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House Bill 1238 &
Senate Bill 5339

[One of these bills is progressing]

These are companion bills about providing free school meals in schools across Washington.

SUMMARY

Originally, these bills would have required all public schools to provide free breakfast and lunch each school day to any child who requests it. However, as these bills made their way through the legislative process, the Senate version (SB 5339) died, and the House version (HB 1238) was significantly amended to the following:​​

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  • The newest version of this bill would require only certain public school that serve kids K-4 to provide breakfast and lunch to those students at no cost to any child who requests these meals.

    • This requirement will be phased in over the next school years and ultimately only apply to schools with 30% or more of their student population eligible for free and reduce-price meals (a federal program)

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POINTS TO CONSIDER ABOUT THIS BILL

  • During the pandemic, many school districts utilized federal waivers to allow students to access free meals at school. However, these waivers are expiring, leaving nearly 350,000 students in Washington without easy access to food at school. 

  • There is significant research showing the negative impacts that hunger and poor nutrition on a child's ability to engage at school. Proper nutrition is a key part of a child's ability to learn and grow, both academically and socially.

  • If passed in its original form, this bill would allow Washington to join other states offering free school meals to all their students, like California, Vermont, and Massachusetts. However, with its changes, it is taking a small step in that direction.

HOW TO GET INVOLVED

Steps to Get Started

  1. Learn where the bill is in the legislative process.
  2. If there is an upcoming hearing, decide how you would like to get your voice heard and take action.​
  3. If there is not an upcoming hearing, or if you want to supplement your advocacy, call or write your legislators.
  4. Spread the word and get other people on board.

Participating in a Hearing

Sign in Pro, Con, or Other

This is when individuals, advocates, and organizations make their position on a particular bill known for the record. This is particularly powerful in large numbers. Many organizations will send out Action Alerts asking people to sign in Pro or Con on a bill.

Submit Written Testimony

Submitting written testimony is a great way not only to make your position known, to legislators but also to explain why in more detail. This is a good option if you don't want to speak in front of others. People also like to offer more nuance to their position by writing.

Testify Virtually 

Since COVID, many legislators are allowing remote/virtual testimony for bill hearings, as it greatly expands access to the legislative process across the state. For this, individuals usually have between 1-2 minutes to state their opinion on a bill in front of the legislative committee on Zoom. 

Testify In Person

To testify on a bill in person, you must travel to Olympia and join the real-time committee hearing on the Capitol campus. You will also get between 1-2 minutes to state your opinion. This is often a powerful way to make an impression on legislators in the room.

Using the WA Legislature Website

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