Summary#
This bill would change federal child nutrition laws so that schools that participate must provide free breakfasts and lunches to all enrolled children. It amends the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 and the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act. The bill removes the reduced-price meal category and expands free meals in related programs (after‑school care, child care, summer meals, and summer Electronic Benefits Transfer). It sets federal per-meal reimbursement rates (for example, $3.28 for each free breakfast and $5.42 for each free lunch, both adjusted annually for inflation using the Consumer Price Index for food away from home). The bill bans breakfast shaming and generally prohibits schools from collecting unpaid meal charges beginning on the date of enactment. It requires the Secretary of Agriculture to reimburse schools for existing unpaid meal debt and to set up the reimbursement program after the Act’s effective date. The bill also changes how schools and education agencies measure and report poverty (replacing references to free or reduced-price lunch counts with an "economically disadvantaged students" measure under ESEA section 1113(a)(5)) and makes conforming changes across several federal programs and statutes.
What it means for you#
- Students in schools that participate would be eligible for free breakfasts and lunches.
- Schools would be barred from collecting unpaid meal charges starting on the date of enactment.
- Schools would receive federal reimbursements at the rates set by the bill for each free meal served; some schools that serve a high share of locally sourced food could get small additional payments.
- Summer EBT is set to provide $60 per eligible child per month for 2026 and a formula for annual adjustment thereafter.
- State and local education agencies must use a new "economically disadvantaged" measure to identify low-income students and follow new survey and direct-certification procedures.
Expenses#
- Specified reimbursement amounts in the bill include:
- Free breakfast: $3.28 per breakfast (annual inflation adjustment; CPI for food away from home).
- Free lunch: $5.42 per lunch (annual inflation adjustment; CPI for food away from home).
- Additional payment for local food (when eligibility met): $0.30 per free lunch/supper, $0.21 per free breakfast, $0.08 per free supplement (each adjusted annually).
- Afterschool meal reimbursements reference the $5.42 rate for meals and $1.28 for supplements (with inflation adjustments).
- Summer EBT: $60 per eligible child per month for calendar year 2026; thereafter adjusted by a diet-cost index and rounded down to the nearest dollar.
- The Secretary of Agriculture must establish a program to reimburse schools for all delinquent meal debt (definitions and timing are in the bill). The Secretary must set up the program within 60 days after the Act’s effective date and complete reimbursements within 180 days after that effective date.
- No total federal cost or appropriation amount is provided in the bill text. No publicly available information on the overall budgetary cost is included in the provided text.
Proponents' View#
According to the bill text and sponsors, the measure would ensure that all enrolled children in participating schools receive free breakfasts and lunches, reduce meal‑time stigma by banning shaming and meal denial, expand free meals in summer, afterschool, and childcare settings, support use of locally sourced foods through additional payments, and update student poverty measures for education programs.
Opponents' View#
No publicly available information.