Bill
SB 1637
SB 1637 protects students with unpaid meal fees from stigma and denial, requiring schools to provide the same nutritionally compliant meals and non-punitive treatment.
Note: The provided document appears to combine text from two different bills both labeled "SB 1637" from different states. Below are clear, separate summaries of each measure as presented in the document.
Status: Introduced Feb 25, 2025; currently listed as Rule 3‑9(a) / Re‑referred to Assignments
Primary sponsor(s): Senator Eva Diaz; cosponsors Lela Alston, Flavio Bravo, Priya Sundareshan
Companion: HB 2436 (companion)
Summary — purpose and intent
- Adds a new section (to Arizona Revised Statutes Title 15, Chapter 1, Article 1 — §15‑120.05) to protect students from stigma or differential treatment because a parent/guardian has not paid school meal fees and to ensure access to nutritionally compliant meals.
Key provisions
- A public school must ensure a student whose parent/guardian has unpaid school meal fees:
- Is not shamed;
- Is not treated differently; and
- Is not served a meal different from what students without unpaid fees receive under the school’s policy.
- Exception: schools may serve an alternative meal for students who require special meals for dietary or religious reasons.
- Prohibits school personnel and volunteers from taking disciplinary actions that would result in denying or delaying a meal that meets the nutrition standards set in §15‑242, when such meals are served during the instructional day.
Who is affected
- Public K–12 schools in Arizona (administrators, cafeteria staff, volunteers).
- Students with unpaid meal balances and their families.
- School policies and training/practices related to meal service, discipline, and student privacy.
Potential impact / notes
- Aimed at reducing stigma and preventing denial/delay of meals for unpaid balances.
- May require districts to review or revise meal service, discipline practices, and staff training.
- As of the document, the measure is at an early procedural stage; check the Arizona legislature site for current status.
Status: Text indicates introduced in Illinois General Assembly (Sen. Adriane Johnson). Legislative actions in the document show extensive floor and conference activity and indicate final enactment (see note below).
Primary sponsor: Sen. Adriane Johnson
Summary — purpose and intent
- Amends the Open Space Lands Acquisition and Development Act (525 ILCS 35) to protect the Open Space Lands Acquisition and Development Fund from being moved to other state funds.
Key provision
- Changes Section 13 to add a restriction: notwithstanding any other law, moneys in the Open Space Lands Acquisition and Development Fund may not be appropriated, assigned, or transferred to another State fund.
- The fund is used by the Department to make grants to local governments for open space acquisition and development as described in Section 3.
Who is affected
- The Illinois Department (the agency administering grants under the Act).
- Local governments that receive grants from the Fund.
- State budget officials — limits authority to transfer or sweep these monies.
Procedural/timeline notes
- Bill text includes an effective date clause ("This Act takes effect upon becoming law").
- The document also contains detailed legislative action entries (committee reports, conference committee activity, chamber votes) and entries indicating the measure was signed by the Governor and given an effective date; because the document mixes sources, confirm final enactment and the operative effective date on the Illinois General Assembly or Secretary of State website before relying on the date for implementation.
If you want, I can:
- Pull the current online status and exact effective date for either version, or
- Produce a brief checklist for school districts (Arizona bill) or for Illinois agencies/local governments on implementation steps.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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