Initiated Constitutional Measure No. 2 - Constitutional Amendment

This initiated measure amendment would amend and add a new section to article VIII of the North Dakota Constitution. It would mandate all public school districts, public schools, and public charter schools to provide one breakfast and one lunch each school day to enrolled students at no cost to the student, parent, or guardians. It would allow nonpublic schools, Bureau of Indian Education schools, and other tribal schools the option to provide the same. It would require the State of North Dakota to reimburse school districts and schools at one hundred percent of the current rates used by the state for free meals, and the rate shall be adjusted annually for inflation. It would require the legislative assembly to identify a source of funds for reimbursement and if a source of funds is unable to be identified, reimbursement funds would be appropriated from the legacy earnings fund. This amendment would supersede any other part of the constitution that conflicts with it. The estimated fiscal impact of this measure is a $124.3 million to $134.3 million increase in ongoing biennial expenditures for the 2027–2029 biennium and will be adjusted for inflation every year after that.