Stop Child Hunger Act of 2025.

Senator Pérez's Stop Child Hunger Act of 2025 establishes a comprehensive framework to provide nutritional support for California students during extended school breaks and emergency closures. The legislation creates the Better Out of School Time (BOOST) Nutrition EBT Program to issue grocery benefits during school breaks lasting five or more days, excluding summer periods covered by the existing federal Summer EBT program.

The bill requires the State Department of Education to develop a unified statewide online application portal for Summer EBT benefits by 2027. This portal must route applications to local educational agencies, request only federally mandated information, and provide translations in all CalFresh threshold languages. Local educational agencies offering online applications for free and reduced-price meals must include links to both the Summer EBT and BOOST programs.

For eligible students, BOOST benefits will match the combined daily reimbursement rates for free breakfast, lunch, and after-school snacks under federal nutrition programs. Benefits must be issued seven school days before scheduled breaks when feasible. The Department of Education will also establish a complementary meal service program during these periods at schools participating in federal breakfast and lunch programs, with flexibility for congregate, non-congregate, or pickup distribution.

The legislation specifies that BOOST benefits cannot be counted as income or resources when determining eligibility for other public assistance programs, subject to federal law. Implementation of both the BOOST program and expanded meal services requires legislative appropriation, with state reimbursement available to local agencies for any mandated costs as determined by the Commission on State Mandates.