and lunch at no cost to them regardless of whether they previously qualified for free, reduced-price, or paid meals.

Directly affected

Public and chartered nonpublic schools

Participating schools must provide no-cost meals and receive state reimbursements from the Department of Education and Workforce to cover the cost differences.

Directly affected

Department of Education and Workforce

The department is required to reimburse participating schools for breakfast and lunch programs using appropriated funds.

Key Facts

You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which schools are required to offer no-cost meals under this legislation?
Public schools—including school districts, community schools, STEM schools, educational service centers, county developmental disabilities programs, and juvenile day treatment facilities—and chartered nonpublic schools that participate in the national school breakfast and lunch programs.
How much money does the bill allocate for school meals?
The bill appropriates $300,000,000 for 2026 and $300,000,000 for fiscal year 2027 from the under appropriation item 200505, School Meal Programs.
Who covers the cost difference for meals that are not fully covered by federal reimbursements?
The Department of Education and Workforce reimburses schools for the difference between the federal free reimbursement rate and the reduced-price or paid rates using state-appropriated funds.

What else do you want to know?

News Coverage

No news coverage found yet. Articles are indexed twice daily.

Follow the record

Votes, people, money & the original source

Where This Stands

Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.

Procedural history

2 actions
  1. Feb 19, 2025SenateCommittee
    Referred to Finance
  2. Feb 18, 2025SenateIntroduced
    Introduced

Version history

Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.

View official text →

Lobbying Activity

No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.

Full breakdown

Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.

Sponsors

Louis W. Blessing, IIISenate · District 8RepublicanPrimary sponsorNo profile match
Kent SmithSenate · District 21DemocraticPrimary sponsor

Connected Entities

Department of Education and Workforce, Director of Budget and Management, Revised Code
OrganizationDepartment of Education and Workforce“State agency responsible for reimbursing schools participating in national schoo”Map →
PersonDirector of Budget and Management“State official tasked with establishing accounts and determining how appropriati”Map →
OrganizationRevised Code“Ohio statutory code amended by the bill.”Map →

Sources

Open source document

www.legislature.ohio.gov

Analysis Score

0–100
  • Significance85
    How much this matters to a regular citizen
  • Controversy40
    Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
  • Entertainment5
    Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
  • Buzz60
    Current news / social attention level

Publisher tools

Share or embed this record

POLISCOPE publisher tools

Share or embed this record