Senate Bills 4 & 42

Senate Bills 4 and 42, both introduced by Senator Danica Roem, focus on expanding access to universal free school breakfast for all K-12 students in Virginia. SB4 requires every public elementary and secondary school to participate in the federal School Breakfast Program and to offer breakfast at no cost to any student who requests it, with reimbursement provided by the Virginia Department of Education. 

SB42 is a bill that directs the Virginia Department of Education to conduct a statewide evaluation of uncollectible school meal debt and its impact on local school divisions. The bill requires the Department to examine how much unpaid meal debt accumulates annually across public elementary and secondary schools, the socioeconomic factors associated with families carrying this debt, and the fiscal burden placed on school boards when they are required to absorb these losses at the end of each school year. It also calls for a review of current funding sources used to cover meal debt and an analysis of best practices employed in divisions such as Prince William County, which has implemented local strategies to offset unpaid meal balances.

Senate Bill 4 has been continued to the next legislative session by the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee on February 10, 2026, after previously advancing unanimously out of the Education and Health Committee. Although the bill did not pass, our advocacy prompted the Senate Finance and Appropriations Education subcommittee to allocate approximately $22 million dollars to reduce breakfast costs for families!

Senate Bill 42 has unanimously passed the Virginia Senate, and has proceeded to the Rules Committee for the House of Delegates. It has been continued into the 2027 Legislative Session, where it is expected to pass.