Monitoring the Session

HB 1290

bill bans seven food additives from free school meals

Companion SB 314 became law

Verdict: No flags

No flagsInitial review
Rep. Caroline Harris DavilaRHouse 52

Initial review · graded Oct 20, 2026 · Headline, summary and grade are analysis of the bill text, not a finding about any person · How we grade

Caption

relating to prohibiting certain food additives from being included in free or reduced-price meals provided by school districts.

Caption from analyzed text · version I.

Summary

Red dye 3, titanium dioxide and potassium bromate are out.

The bill bars Texas school districts and open-enrollment charter schools from serving free or reduced-price meals that contain seven listed food additives, including red dye 3, titanium dioxide and potassium bromate. It touches schools that run state or federal free and reduced-price breakfast and lunch programs, the students who eat those meals, and the vendors who supply the food. Starting with the 2025-2026 school year, and for food contracts signed or renewed on or after September 1, 2025, those meals can no longer include food with any of the listed substances.

Labels

Labels: ACROSS THE AISLE. Joint authors: 4 Republicans, 1 Democrat. Party as the Legislative Reference Library lists it for the 89th Legislature.

Receipt

The receipt

89R-HB1290 · 2024-11-13

SOLD BY

Rep. Caroline Harris DavilaRHouse 52 Rep. Carrie IsaacRHouse 73 Rep. Lacey HullRHouse 138

+ 2 more authors, 13 coauthors

ITEM

relating to prohibiting certain food additives from being included in free or reduced-price meals provided by school districts.

WHAT IT DOES

Red dye 3, titanium dioxide and potassium bromate are out.

The bill bars Texas school districts and open-enrollment charter schools from serving free or reduced-price meals that contain seven listed food additives, including red dye 3, titanium dioxide and potassium bromate. It touches schools that run state or federal free and reduced-price breakfast and lunch programs, the students who eat those meals, and the vendors who supply the food. Starting with the 2025-2026 school year, and for food contracts signed or renewed on or after September 1, 2025, those meals can no longer include food with any of the listed substances.

CHARGES

[ ] NONE FOUND

TOTAL

No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

LBB estimate · fiscal note version H · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version H · April 23, 2025

No first-year general revenue figure available here.

LBB published estimates · flow over the stated periods.

Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

HISTORY

  1. Filed
  2. Read first time
  3. Referred to Public Education
  4. Scheduled for public hearing on . . .
  5. Considered in public hearing
  6. Committee substitute considered in committee
  7. Testimony taken/registration(s) recorded in committee
  8. Left pending in committee
  9. Considered in public hearing
  10. Committee substitute considered in committee
  11. Reported favorably as substituted
  12. Comte report filed with Committee Coordinator
  13. Committee report distributed
  14. Committee report sent to Calendars
  15. Considered in Calendars
  16. Placed on General State Calendar
  17. Companion considered in lieu of SB 314
  18. Laid on the table subject to call
FILED UNDER

No verified beat found.

No flags

THANK YOU FOR CHECKING THE RECEIPT

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

Caroline Harris Davila

Donors

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC$961KTexas Conservative Majority PAC$739KCourt Reform Action for Familes Texas PAC$75K

Not tied to this bill.

Sources

The author's campaign account only. Own money and internal transfers are separate on the member page.

Derived itemized flow · Oct 27, 2024 to Oct 24, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC$960,552.08

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC

$960,552.08

Cash
$85,000.00
Paid by others
$875,552.08
Total
$960,552.08
advertising $595,238.00mail $237,770.40polling $42,460.35fundraiser $83.33

Also funds 124 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jul 10, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · Jun 23, 2025 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 101008087, 101031516, 101035818, 101040655, 101057099, 101067933, 101070037.

Texas Conservative Majority PAC$739,102.00

Texas Conservative Majority PAC

$739,102.00

Cash
$200,000.00
Paid by others
$539,102.00
Total
$739,102.00
canvassing $430,352.00advertising $100,000.00polling $8,750.00

Also funds 42 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jan 23, 2026 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · Sep 8, 2026 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 101067933, 101070037.

Court Reform Action for Familes Texas PAC$75,000.00

Court Reform Action for Familes Texas PAC

$75,000.00

Cash
$75,000.00
Paid by others
$0.00
Total
$75,000.00

Also funds 0 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · on Oct 6, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Name match, not a verified identity: normalized filed name and state.

Sources

Derived itemized flow · on Oct 6, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 101070037.

Money

Missing data does not establish zero giving. Display amounts are rounded.

