Figure 1.

Proposed current federal legislation to address unpaid meal debt and ensure equitable access to school meals.

Bill Title and Statusa	Summary	Strengths (+) and Limitations (−)
Anti-Lunch Shaming Act of 2019 (HRb 2311 and Sc 1119)	Prohibits: •Stigmatization, such as requiring wristband or hand stamp, of a child unable to pay for a meal or who has unpaid meal debt •Requiring children to perform chores or activities not generally required by students •Served meal from being disposed Requires: •All communication concerning debt be directed toward parents and distributed in a manner that does not stigmatize the child	+ Prohibits shaming/stigmatization of students + Specifies appropriate communication methods for addressing meal debt − Does not include provisions to address unpaid meal debt
No Shame at School Act (HR 3366 and S 1907)	Prohibits: •Overt stigmatization, such as requiring wristband or hand stamp or withholding educational opportunities, of a child unable to pay for a meal or who has unpaid meal debt •Served meal from being disposed Requires: •All communication concerning debt be directed toward parents and distributed in a manner that does not stigmatize the child •School districts to make efforts to directly certify or assist in school meal application for children in a family who owe a week or more of unpaid meal debt Authorizes: •Federal government to retroactively reimburse meals for up to 90 days	+ Prohibits shaming/stigmatization of students + Specifies appropriate communication methods for addressing meal debt + Promotes mechanism to collect on unpaid meal debt − Does not address how the source of the majority of unpaid meal debt is not well understood so will likely fall short of fully addressing unpaid meal debt
Caregivers Access and Responsible Expansion for Kids Act of 2019 (S 2760)	Authorizes: •Direct certification for free school meals for children who are being raised by a relative who receives adoption or guardianship assistance, being raised by a grandparent or relatives due to placement by a state or tribal child welfare agency, living with grandparents/relatives with housing assistance, or automatically eligible for Medicaid	+ Expands on the Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act inclusion of direct certification for foster children + Expands access to free school meals for vulnerable children − Does not address how the source of the majority of unpaid meal debt is not well understood so will likely fall short of fully addressing unpaid meal debt
Expanding Access to School Meals (HR 5308)	Eliminates: •The reduced-price breakfast and lunch category Increases or Expands: •Income eligibility for free school meals to 200% of federal poverty level •Direct certification to Medicaid and CHIPd recipients •The CEPe multiplier Authorizes: •The federal government to retroactively reimburse meals for up to 90 days	+ Promotes mechanism to collect on unpaid meal debt with retroactive reimbursement + Promotes expansion of direct certification for the most vulnerable population of children + Improves eligibility criteria for free meals and increases reach of CEP − Does not address how the source of the majority of unpaid meal debt is not well understood so will likely fall short of fully addressing unpaid meal debt
School Modernization and Efficient Access to Lunches for Students Act of 2019 (HR 5283 and S 2692)	Provides funding: •To improve direct certification process and infrastructure; and •For USDAf direct certification technical assistance Eliminates: •CEP application deadline of June 30 and expands eligibility data time frame	+ Improves mechanisms to support full uptake of both CEP and direct certification provisions + Expands access to free school meals for vulnerable children − Does not address how the source of the majority of unpaid meal debt is not well understood so will likely fall short of fully addressing unpaid meal debt
Universal School Meals Program Act of 2019 (S 2609 and HR 4684)	Prohibits: •Children being denied school meals Provides: •School lunch and breakfast for free to all children •Free summer and after school meals and snacks to all children Increases or Expands: •Promotion of procurement of local foods •Reimbursement to the USDA-recommended amounts •Summer EBTg benefits to all eligible children	+ Promotes mechanism to feed all children + Increases reimbursement to support the purchase of healthy meals + Promotes procurement of local food + Addresses year-round food needs − Expensive

^aAll bills have only been introduced and referred to their committees of jurisdiction in the House and/or Senate (as of April 1, 2020).

^bHR=House of Representatives.

^cS=Senate.

^dCHIP=Children’s Health Insurance Program.

^eCEP=Community Eligibility Provision.

^fUSDA=US Department of Agriculture.

^gEBT=electronic benefit transfer.