[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2401 Introduced in House (IH)]
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115th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 2401
To amend the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to prohibit
the stigmatization of children who are unable to pay for meals.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
May 8, 2017
Ms. Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico (for herself, Mr. Rodney Davis
of Illinois, Mr. Scott of Virginia, Ms. DeLauro, and Mr. Ben Ray Lujan
of New Mexico) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Education and the Workforce
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to prohibit
the stigmatization of children who are unable to pay for meals.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Anti-Lunch Shaming Act of 2017''.
SEC. 2. PROHIBITION ON STIGMATIZATION OF CHILDREN WHO ARE UNABLE TO PAY
FOR MEALS.
Section 9(b)(10) of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch
Act (42 U.S.C. 1758(b)(10)) is amended--
(1) by striking ``(10) No physical'' and inserting the
following:
``(10) Discriminatory or stigmatizing treatment of children
by schools.--
``(A) Discrimination based on eligibility.--No
physical''; and
(2) by adding at the end the following:
``(B) Stigmatization based on lack of funds or
debt.--
``(i) Definition of covered child.--In this
subparagraph, the term `covered child' means a
child who--
``(I) is a student at a school that
participates in--
``(aa) the school lunch
program established under this
Act; or
``(bb) the school breakfast
program established by section
4 of the Child Nutrition Act of
1966 (42 U.S.C. 1773); and
``(II)(aa) does not have funds to
pay for a lunch or breakfast at the
school; or
``(bb) has outstanding credit that
was extended by a school food authority
for a lunch or breakfast at the school.
``(ii) Requirements of school food
authorities.--
``(I) In general.--A school food
authority shall not permit--
``(aa) the public
identification or
stigmatization of a covered
child, such as by requiring the
covered child to wear a
wristband or display a hand
stamp to identify the covered
child as a covered child; or
``(bb) any requirement that
a covered child, because of the
status of the covered child as
a covered child--
``(AA) perform
chores or any other
activity that is not
required of students
generally; or
``(BB) dispose of a
lunch or breakfast
after it has been
served to the covered
child.
``(II) Communications.--
``(aa) In general.--Subject
to item (bb), a school food
authority shall require that
any communication relating to
an outstanding credit described
in clause (i)(II)(bb) of a
covered child shall be
directed--
``(AA) to a parent
or guardian of the
covered child; and
``(BB) not to the
covered child.
``(bb) Letters.--A school
food authority may permit a
requirement that a covered
child deliver a letter
addressed to a parent or
guardian of the covered child
that contains a communication
described in item (aa), subject
to the condition that the
letter shall not be distributed
to the covered child in a
manner that stigmatizes the
covered child.''.
SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS.
It is the sense of Congress that the Secretary of Agriculture
should ensure that--
(1)(A) to the maximum extent practicable, an application
for a free or reduced price lunch under the Richard B. Russell
National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1751 et seq.) is
distributed--
(i) in an understandable and uniform format; and
(ii) by not later than July 1 each year; and
(B) a school food authority offers technical assistance to
a parent or legal guardian to complete an application described
in subparagraph (A);
(2) each school food authority coordinates with--
(A) the local educational agency liaison designated
under section 722(g)(1)(J)(ii) of the McKinney-Vento
Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11432(g)(1)(J)(ii))
to ensure that homeless children and youths eligible to
receive free lunches and breakfasts under section
9(b)(12)(A)(iv) of the Richard B. Russell National
School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1758(b)(12)(A)(iv)) receive
those free lunches and breakfasts; and
(B) the State agency responsible for administering
the State plans under parts B and E of title IV of the
Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 621 et seq.; 42 U.S.C.
470 et seq.) to ensure that foster children eligible to
receive free lunches and breakfasts under section
9(b)(12)(A)(vii) of the Richard B. Russell National
School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1758(b)(12)(A)(vii))
receive those free lunches and breakfasts; and
(3) a school food authority that participates in the school
lunch program or the school breakfast program under the Richard
B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1751 et seq.)
or section 4 of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C.
1773), respectively--
(A) shall provide to a child who requests a lunch
or breakfast a lunch or breakfast, regardless of
whether the child--
(i) has money to pay for the lunch or
breakfast; or
(ii) owes money for a lunch or breakfast;
(B) shall not provide to a child who qualifies for
a free or reduced price lunch or breakfast an alternate
meal that is not provided to students generally; and
(C) should explore innovative ways to use
technology to improve and coordinate communications
with parents and guardians with respect to functions
such as--
(i) prepayment for meals;
(ii) checking balances for school meals;
(iii) adding funds to accounts for school
meals;
(iv) addressing outstanding debt for school
meals; and
(v) sending automatic emails when an
account balance is low.
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