Home California Thurmond’s Bill Providing Access to Free and Reduced Lunches Signed by Governor

Thurmond’s Bill Providing Access to Free and Reduced Lunches Signed by Governor

by ECT

Sacramento – AB 1502 authored, by Assemblymember Tony Thurmond, (D- Richmond) increases access to free and reduced lunches for students. The bill was signed by Governor Brown Friday.

One of the biggest barriers to identifying and enrolling all low-income students is filling out the necessary paperwork if they are not identified through their participation in other programs for low-income Californians. The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 established Direct Certification (DC) percentage benchmarks for states to meet, which is 95 percent. Currently, California’s DC match rate is at approximately 63 percent. This bill provides the California Department of Education (CDE) the flexibility to expand DC giving more kids the food they need without requiring time-consuming paperwork.

“I would like to thank Governor Brown and my Legislative colleagues for supporting this bill,” said Assemblymember Thurmond. “Many kids that aren’t getting the access they deserve will now begin to get free and reduced lunches. This bill highlights what we are here to do in Sacramento help kids and families.”

This bill allows CDE to take an active role in the DC process by giving them the authority to conduct the match.

AB 1502 was fully supported by the Children’s Defense Fund- California and is sponsored by the Superintendent of Public Instruction, Tom Torlakson.

Assemblymember Tony Thurmond represents the 15th Assembly District, comprised of the cities of Albany, Berkeley, El Cerrito, El Sobrante, Emeryville, Hercules, Kensington, Piedmont, Pinole, Richmond, San Pablo, Tara Hills, and a portion of Oakland.

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4 comments

Dmitri Jul 24, 2017 - 9:22 am

“It’s their fault they can’t pay lunch. Cut them off”
“What about the 60,000+ foster kids in California?”
“Trump, Trump, Trump”

Louis Renner Jul 25, 2017 - 3:41 pm

May if those who pass these bills actually went and reviewed how much of this food is actually thrown out they would not continue to waste our tax dollars. We have built a system on spending money in ways where no actual accountability or measurement of the success of the program can be measured. An example is the smog control laws in the State. If these were actually working, the air should be pristine. Instead it is not because we let others plow fields and burn when ever they want and blame it on automobiles. I still have to pay to have my cars smog checked every other year even though both a low emission vehicles. Just another waste of dollars by the inefficient and ineffective morons in office.

Louis Renner Jul 25, 2017 - 3:41 pm

May if those who pass these bills actually went and reviewed how much of this food is actually thrown out they would not continue to waste our tax dollars. We have built a system on spending money in ways where no actual accountability or measurement of the success of the program can be measured. An example is the smog control laws in the State. If these were actually working, the air should be pristine. Instead it is not because we let others plow fields and burn when ever they want and blame it on automobiles. I still have to pay to have my cars smog checked every other year even though both a low emission vehicles. Just another waste of dollars by the inefficient and ineffective morons in office.

Old Pittsburg/Antioch Hwy Border Jul 26, 2017 - 6:06 am

The title is misleading. The Bill amends the act of tracking benefit data pertaining to free or reduced lunches. Not a new program. Thurmond is changing how data is collected and from whom. The goal is to ensure federal funds so students can throw away more food they do not want under this program.

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