×

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC

$960,552.08

Cash
$85,000.00
Paid by others
$875,552.08
Total
$960,552.08
advertising $595,238.00mail $237,770.40polling $42,460.35fundraiser $83.33

Also funds 124 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jul 10, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · Jun 23, 2025 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 101008087, 101031516, 101035818, 101040655, 101057099, 101067933, 101070037.

×

Texas Conservative Majority PAC

$739,102.00

Cash
$200,000.00
Paid by others
$539,102.00
Total
$739,102.00
canvassing $430,352.00advertising $100,000.00polling $8,750.00

Also funds 42 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jan 23, 2026 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · Sep 8, 2026 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 101067933, 101070037.

×

Court Reform Action for Familes Texas PAC

$75,000.00

Cash
$75,000.00
Paid by others
$0.00
Total
$75,000.00

Also funds 0 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · on Oct 6, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Name match, not a verified identity: normalized filed name and state.

Sources

Derived itemized flow · on Oct 6, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 101070037.

Votes

No floor vote loaded for this bill.

Witnesses22
For
17
Against
1
On
4
Names

For

  • Make Texans Healthy Again1 registration
  • Partnership for a Healthy Texas1 registration
  • Self8 registrations
  • Self; End Chronic Disease1 registration
  • Self; True Texas Project1 registration
  • Self; True texas project1 registration
  • Self; TrueTexasProject1 registration
  • Texas Medical Association1 registration
  • Texas Pediatric Society1 registration
  • Texas PTA1 registration

Against

  • Consumer Brands Associationn1 registration

On

  • LINQ1 registration
  • Texas Department of Agriculture2 registrations
  • Texas Education Agency1 registration
Sources

22 parsed registrations across the loaded witness lists.

Derived stock of witness registrations. Repeated appearances count separately. Organizations and self-representation appear as printed.

House witness list. Source snapshot 2026-10-20, Central time.

Fiscal

No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

LBB estimate · fiscal note version H · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version H · April 23, 2025

No first-year general revenue figure available here.

LBB published estimates · flow over the stated periods.

Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

How this was graded

Analysis of text version I by claude-opus-5-5, Oct 20, 2026, against the published rubric.

Sources

Texas House · Filed Nov 13, 2024

05/09/2025 H Laid on the table subject to call

Texas Legislature Online · Introduced · House Committee Report

Data snapshot Oct 26, 2026 at 4:20 AM CDT. Grades, charges, quotes and corrections follow the published record.

Coauthors
Daniel AldersRHouse 6 David CookRHouse 96 James FrankRHouse 69 Stan GerdesRHouse 17 Andy HopperRHouse 64 Jeff LeachRHouse 67 Claudia OrdazDHouse 79 Keresa RichardsonRHouse 61 Alan SchoolcraftRHouse 44 Joanne ShofnerRHouse 11 Valoree SwansonRHouse 150 Ellen TroxclairRHouse 19 Cody VasutRHouse 25

House committee · Public Education · Committee vote 13 aye, 0 nay, 2 absent · Out of committee

Companion

SB 314 by Hughes (identical)

Subjects

Education--Primary & Secondary--Charter Schools

Education--Primary & Secondary--General

Education--School Districts

Minors--Health & Safety

FOOD

Text

The text as introduced · 304 words

89R1661 MM-D

By: Harris Davila
H.B. No. 1290

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to prohibiting certain food additives from being included

in free or reduced-price meals provided by school districts.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Subchapter Z, Chapter 33, Education Code, is

amended by adding Section 33.9011 to read as follows:

Sec. 33.9011. PROHIBITION ON CERTAIN ADDITIVES IN FREE OR

REDUCED-PRICE MEALS. (a) In this section:

(1) "National school breakfast program" means the

national school breakfast program under the Child Nutrition Act of

1966 (42 U.S.C. Section 1773).

(2) "National school lunch program" means the national

school lunch program of free or reduced-price lunches under 42

U.S.C. Section 1751 et seq.

(b) A school district or open-enrollment charter school

that provides free or reduced-price meals to eligible students

under Section 33.901, the national school breakfast program, or the

national school lunch program may not provide as part of a free or

reduced-price meal any food that contains the following substances:

(1) brominated vegetable oil (BVO);

(2) potassium bromate;

(3) propylparaben;

(4) azodicarbonamide;

(5) butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA);

(6) red dye 3; or

(7) titanium dioxide.

SECTION 2. (a) Except as provided by Subsection (b) of this

section, this Act applies beginning with the 2025-2026 school year.

(b) This Act applies only to a contract to provide food for

free or reduced-price meals, as described by Section 33.9011,

Education Code, as added by this Act, entered into or renewed on or

after September 1, 2025.

SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives

a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as

provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this

Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this

Act takes effect September 1, 2025.