Only 8 States Provide Universal School Meals: California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, and Vermont
Today, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand held a video press conference calling for the passage of the Universal School Meals Program Act, legislation that would provide free breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a snack to all schoolchildren regardless of income. The bill would also expand access to free meals over the summer and eliminate school meal debt.
“In the richest country on earth, it is unacceptable that millions of kids go hungry each day. The Universal School Meals Program Act would provide funding for free breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a snack for all students and slash burdensome red tape for school administrators,” said Senator Gillibrand. “This bill would make our families and communities healthier and stronger, keep kids in school, and work to fight the stigma too often associated with meal programs. I look forward to passing this critical legislation so every child in the United States has the food they need to succeed.”
The Universal School Meals Program Act would:
- Permanently provide free breakfast, lunch, and dinner to all schoolchildren regardless of income and put an end to burdensome application paperwork that poses a barrier to enrollment in meal programs.
- Increase the reimbursement rates for school authorities participating in the food and nutrition programs to more accurately reflect the true cost of providing meals.
- Reduce stigma associated with meal programs by eliminating meal debt and prohibiting school food authorities from discriminating against or overtly identifying a child participating in the free meal program.
- Expand the summer food service program and Summer EBT program by making all children eligible to participate in the programs. Currently, only communities where 50 percent of children are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch can operate a summer meals program; the Universal School Meals Program Act would make all communities eligible regardless of income.
Senator Gillibrand is a longstanding champion for childhood nutrition. She leads the bipartisan MODERN WIC Act, which would make WIC benefits more accessible to low-income families by allowing them to certify and recertify for WIC services remotely. She also leads the bipartisan Summer Meals Act, which would provide meals to children and teens in low-income areas during the summer months when school is not in session.
A summary of the Universal School Meals Program Act is available here.