LEGISLATIVE FISCAL ESTIMATE

[Second Reprint]

ASSEMBLY, No. 2365

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

220th LEGISLATURE

 

DATED: JUNE 28, 2022

 

 

SUMMARY

 

Synopsis:

Requires school food authorities 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:

Annual State cost savings; one-time State expenditure increase; potential annual local cost increases.

Agencies Affected:

Department of Agriculture, Department of Education, and certain school districts.

 

 

Office of Legislative Services Estimate

Fiscal Impact

Year 1 

Year 2 

Year 3 

 

One-Time State Expenditure Increase

Indeterminate

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Annual State Cost Savings

Up to $75,000

Up to $75,000

Up to $75,000

 

Potential Local Cost Increase

Indeterminate

Indeterminate

Indeterminate

 

 

 

 

·         The Office of Legislative Services (OLS) determines that this bill will provide annual cost savings to the State by shifting the responsibility for developing and implementing a public education campaign for available school meals programs in the State and developing related promotional material to school food authorities.  These are currently the responsibilities of the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Education.  The anticipated State savings is $75,000 annually.

·         Schools and school districts, which can be school food authorities under the bill, may incur additional annual costs from increased administrative duties resulting from the bill such as developing and implementing a public education program and developing and distributing promotional materials for the State’s school meals programs.  The bill specifies that school food authorities are to use existing resources of the federal and State government in developing their educational materials and so costs, if any, should be marginal.

·         The State will experience a one-time increase in administrative workload to develop standards and guidelines to ensure uniformity and accuracy of information regarding school meals programs being presented to parents and guardians by school food authorities.  This additional workload can likely be performed by current staff using existing resources.

 

 

BILL DESCRIPTION

 

      The bill requires each school food authority that provides a food service to public school students in the State to, in the two languages that are most commonly spoken in the homes of the students of the public school served by the school food authority:  (1) develop and implement a public education campaign that is designed to educate parents and guardians of students at schools served by the school food authority about the various school meals program options that are available to students in New Jersey and the availability of free and reduced price meals, thereunder, for 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 school food authority for distribution, by school staff, to the parents and guardians of students enrolled at the school.  A school food authority would be required to utilize existing resources, made available by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the DOA, in developing the promotional materials required by the bill. The bill further specifies that a school food authority’s public education campaign and promotional materials are to comply with certain requirements outlined in the bill. The bill defines “school food authority” as the school, school district, or third-party food service vendor, as applicable.

 

 

FISCAL ANALYSIS

 

EXECUTIVE BRANCH

 

      None received.

 

OFFICE OF LEGISLATIVE SERVICES

 

      The OLS determines that this bill will provide annual cost savings to the State by shifting the responsibility for developing and implementing a public education campaign for available school meals programs in the State and developing related promotional material to school food authorities.  These are currently the responsibilities of the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Education.  The anticipated State savings is $75,000 annually.

      Schools and school districts, which can be school food authorities under the bill, may incur additional annual costs from increased administrative duties resulting from the bill such as developing and implementing a public education program and developing and distributing promotional materials for the State’s school meals programs.  The bill specifies that school food authorities are to use existing resources of the federal and State government in developing their educational materials and so costs, if any, should be marginal.     

      The State will experience a one-time increase in administrative workload to develop standards and guidelines to ensure uniformity and accuracy of information regarding school meals programs being presented to parents and guardians by school food authorities.  This additional workload can likely be performed by current staff using existing resources. 

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.).