Stop Child Hunger Act of 2025.

Senator Pérez, with coauthors Senator Ochoa Bogh and Assembly Members Gabriel and Lee, advances the Stop Child Hunger Act of 2025 to codify a statewide approach to Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer for Children and align California with federal requirements. The bill’s core change is to create a single statewide online application for Summer EBT, contingent on legislative appropriation, and to route families’ completed information to their local educational agency to determine Summer EBT eligibility, thereby broadening access within the current program framework.

To implement the statewide application, the legislation directs the Department of Education, with support from the Department of Social Services, to maximize participation in Summer EBT and to share data deemed necessary with appropriate safeguards. The online statewide application would be available in time for the summer 2028 benefits cycle, route information to LEAs for eligibility decisions, and translate content into threshold CalFresh languages. It would be designed to comply with applicable federal guidance, and it would be exempt from the state’s Project Approval Lifecycle process. Additionally, districts, county offices of education, and charter schools could be required to provide devices for family access upon request, and the bill expands FRPM online access with privacy protections and links to related programs such as CalFresh, health care, and WIC, while restricting data use by private entities and prohibiting mandatory user accounts or waivers.

The act reinforces interagency cooperation by elevating the lead roles of the Department of Social Services and the Department of Education in maximizing Summer EBT participation and supporting the statewide online application, subject to appropriation. It also introduces a local-mandate framework: if a state mandate is deemed to impose costs, reimbursements to local agencies and school districts would follow the established statutory mandate-reimbursement mechanisms. Findings accompanying the bill emphasize the goal of reducing child hunger, the potential economic rationale for broader eligibility, and the need to protect families’ privacy as programs are expanded.

Together, the provisions position the legislation as a coordinated expansion of Summer EBT integration with school meal programs, while tying operationalizing details to funding and governance processes. The proposal contemplates disaster- and emergency-related accessibility, emphasizes privacy and data-minimization, and seeks to align FRPM administration with related nutrition, health, and family-support services. Stakeholders include local educational agencies, school districts, county offices of education, charter schools, and participating families, all of whom would interact with the statewide application, FRPM online processes, and associated privacy and reporting requirements, contingent on appropriation and implementation timelines.