North Carolina lawmaker introduces bill for free public school meals

State Rep. Amos L. Quick, III introduced a bill aiming to guarantee that every public school student in North Carolina receives free, nutritious meals each school day, as stated by the North Carolina State House.

Filed as HB 1031 on April 21 during the 2025 regular session, the measure is formally titled ‘Universal Free Breakfast and Lunch.’

The summary below is based on the full bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its points.

This proposal would require all public school units—including charter, regional and laboratory schools—to provide two daily meals, breakfast and lunch, free of charge to students, following guidelines set by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The State Board of Education would allocate state funding for healthy school nutrition using criteria such as school size, student poverty statistics, previous expenditures, nutritional quality and the use of local foods, while maintaining equitable distribution and permitting a modest reserve. All schools would be required to join the National School Lunch Program and, when eligible, participate in the Community Eligibility Provision Program. The bill designates $116 million in recurring General Fund appropriations beginning with the 2026-27 fiscal year, with the possibility to tap into additional state education funds if necessary, and would go into effect on July 1, 2026.

Among the four co-sponsors, Allen Buansi led by filing 24 bills in the 2025 regular session.

Legislation in North Carolina must go through a multi-step process to become law. A legislator starts by filing a bill, which is then reviewed by a committee. Each chamber must read the bill three times. Changes made after passing one chamber require agreement from both. Once the legislature approves an identical bill in both chambers, it is sent to the governor, who has 10 days (or 30 days out of session) to sign, veto, or allow the bill to become law without a signature.

Quick is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.

A Democrat, Quick was elected in 2017 to represent North Carolina’s 58th House district, taking over from previous representative Chris Sgro.