Universal School Meals Program Act of 2026
- Bill Number
- H.R. 8798
- Origin Chamber
- House
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 2
- Policy Area
- Agriculture and Food
- Status
- Introduced
- Latest Action
- 2026-05-13: Referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce, and in addition to the Committees on Agriculture, and Science, Space, and Technology, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
- Last Updated
- 2026-06-04T08:07:45Z
AI-Generated Summary
Universal School Meals Program Act of 2026 (H.R. 8798)
Purpose This legislation amends the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 and the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to establish universal free school breakfasts and lunches for all children enrolled in participating schools. It eliminates income-based eligibility requirements and related administrative processes.
Key Provisions
- Title I (School Breakfast Program): Requires schools to provide free breakfasts to all enrolled children; sets a base reimbursement rate of $3.28 per free breakfast (adjusted annually for inflation using the Consumer Price Index for food away from home); prohibits collection of unpaid meal debt and meal shaming practices; removes reduced-price options.
- Title II (School Lunch Program): Makes all lunches free; establishes a base reimbursement of $5.42 per free lunch (with inflation adjustments); provides an additional payment for school food authorities serving at least 25% locally sourced farm products; repeals the special assistance program; updates summer food service, afterschool, and child and adult care food programs to serve all children free of charge; creates a program to reimburse schools for pre-existing delinquent meal debt.
- Title III (Elementary and Secondary Education Data): Replaces free or reduced-price lunch counts with new measures for identifying children from low-income backgrounds, including surveys and direct certification data, while maintaining privacy protections.
- Title IV (Amendments to Other Programs): Updates references in laws such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Higher Education Act, Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, and others to align with the removal of reduced-price categories and use of new low-income identification methods.
- Effective Date: Provisions take effect one year after enactment, with immediate debt non-collection rules.
Significant Changes to Existing Law
- Eliminates means-testing and reduced-price meal categories across school nutrition programs.
- Repeals sections governing income eligibility verification (e.g., Section 11 of the National School Lunch Act) and shifts to universal free access.
- Introduces inflation-adjusted national average payment rates and local food incentives.
- Mandates reimbursement for accumulated delinquent meal debt and prohibits future debt collection.
- Modifies poverty measurement in education funding formulas to transition away from school meal eligibility data.
Potential Impacts
- Government Agencies: Increases federal reimbursement obligations to the U.S. Department of Agriculture and state agencies; requires updates to data collection and verification systems by the Department of Education.
- Citizens: Provides free meals to all students regardless of family income, removing barriers related to cost and stigma.
- Schools and Local Entities: Ends administrative burdens of eligibility determinations and debt collection; may increase operational costs offset by higher reimbursements.
- No direct effects on international relations are addressed.
Main Stakeholders Affected
- Students and families.
- School food authorities and local educational agencies.
- State educational agencies.
- U.S. Department of Agriculture (Food and Nutrition Service).
- U.S. Department of Education.
- Child care providers and summer program operators.
Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications
- Shifts from a targeted entitlement program to a universal one, potentially raising questions about federal spending authority under the Spending Clause.
- Requires coordination between USDA and Education Department for data transitions and privacy compliance.
- Includes conforming amendments to maintain consistency across multiple federal statutes without altering core constitutional structures.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Cosponsors (96)
Rep. McGovern, James P. [D-MA-2], Rep. Moore, Gwen [D-WI-4], Rep. Aguilar, Pete [D-CA-33], Rep. Amo, Gabe [D-RI-1], Rep. Ansari, Yassamin [D-AZ-3], Rep. Auchincloss, Jake [D-MA-4], Rep. Balint, Becca [D-VT-At Large], Rep. Barragán, Nanette Diaz [D-CA-44], Rep. Beatty, Joyce [D-OH-3], Rep. Bell, Wesley [D-MO-1], Rep. Bonamici, Suzanne [D-OR-1], Rep. Brownley, Julia [D-CA-26], Rep. Budzinski, Nikki [D-IL-13], Rep. Carson, André [D-IN-7], Rep. Carter, Troy A. [D-LA-2], Rep. Casar, Greg [D-TX-35], Rep. Casten, Sean [D-IL-6], Rep. Castor, Kathy [D-FL-14], Rep. Chu, Judy [D-CA-28], Rep. Cohen, Steve [D-TN-9], Rep. Craig, Angie [D-MN-2], Rep. DelBene, Suzan K. [D-WA-1], Rep. DeSaulnier, Mark [D-CA-10], Rep. Dexter, Maxine [D-OR-3], Rep. Dingell, Debbie [D-MI-6], Rep. Evans, Dwight [D-PA-3], Rep. Friedman, Laura [D-CA-30], Rep. Frost, Maxwell [D-FL-10], Rep. Garamendi, John [D-CA-8], Rep. Garcia, Sylvia R. [D-TX-29], Rep. García, Jesús G. "Chuy" [D-IL-4], Rep. Goldman, Daniel S. [D-NY-10], Rep. Gomez, Jimmy [D-CA-34], Rep. Gottheimer, Josh [D-NJ-5], Rep. Grijalva, Adelita S. [D-AZ-7], Rep. Huffman, Jared [D-CA-2], Rep. Jackson, Jonathan L. [D-IL-1], Rep. Jacobs, Sara [D-CA-51], Rep. Jayapal, Pramila [D-WA-7], Rep. Johnson, Henry C. "Hank" [D-GA-4], Rep. Kamlager-Dove, Sydney [D-CA-37], Rep. Kelly, Robin L. [D-IL-2], Rep. Khanna, Ro [D-CA-17], Rep. Krishnamoorthi, Raja [D-IL-8], Rep. Larson, John B. [D-CT-1], Rep. Lee, Summer L. [D-PA-12], Rep. Lieu, Ted [D-CA-36], Rep. Lofgren, Zoe [D-CA-18], Rep. Lynch, Stephen F. [D-MA-8], Rep. Magaziner, Seth [D-RI-2] and 46 more
Recent Actions
- 2026-05-13: Referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce, and in addition to the Committees on Agriculture, and Science, Space, and Technology, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
- 2026-05-13: Referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce, and in addition to the Committees on Agriculture, and Science, Space, and Technology, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
- 2026-05-13: Referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce, and in addition to the Committees on Agriculture, and Science, Space, and Technology, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
- 2026-05-13: Introduced in House
- 2026-05-13: Introduced in House
Bill Versions
- Universal School Meals Program Act of 2026 — issued 2026-05-13 — PDF (48 pages)