Bill > S1431

This bill aims to modernize and improve the National School Lunch Program by expanding and simplifying direct certification processes for free and reduced-price school meals. The bill makes several key changes, including broadening the categories of children who can be automatically certified for meal assistance, such as children in foster care, receiving adoption or guardianship assistance, or living with grandparents in low-income housing. It establishes a universal Medicaid direct certification process, requiring states to automatically enroll eligible children in school meal programs without additional applications. The bill also creates a demonstration project to provide free universal school meals in up to a few selected states, with priority given to states with high childhood poverty rates and existing direct certification infrastructure. Additionally, the legislation introduces grants to help states improve their direct certification systems, provides retroactive reimbursement for meal claims when a child's eligibility changes, and ensures that a child's meal eligibility status transfers with them if they change schools. The bill aims to reduce administrative barriers and increase access to nutrition assistance for children from low-income and disadvantaged backgrounds.

Agriculture and Natural Resources

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/1431/all-info