LEGISLATIVE FISCAL ESTIMATE

[First Reprint]

ASSEMBLY, No. 2365

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

220th LEGISLATURE

 

DATED: MAY 27, 2022

 

 

SUMMARY

 

Synopsis:

Requires school food vendors to engage in public education campaigns and develop promotional materials to educate parents and guardians of students about existing and expanding school meals program options.

Type of Impact:

One-time increase in State costs; annual decrease in State expenditures; potential school district cost increases.  

Agencies Affected:

Department of Agriculture, Department of Education, school districts.

 

Office of Legislative Services Estimate

Fiscal Impact

Year 1 

Year 2 

Year 3 

 

One-time State Cost Increase

Indeterminate

---

---

 

State Expenditure Decrease

Indeterminate

Indeterminate

Indeterminate

 

Potential Local Cost Increase

Indeterminate

Indeterminate

Indeterminate

 

 

 

 

·         The Office of Legislative Services (OLS) determines that the bill will result in one-time administrative cost increases to the Department of Agriculture (DOA) and the Department of Education (DOE) to develop standards and guidelines that ensure the uniformity and accuracy of school meals information being presented by food service vendors and management companies in the public education campaign and promotional materials.  The OLS determines that this requirement could be subsumed within existing staff duties.

·         The OLS also notes that there will be a decrease in annual State costs by shifting the responsibility of providing promotional material from the State to food vendors and food management companies.

·         School districts may potentially incur additional annual costs from increased administrative duties resulting from the bill, such as distributing the promotional materials to students’ parents and guardians.  These costs, if any, will be dependent upon the manner in which the school district decides to transmit the information to parents and guardians. 

 

BILL DESCRIPTION

 

      This bill requires each food service vendor or food service management company that provides a food service to students in the State to:  (1) develop and implement a public education campaign that is designed to educate parents and guardians of students at schools served by the vendor or management company about the various school meals program options that are available to students in New Jersey and the availability of free and reduced price meals to students who satisfy federal or State-level eligibility criteria; and (2) develop promotional materials for the State’s school meals programs, and provide copies of the promotional materials to each school served by the vendor or management company, for distribution, by school staff, to the parents and guardians of students enrolled at the school.  A food service vendor or management company would be required to utilize existing resources, made available by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the State DOA, in developing the promotional materials required by the bill.

      Current law requires the DOA, in consultation with the DOE, to develop pamphlets and other promotional materials for the State’s school meals programs and provide such promotional materials to every school district in the State, for distribution to the parents and guardians of students who are enrolled at schools in the district.        

      The bill would require the DOA, in consultation with the DOE, to adopt standards and guidelines to ensure the uniformity and accuracy of school meals-related information that is being presented by a food service vendor or food service management company as part of the educational campaigns conducted, and in the promotional materials distributed, under the bill.

 

 

FISCAL ANALYSIS

 

EXECUTIVE BRANCH

 

      None received.

 

OFFICE OF LEGISLATIVE SERVICES

 

      The OLS determines that the bill will result in one-time administrative cost increases to the DOA and the DOE to develop standards and guidelines that ensure the uniformity and accuracy of school meals information being presented by food service vendors and management companies in the public education campaign and promotional materials.  The OLS determines that this requirement could be subsumed within existing staff duties.

      The OLS also notes that there will be a decrease in annual State expenditures by shifting the responsibility of providing the promotional material from the State to food vendors and food management companies.  Current law requires the DOA, in consultation with the DOE, to develop pamphlets and other promotional materials for the State’s school meals programs and provide such promotional materials to every school district in the State, for distribution to the parents and guardians. 

      School districts may potentially incur additional costs from increased administrative duties resulting from the bill, such as distributing the promotional materials to students’ parents and guardians.  These costs, if any, will be dependent upon the manner in which the school district decides to transmit the information to parents and guardians. 

 

 

Section:

Environment, Agriculture, Energy, and Natural Resources

Analyst:

Neha Patel

Senior Fiscal Analyst

Approved:

Thomas Koenig

Legislative Budget and Finance Officer

 

 

This legislative fiscal estimate has been produced by the Office of Legislative Services due to the failure of the Executive Branch to respond to our request for a fiscal note.

 

This fiscal estimate has been prepared pursuant to P.L.1980, c.67 (C.52:13B-6 et seq.).