Expanding Access to School Meals Act of 2025 · Introduced in House (2025-04-07) · Congress.wiki

H.R. 2680

119th CONGRESS 1st Session

To amend the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 and the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to eliminate reduced price breakfasts and lunches and to require that the income guidelines for determining eligibility for free breakfasts and free lunches be 224 percent of the poverty level, and for other purposes.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES · April 7, 2025 · Sponsor: Mr. Gottheimer · Committee: Committee on Education and Workforce

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.

(a) In general
- This Act may be cited as the Expanding Access to School Meals Act of 2025.
(b) Table of contents

Title I—Repeal of Reduced Price Breakfasts and Lunches

Sec. 101. Repeal of reduced price breakfasts.

(a) In general
- Section 4 of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 () is amended by adding at the end the following: 42 U.S.C. 1758
  - (f) Repeal of reduced price breakfasts
    - Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the reduced price breakfast program is repealed and the Secretary may not provide reimbursements for reduced price breakfasts under this section.
(b) Conforming amendments
- The Child Nutrition Act of 1966 () is amended— 42 U.S.C. 1771 et seq.
  - by striking each place it appears;
  - by striking each place it appears; and
  - by striking each place it appears.
(c) Further conforming amendments
- Section 4(b) of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 () is amended— 42 U.S.C. 1758(b)
  - in paragraph (1)—
    - in subparagraph (B), by striking the second sentence; and
    - by striking subparagraph (C); and
  - in paragraph (2), by striking subparagraph (C).

Sec. 102. Repeal of reduced price lunches.

(a) In general
- The Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act () is amended by adding at the end the following: 42 U.S.C. 1751 et seq.
  - Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the reduced price lunch program is repealed and the Secretary may not provide reimbursements for reduced price lunches under this Act.
(b) Conforming amendments
- The Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act () is amended— 42 U.S.C. 1751 et seq.
  - by striking each place it appears;
  - by striking each place it appears; and
  - by striking each place it appears.

Title II—Expansion of Free Lunch Eligibility

Sec. 201. Poverty level for free lunch.

Section 9(b)(1)(A) of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act () is amended— 42 U.S.C. 1758(b)(1)(A)

by striking the third sentence; and
by striking 130 percentand inserting 224 percent.

Sec. 202. Direct certification for children receiving Medicaid benefits.

(a) In general
- Section 9(b) of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act () is amended— 42 U.S.C. 1758(b)
  - (5) Discretionary certification
    - (A) Free lunches or breakfasts
      - Subject to paragraph (6), any local educational agency may certify any child as eligible for free lunches or breakfasts, without further application, by directly communicating with the appropriate State or local agency to obtain documentation of the status of the child as—
        
        (i) a member of a family that is receiving assistance under the temporary assistance for needy families program funded under part A of title IV of the Social Security Act (); 42 U.S.C. 601 et seq.
        
        (ii) a homeless child or youth (defined as 1 of the individuals described in section 725(2) of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act ()); 42 U.S.C. 11434a(2)
        
        (iii) served by the runaway and homeless youth grant program established under the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (); 42 U.S.C. 5701 et seq.
        
        (iv) a migratory child (as defined in section 1309 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 ()); 20 U.S.C. 6399
        
        (v) an eligible child (as defined in paragraph (15)(A)); or
      - (vi)
        
        a foster child whose care and placement is the responsibility of an agency that administers a State plan under part B or E of title IV of the Social Security Act (); or 42 U.S.C. 621 et seq.
        
        a foster child who a court has placed with a caretaker household.
    - (B) Agreements to carry out certification
      - To certify a child under subparagraph (A)(v), a State agency shall enter into an agreement with 1 or more State agencies conducting eligibility determinations for the Medicaid program.
    - (C) Procedures
      - Subject to paragraph (6), an agreement under subparagraph (B) shall establish procedures under which an eligible child may be certified for free lunches under this Act and free breakfasts under section 4 of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (), without further application (as defined in paragraph (4)(G)). 42 U.S.C. 1773
  - in paragraph (5) by amending to read as follows:
  - in paragraph (6)(A), by striking both places it appears and inserting (5), or (15); and
  - by amending paragraph (15)(A)(i) to read as follows:
    - (i) The term eligible child means a child—
    - who is eligible for and receiving medical assistance under the Medicaid program; and
    - who is a member of a family with an income as measured by the Medicaid program that does not exceed 224 percent of the poverty line (as determined under the poverty guidelines updated periodically in the Federal Register by the Department of Health and Human Services under the authority of section 673(2) of the Community Services Block Grant Act (, including any revision required by such section)) applicable to a family of the size used for purposes of determining eligibility for the Medicaid program; 42 U.S.C. 9902(2)

Sec. 203. Retroactive reimbursement.

Section 9(b)(9)(C) of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act () is amended— 42 U.S.C. 1758(b)(9)(C)

by striking and inserting the following:
- (i) Except
by redesignating clauses (i) and (ii) as subclauses (I) and (II); and
- (ii) A local educational agency shall revise a previously submitted meal claim to reflect the eligibility approval of a child for free meals for the period that begins on the first day of the current school year.
- (iii) In this subsection, the term meal claim means any documentation provided by a school food authority to a State agency in order to receive reimbursement for the cost of a meal served to a child by such school food authority.
by adding at the end the following:

Sec. 204. Increase of community eligibility program multiplier.

Section 11(a)(1)(F) of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act () is amended by striking clause (vii) and inserting the following: 42 U.S.C. 1759a(a)(1)(F)

(vii) For each school year beginning on or after July 1, 2025, the multiplier shall be 2.5.