I 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 7639 

To establish a National Advisory Council on Unpaid School Meal Debt in 

Child Nutrition Programs, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 12, 2024 

Ms. OMAR (for herself, Ms. ADAMS, Mr. BOWMAN, Mr. CARSON, Ms. GARCIA

of Texas, Mr. GARCI ́A of Illinois, Ms. LEE of California, Mr. MCGOVERN, 

Ms. NORTON, Ms. PORTER, Ms. SALINAS, Mr. TAKANO, Ms. TLAIB, Ms. 

VELA ́ZQUEZ, and Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN) introduced the following bill; 

which was referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce 

A BILL 

To establish a National Advisory Council on Unpaid School 

Meal Debt in Child Nutrition Programs, and for other 

purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘National Advisory 

5 Council on Unpaid School Meal Debt Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. NATIONAL ADVISORY COUNCIL ON UNPAID SCHOOL 

2 MEAL DEBT IN CHILD NUTRITION PRO3 GRAMS. 

4 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established a Na5 tional Advisory Council on Unpaid School Meal Debt in 

6 Child Nutrition Programs (in this section referred to as 

7 the ‘‘Council’’). 

8 (b) DUTIES.—The Council shall provide rec9 ommendations, in accordance with subsection (g), to the 

10 Administrator of the Food and Nutrition Service with re11 spect to addressing unpaid school meal fees by ensuring 

12 that— 

13 (1) students are not stigmatized; and 

14 (2) school food authorities can maintain fiscal 

15 solvency in order to ensure the long-term viability of 

16 school meal programs. 

17 (c) MEMBERSHIP.— 

18 (1) NUMBER AND APPOINTMENT.—The Council 

19 shall be composed of 14 members appointed by the 

20 Secretary as follows: 

21 (A) 2 members shall be school nutrition 

22 State agency directors who are employed in dif23 ferent States; 

24 (B) 2 members shall be school food service 

25 directors of a school meal program in an urban 

26 area who are employed in different States; 


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1 (C) 2 members shall be school food service 

2 directors of a school meal program in a rural 

3 area who are employed in different States; 

4 (D) 2 members shall be officials of the 

5 Food and Nutrition Service office of the De6 partment of Agriculture; 

7 (E) 2 members shall be parents or guard8 ians (who are not related to one another or to 

9 the same child) of children who are eligible for 

10 free and reduced price school meals; 

11 (F) 2 members shall represent organiza12 tions with expertise in the school meal pro13 grams; and 

14 (G) 2 members shall be food service profes15 sionals who— 

16 (i) work in school cafeterias; and 

17 (ii) maintain daily contact with stu18 dents, including by preparing or serving 

19 meals or working at registers. 

20 (2) TERMS.— 

21 (A) IN GENERAL.—Each member shall be 

22 appointed for the life of the Council. 

23 (B) VACANCIES.—Any member appointed 

24 to fill a vacancy occurring before the expiration 


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1 of the life of the Council shall be appointed for 

2 the remainder of the life of the Council. 

3 (d) COMPENSATION.— 

4 (1) IN GENERAL.—Members shall serve without 

5 pay. 

6 (2) TRAVEL EXPENSES.— Each member shall 

7 receive travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of 

8 subsistence, in accordance with applicable provisions 

9 under subchapter I of chapter 57 of title 5, United 

10 States Code. 

11 (3) PARENTS OR GUARDIANS.—In the case of a 

12 member who is a parent or guardian appointed 

13 under subsection (c)(1)(E), such member, in addi14 tion to reimbursement under paragraph (2), shall, at 

15 the discretion of the Secretary, be compensated in 

16 advance for other personal expenses related to par17 ticipation on the Council, including child care ex18 penses and lost wages during scheduled Council 

19 meetings. 

20 (4) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

21 There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out 

22 this subsection $1,500,000, to remain available 

23 through the date described in subsection (h). 

24 (e) CHAIRPERSON; VICE CHAIRPERSON.— 


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1 (1) ELIGIBILITY.—To be eligible for election to 

2 Chairperson or Vice Chairperson of the Council, an 

3 individual must be a member of the Council de4 scribed in subsection (c)(1). 

5 (2) ELECTION.—The Chairperson and Vice 

6 Chairperson of the Council shall be elected by such 

7 members. 

8 (f) MEETINGS.— 

9 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Council shall meet not 

10 fewer than 2 times per year at the call of the Chair11 person. 

12 (2) QUORUM.—5 members of the Council shall 

13 constitute a quorum. 

14 (g) REPORT.— 

15 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 3 years after 

16 the establishment of the Council under subsection 

17 (a), the Council shall submit to the Administrator of 

18 the Food and Nutrition Service a report containing 

19 the recommendations described in subsection (b). 

20 (2) GUIDANCE.—Not later than 1 year after 

21 the submission of the report under paragraph (1), 

22 the Secretary, acting through the Administrator of 

23 the Food and Nutrition Service, shall use the rec24 ommendations contained in such report to issue 


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1 guidance with respect to addressing unpaid school 

2 meal fees. 

3 (h) TERMINATION.—The Council shall terminate on 

4 the date that is 1 day after the submission of the report 

5 required under subsection (g). 

6 (i) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—The Secretary shall 

7 provide the Council with such technical and other assist8 ance, including secretarial and clerical assistance, as may 

9 be required to carry out its functions. 

10 (j) UNPAID SCHOOL MEAL FEES DEFINED.—In this 

11 section, the term ‘‘unpaid school meal fees’’ means out12 standing fees owed by a household to a local educational 

13 agency for lunches under this Act or breakfasts under sec14 tion 4 of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 

15 1773). 

Æ 


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