Rhode Island legislation · 2026 Regular Session
Rhode Island H8129: AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION -- FEDERAL AID (Ends transaction fees for school lunches in all districts. This act requires at lea
Status: Signed into law, June 10, 2026
AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION -- FEDERAL AID (Ends transaction fees for school lunches in all districts. This act requires at least one no-fee payment method for school lunches and a full disclosure whether fees will be charged by a payment platform.)
What the bill says
From the introduced text, February 27, 2026:
2026 -- H 8129 ======== LC005567 ======== STATEOFRHODEISLAND IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2026 ____________ ANACT RELATING TO EDUCATION -- FEDERAL AID Introduced By: Representatives Caldwell, Furtado, DeSimone, O'Brien, Speakman, Donovan, Kislak, Spears, and Read Date Introduced: February 27, 2026 Referred To: House Education It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: SECTION 1. Chapter 16-8 of the General Laws entitled "Federal Aid [See Title 16 Chapter 97 -- The Rhode Island Board of Education Act]" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following section: 16-8-9.1. School lunch program -- Fees, transparency, and payment protections. (a) Prohibition and permitted fees by meal service collection providers. (1) Meal service collection providers shall only impose fees that directly correspond to the actual costs of collecting or processing payments for school meals and shall not generate profit or revenue beyond those costs. (2) Fees for any other purpose, including profit, convenience, or administrative gain, are prohibited. (3) Any fee permitted under this subsection shall be capped at a percentage of the transaction amount, which shall not exceed two percent (2%) of the amount deposited into a student meal account, or a lower percentage as may be established by the Rhode Island department of education by regulation. (4) All funds collected from families or provided by public agencies for school meals shall …
Sponsors
- Justine Caldwell (D, HD-030) · primary sponsor
- Jenni Azanero Furtado (D, HD-064)
- DeSimone, Anthony (D, HD-005)
- William O'Brien (D)
- June Speakman (D, HD-068)
- Susan Donovan (D, HD-069)
- Rebecca Kislak (D, HD-004)
- Tina Spears (D, HD-036)
- Earl Read (D, HD-026)
Latest actions
- : Signed by Governor
- : Transmitted to Governor
- : Senate passed in concurrence
- : Placed on the Senate Consent Calendar
- : House read and passed
- : Placed on House Calendar
- : Committee recommends passage
- : Scheduled for consideration
- : Committee recommended measure be held for further study
- : Scheduled for hearing and/or consideration
Votes
- House Seq #213: PASSAGE (May 28, 2026): 62 yea, 0 nay, passed
- House Committee on Education: Passage (May 19, 2026): 9 yea, 1 nay, passed
Subjects: EDUCATION
Common questions
- What is H8129?
- H8129 is a bill in the Rhode Island Legislature (2026 Regular Session): AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION -- FEDERAL AID (Ends transaction fees for school lunches in all districts. This act requires at lea.
- What does H8129 do?
- AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION -- FEDERAL AID (Ends transaction fees for school lunches in all districts. This act requires at least one no-fee payment method for school lunches and a full disclosure whether fees will be charged by a payment platform.)
- What is the status of H8129?
- Signed into law as of June 10, 2026. Latest action: Signed by Governor (June 10, 2026).
- Who sponsored H8129?
- Justine Caldwell (D, HD-030), with 8 co-sponsors.
- Where is the official record for H8129?
- On the Rhode Island Legislature website: http://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText26/HouseText26/H8129.pdf
Source: official Rhode Island record. Tracked by Delilah, AI for legislation across all 50 states and Congress.