Current Child Nutrition Bills

FRAC urges you to TAKE ACTION on the bills listed below. For a list of all child nutrition bills, click here.

AFTERSchool Meals Act of 2009
S. 990 - introduced by Senators Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Richard Lugar (R-IN)
H.R. 3321 - introduced by Reps. Gwen Moore (D-WI) and Andre Carson (D-IN)

Expands the Afterschool Meal Program to allow children from all states to benefit from a nutritious meal after school.

• TAKE ACTION - INDIVIDUALS: Send a letter asking your Member of Congress to co-sponsor the AFTERSchool Meals Act of 2009.
• View the letter (pdf) sent by more than 55 national organizations supporting
  S. 990/H.R. 3321.
• Download the fact sheet (pdf).

Hunger Free Schools Act of 2009
S. 1343 - sponsored by Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Bob Casey (D-PA) and Michael Bennet (D-CO)
H.R. 4148 - Sponsored by Rep. David Loebsack (D-IA)

• TAKE ACTION - INDIVIDUALS: Send a letter asking your Senator to co-sponsor the Hunger Free Schools Act.
• TAKE ACTION - ORGANIZATIONS: Sign on to this letter in support of the Hunger Free Schools Act.
• Download the fact sheet (pdf).

1) Expands access to child nutrition programs by requiring school districts to utilize data from Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) to directly certify more students that are eligible for free school meals.
2) Improves state performance in enrolling eligible children in school lunch programs by setting a performance standard for directly certifying students for school lunch programs (reaching 95 percent of students required to be directly certified) and providing incentives to high performance states.
3) Allows schools or districts serving a high proportion of low-income children to serve free meals to all students and be reimbursed based on socioeconomic data rather than individual applications.

Paperless Enrollment for School Meals Act of 2009 (S. 1226, H.R. 2803)
S. 1226 - introduced by U.S. Senators Bob Casey (D-PA) Arlen Specter (D- PA), Michael Bennett (D-Colo.)
H.R. 2803 - introduced by U.S. Representatives Chaka Fattah (D-PA), Allyson Schwartz (D-PA), Robert Brady (D-PA)

• TAKE ACTION - INDIVIDUALS: Send a letter asking your Member of Congress to co-sponsor the bill.

1) Allows schools or districts that agree to serve breakfast and lunch free to all students for 5 years to be reimbursed based on socioeconomic data rather than individual student applications.
2) Makes it easier for schools serving high-poverty areas to provide free meals to all children by allowing data-based eligibility. The school or district gets administrative relief in exchange for covering any costs that exceed federal reimbursements.