---
type: "Bill"
title: "Providing free school meals for all."
description: "Providing free school meals for all."
jurisdiction: "us/states/wa"
legislature: "Washington Legislature"
session: "2023-2024"
identifier: "HB 1238"
citation: "Washington HB 1238 (2023-2024)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Riccelli"]
version_count: 5
action_count: 43
vote_count: 3
first_action: "2023-01-11"
last_action: "2023-05-09"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/5a35a869-e8d4-457b-bf3b-8b2b007b3e3f"
source_url: "http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?bill=1238&year=2023"
source_hash: "7766c88a6ceab4248dbc9290ef45b261ce73d34673668d55ca6feea9c9b18b7c"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-wa"]
---

# Washington HB 1238 (2023-2024) — Providing free school meals for all.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **Bill** (committee substitute) — [source](http://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/Biennium/2023-24/Htm/Bills/House%20Bills/1238.htm)
2. **Engrossed Second Substitute Bill** (committee substitute) — [source](http://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/Biennium/2023-24/Htm/Bills/House%20Bills/1238-S2.E.htm)
3. **Second Substitute Bill** (committee substitute) — [source](http://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/Biennium/2023-24/Htm/Bills/House%20Bills/1238-S2.htm)
4. **Second Substitute Passed Legislature** (committee substitute) — [source](http://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/Biennium/2023-24/Htm/Bills/House%20Passed%20Legislature/1238-S2.PL.htm)
5. **Substitute Bill** (committee substitute) — [source](http://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/Biennium/2023-24/Htm/Bills/House%20Bills/1238-S.htm)

## Votes

- 3rd Reading & Final Passage as Amended by the Senate (#29) — **44–5** (pass) · upper
- 3rd Reading & Final Passage (#12) — **93–3** (pass) · lower
- Final Passage as Amended by the Senate (#1) — **92–4** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Riccelli — primary (person)
- Alvarado — cosponsor (person)
- Bateman — cosponsor (person)
- Berry — cosponsor (person)
- Chopp — cosponsor (person)
- Doglio — cosponsor (person)
- Duerr — cosponsor (person)
- Fey — cosponsor (person)
- Fitzgibbon — cosponsor (person)
- Fosse — cosponsor (person)
- Goodman — cosponsor (person)
- Gregerson — cosponsor (person)
- Harris — cosponsor (person)
- Leavitt — cosponsor (person)
- Lekanoff — cosponsor (person)
- Macri — cosponsor (person)
- Morgan — cosponsor (person)
- Ormsby — cosponsor (person)
- Ortiz-Self — cosponsor (person)
- Peterson — cosponsor (person)
- Pollet — cosponsor (person)
- Ramel — cosponsor (person)
- Reed — cosponsor (person)
- Reeves — cosponsor (person)
- Rude — cosponsor (person)
- Santos — cosponsor (person)
- Senn — cosponsor (person)
- Simmons — cosponsor (person)
- Stonier — cosponsor (person)
- Taylor — cosponsor (person)
- Thai — cosponsor (person)
- Walen — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2023-01-11** First reading, referred to Education. `reading-1`
- **2023-01-24** Public hearing in the House Committee on Education at 4:00 PM.
- **2023-02-02** Executive session scheduled, but no action was taken in the House Committee on Education at 8:00 AM.
- **2023-02-07** Executive action taken in the House Committee on Education at 4:00 PM.
- **2023-02-07** ED - Majority; 1st substitute bill be substituted, do pass. `substitution`
- **2023-02-07** Minority; do not pass. `committee-passage-unfavorable`
- **2023-02-07** Minority; without recommendation. `committee-passage-unfavorable`
- **2023-02-10** Referred to Appropriations. `referral-committee`
- **2023-02-22** Public hearing in the House Committee on Appropriations at 1:30 PM.
- **2023-02-24** Executive action taken in the House Committee on Appropriations at 9:00 AM.
- **2023-02-24** APP - Majority; 2nd substitute bill be substituted, do pass. `substitution`
- **2023-02-24** Minority; without recommendation. `committee-passage-unfavorable`
- **2023-02-24** Referred to Rules 2 Review. `referral-committee`
- **2023-02-28** Rules Committee relieved of further consideration. Placed on second reading. `reading-2`
- **2023-03-02** 2nd substitute bill substituted (APP 23). `substitution`
- **2023-03-02** Floor amendment(s) adopted.
- **2023-03-02** Rules suspended. Placed on Third Reading. `reading-3`
- **2023-03-02** Third reading, passed; yeas, 93; nays, 3; absent, 0; excused, 2. `reading-3`
- **2023-03-06** First reading, referred to Early Learning & K-12 Education. `reading-1`
- **2023-03-16** Public hearing in the Senate Committee on Early Learning & K-12 Education at 1:30 PM.
- **2023-03-20** Executive action taken in the Senate Committee on Early Learning & K-12 Education at 1:30 PM.
- **2023-03-20** EDU - Majority; do pass with amendment(s). `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2023-03-20** Minority; without recommendation. `committee-passage-unfavorable`
- **2023-03-20** And refer to Ways & Means. `referral-committee`
- **2023-03-21** Referred to Ways & Means. `referral-committee`
- **2023-03-28** Public hearing in the Senate Committee on Ways & Means at 4:00 PM.
- **2023-04-04** Executive action taken in the Senate Committee on Ways & Means at 10:00 AM.
- **2023-04-04** WM - Majority; do pass with amendment(s). `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2023-04-04** Minority; do not pass. `committee-passage-unfavorable`
- **2023-04-04** Minority; without recommendation. `committee-passage-unfavorable`
- **2023-04-04** Passed to Rules Committee for second reading.
- **2023-04-07** Placed on second reading by Rules Committee. `reading-2`
- **2023-04-11** Committee amendment(s) adopted as amended.
- **2023-04-11** Rules suspended. Placed on Third Reading. `reading-3`
- **2023-04-11** Third reading, passed; yeas, 44; nays, 5; absent, 0; excused, 0. `reading-3`
- **2023-04-18** House concurred in Senate amendments.
- **2023-04-18** Passed final passage; yeas, 92; nays, 4; absent, 0; excused, 2. `passage`
- **2023-04-18** Speaker signed. `passage`
- **2023-04-19** President signed. `passage`
- **2023-04-20** Delivered to Governor. `executive-receipt`
- **2023-05-09** Governor signed. `executive-signature`
- **2023-05-09** Chapter 379, 2023 Laws. `became-law`
- **2023-05-09** Effective date 7/23/2023*. `became-law`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/5a35a869-e8d4-457b-bf3b-8b2b007b3e3f`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Washington legislature records).