HR1656: HR1656 House Study Committee on School Nutrition, Student Food Security, Georgia Agriculture, and Student Success; create

This resolution creates the House Study Committee on School Nutrition, Student Food Security, Georgia Agriculture, and Student Success. The committee would look into how many Georgia children face food insecurity, whether expanding access to school meals (including possibly universal free meals) would help students, and how schools might buy more food from Georgia farmers through farm-to-school partnerships. The committee would have seven House members appointed by the Speaker, plus seven nonlegislative members representing groups like the Department of Education's School Nutrition Division, public health experts, agriculture representatives, school nutrition directors, and specialists in education and economics. The Speaker would name a chairperson, who calls meetings and would file a report with any findings or proposed legislation before the committee is abolished on December 1, 2026.

• Creates a 14-member House study committee, with seven legislators and seven nonlegislative experts, to study school meal access and food insecurity.
• Directs the committee to examine whether expanding school meal access could help Georgia students, families, and farmers.
• Requires the committee to study farm-to-school procurement partnerships between schools and Georgia agricultural producers.
• Sets daily expense allowances for nonlegislative, non state-employee members and mileage reimbursement, capped at five days unless extended.
• Requires a report with any findings or proposed legislation to be filed with the Clerk of the House before the committee ends.
• Abolishes the committee automatically on December 1, 2026.

Georgia public school students and families who rely on school meal programs, school nutrition directors, the Department of Education's School Nutrition Division, Georgia farmers and agricultural producers involved in farm-to-school programs, and House members appointed to serve on the study committee.

The committee's findings could shape future legislation on whether Georgia expands free or reduced school meal access, changes how schools buy food from local farmers, and addresses the gap where families earn too much for subsidized meals but still struggle to pay for them.

• Paragraph 1 creates the House Study Committee on School Nutrition, Student Food Security, Georgia Agriculture, and Student Success.
• Paragraph 2 sets committee membership at seven House members plus seven nonlegislative members representing specific fields like public health, agriculture, and school nutrition.
• Paragraph 3 directs the committee to study food insecurity, school meal access, and related agricultural and economic issues, and to recommend legislation if needed.
• Paragraph 5 sets allowances: legislative members get standard legislative per diem, nonlegislative state employees get expense reimbursement, and other members get a daily allowance and mileage, capped at five days unless extended.
• Paragraph 6 requires any approved findings or legislative recommendations to be filed as a report with the Clerk of the House before the committee is abolished.
• Paragraph 7 abolishes the committee on December 1, 2026.

1. 2026-03-16House Second Readers (House)
2. 2026-03-12House First Readers (House)
3. 2026-03-10House Hopper (House)

• Imani Barnes (D, HD-086)Primary sponsor
• Chris Erwin (R, HD-032)
• Bethany Ballard (R, HD-147)
• Carolyn Hugley (D, HD-141)
• Samuel Park (D, HD-107)
• Doreen Carter (D, HD-093)

• school nutrition
• food insecurity
• Georgia agriculture
• legislative study committee
• school meals