SB 59 Arkansas Senate · 2025 Regular Session

TO PROVIDE EACH STUDENT WITH ONE BREAKFAST AT NO COST EACH SCHOOL DAY UPON REQUEST WITHOUT CONSIDERATION OF THE STUDENT'S ELIGIBILITY FOR A FEDERALLY FUNDED FREE OR REDUCED-PRICE MEAL; AND TO DECLARE AN EMERGENCY.

SB 59 requires all public schools to provide one free breakfast daily to every student upon request, without checking if they qualify for federally funded free or reduced-price meals. This policy directly affects all public school students in the state, eliminating eligibility barriers for breakfast access. The bill includes an emergency clause, allowing it to take effect immediately upon enactment. It changes school meal procedures by mandating universal breakfast availability as a standard practice, not tied to existing federal program eligibility. The bill became law as Act 123 on February 24, 2025.
Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2025
Committee Review
Feb 2025
Senate Passage
Feb 2025
House Passage
Feb 2025
Signed into Law
Feb 2025
Introduced Jan 14, 2025 Signed Feb 24, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Act 123 SB 59 · 1 edit
MINOR
The bill has been renumbered from Act 123 to Senate Bill 59, with updated session dates and formatting. No substantive policy changes, funding amounts, eligibility criteria, or enforcement mechanisms were identified in the provided text.
TECHNICAL

Bill renumbered from Act 123 to Senate Bill 59 with updated session dates and formatting adjustments.

Floor votes

How they voted

This bill passed the Senate by voice vote (no roll call recorded).
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
34
Key actions
10
Committee
4
Amendments
1
Feb 24, 2025
Signed into law
Notification that SB59 is now Act 123
upper
Feb 17, 2025
Upper · Passed
EMERGENCY CLAUSE ADOPTED
upper
Feb 17, 2025
Upper · Passed
Read the third time and passed.
upper
Feb 13, 2025
Upper · Passed
Returned from the House as passed as amended # 1 .
upper
Feb 13, 2025
Lower · Passed
Returned to Senate as passed, as amended # 1
lower
Feb 13, 2025
Lower · Passed
Read the third time and passed and ordered transmitted to the Senate.
lower
Feb 12, 2025
Introduced
Amendment No. 1 read and adopted and the bill ordered engrossed.
lower
Feb 11, 2025
Lower · Passed
Returned by the Committee with the recommendation that it do pass as amended 1
lower
Feb 6, 2025
Upper · Passed
EMERGENCY CLAUSE ADOPTED
upper
Feb 6, 2025
Upper · Passed
Read the third time and passed.
upper
Feb 5, 2025
Upper · Passed
Returned by the Committee, with the recommendation that it Do Pass
upper
Feb 4, 2025
Committee
Re-referred to EDUCATION COMMITTEE - SENATE
upper
Jan 30, 2025
Committee
Re-referred to EDUCATION COMMITTEE - SENATE
upper
Jan 14, 2025
Introduced
Filed
upper
2 primary · 85 co-sponsors

Sponsors

Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Photo of Jonathan Dismang
Jonathan Dismang
RRepublican
AR
18
P
Photo of Zack Gramlich
Zack Gramlich
RRepublican
AR
50
Co
Photo of Aaron Pilkington
Aaron Pilkington
RRepublican
AR
45
Co
Photo of Andrew Collins
Andrew Collins
DDemocratic
AR
73
Co
Photo of Ashley Hudson
Ashley Hudson
DDemocratic
AR
75
Co
Photo of Bart Hester
Bart Hester
RRepublican
AR
33
Co
Photo of Bart Schulz
Bart Schulz
RRepublican
AR
28
Co
Photo of Ben Gilmore
Ben Gilmore
RRepublican
AR
1
Co
Photo of Blake Johnson
Blake Johnson
RRepublican
AR
21
Co
Photo of Brad Hall
Brad Hall
RRepublican
AR
24
Co
Photo of Brandon Achor
Brandon Achor
RRepublican
AR
71
Co
Photo of Breanne Davis
Breanne Davis
RRepublican
AR
25