To amend the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to enhance direct certification under the school lunch program.
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
IntroducedMrs. Hayes (for herself, Mr. Bacon, and Ms. Ross) introduced …
Primary Purpose
Expands automatic eligibility for free and reduced-price school meals (National School Lunch Program) to children in various caregiving situations, including foster care, kinship care, adoption assistance, and Native American housing.
Policy Domains
Legislative Strategy
"Systematically expands school meal program eligibility by creating multiple pathways for children in non-traditional care arrangements. Uses existing federal data systems (Medicaid, child welfare) for automatic certification, reducing paperwork burden while expanding coverage."
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of Agriculture
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of Agriculture
- "school_food_authority"
- → Local school food service providers
- "local_educational_agency"
- → School districts
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of Agriculture
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of Agriculture
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
A grandparent or other relative with legal authority to secure services for the child through an educational or healthcare consent affidavit, power of attorney, or legal custody.
A child that has been determined eligible for free or reduced price meals under this Act by a local educational agency and transfers to another school under a different local educational agency.
Includes children receiving Medicaid through foster care (Title IV-E) or supplemental security income benefits.
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology