II 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1966 

To amend the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to require 

alternative options for program delivery. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

AUGUST 5, 2015 

Mr. BOOZMAN (for himself, Mr. MCCONNELL, Mr. KIRK, Mr. BROWN, Mr. 

DONNELLY, and Mr. BENNET) introduced the following bill; which was 

read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and 

Forestry 

A BILL 

To amend the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch 

Act to require alternative options for program delivery. 

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 ‘‘Hunger Free Summer 

5 for Kids Act of 2015’’. 

6 SEC. 2. ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS FOR PROGRAM DELIVERY. 

7 Section 13 of the Richard B. Russell National School 

8 Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1761) is amended— 


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1 (1) in subsection (a), by adding at the end the 

2 following: 

3 ‘‘(13) ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS FOR PROGRAM

4 DELIVERY.— 

5 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—To reach children that 

6 do not have readily available access to meals 

7 provided under this section, the Secretary shall 

8 establish 2 alternative options for program de9 livery, including summer food service program 

10 meals delivered through— 

11 ‘‘(i) an electronic benefit card (re12 ferred to this paragraph as an ‘EBT card’) 

13 in accordance with subparagraph (C); and 

14 ‘‘(ii) off-site consumption in accord15 ance with subparagraph (D). 

16 ‘‘(B) PURPOSE.—The Secretary shall de17 sign and implement the alternative options de18 scribed in subparagraph (A) so as— 

19 ‘‘(i) to increase program effectiveness 

20 and efficiency; 

21 ‘‘(ii) to improve child nutrition; and 

22 ‘‘(iii) to reduce food insecurity among 

23 children. 

24 ‘‘(C) ELECTRONIC BENEFIT TRANSFER

25 CARD.— 


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1 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—As an alternative 

2 to the meals provided by eligible service in3 stitutions and private nonprofit organiza4 tions at congregate feeding sites, the Sec5 retary shall establish an option for States, 

6 beginning in summer 2018, to issue EBT 

7 cards to children eligible to participate in 

8 the program. 

9 ‘‘(ii) AMOUNT.— 

10 ‘‘(I) IN GENERAL.—Subject to 

11 subclause (III), the value of an EBT 

12 card under this subparagraph shall be 

13 $30, less administrative expenses, for 

14 each child. 

15 ‘‘(II) ANNUAL LIMITATION.—No 

16 child may receive more than $100 

17 under this subparagraph in any 12- 

18 month period. 

19 ‘‘(III) ADJUSTMENT.—Each Jan20 uary 1, the Secretary shall adjust the 

21 value described in subclause (I) by the 

22 same percentage as the adjustment 

23 made under subsection (b)(1)(B). 

24 ‘‘(iii) TIMING OF ISSUANCE.—EBT 

25 cards under this subparagraph may be 


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1 used only when school is out of session for 

2 the summer period, as defined by the Sec3 retary. 

4 ‘‘(iv) USE OF BENEFITS.— 

5 ‘‘(I) IN GENERAL.—An EBT 

6 card issued under this subparagraph 

7 may be used only for the purchase of 

8 food from retail stores approved for 

9 participation in the special supple10 mental nutrition program for women, 

11 infants, and children established by 

12 section 17 of the Child Nutrition Act 

13 of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1786). 

14 ‘‘(II) BENEFIT REDEMPTION.—A 

15 retail store shall redeem EBT card 

16 benefits under this subparagraph in 

17 the same manner as benefit redemp18 tion under the special supplemental 

19 nutrition program described in sub20 clause (I). 

21 ‘‘(v) ADMINISTRATION.—In admin22 istering the alternative option described in 

23 clause (i), the Secretary shall ensure 

24 that— 


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1 ‘‘(I) EBT cards are issued only 

2 to children residing— 

3 ‘‘(aa) in a rural area, as de4 fined by the Secretary; or 

5 ‘‘(bb) outside an area in 

6 which poor economic conditions 

7 exist; 

8 ‘‘(II) EBT cards are not issued 

9 in an area in which congregate feed10 ing sites are operating until the date 

11 on which the Secretary promulgates a 

12 regulation to prevent duplication in 

13 benefits received; 

14 ‘‘(III) not more than 2.5 percent 

15 of the amount of benefits described in 

16 clause (ii)(I) is used for administra17 tive expenses; 

18 ‘‘(IV) EBT cards are issued to 

19 children only through an application 

20 process developed by the Secretary; 

21 and 

22 ‘‘(V) EBT cards are issued only 

23 to children who have been determined 

24 to be eligible for free or reduced price 

25 school meals under this Act and the 


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1 Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 

2 U.S.C. 1771 et seq.). 

3 ‘‘(D) OFF-SITE CONSUMPTION.— 

4 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary 

5 shall establish an option for service institu6 tions, beginning in summer 2018, to pro7 vide summer food service program meals 

8 for children eligible to participate in the 

9 program to consume off-site. 

10 ‘‘(ii) AVAILABILITY.—The option de11 scribed in clause (i) shall be available to 

12 children only when at least 1 of the fol13 lowing conditions is present: 

14 ‘‘(I) The child lives in a rural 

15 area, as defined by the Secretary. 

16 ‘‘(II) The child lives outside an 

17 area in which poor economic condi18 tions exist. 

19 ‘‘(III) The program is available 

20 to the child at a congregate feeding 

21 site but— 

22 ‘‘(aa) the site is closed due 

23 to extreme weather conditions; 

24 ‘‘(bb) violence or other pub25 lic safety concerns in the area 


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1 prevent the child from traveling 

2 safely to the site; 

3 ‘‘(cc) the site is only open 4 

4 or fewer days a week; or 

5 ‘‘(dd) the site only provides 

6 1 meal per day. 

7 ‘‘(iii) ADMINISTRATION.—In admin8 istering the alternative option described in 

9 clause (i), the Secretary shall ensure 

10 that— 

11 ‘‘(I) when providing meals under 

12 the condition described in clause 

13 (ii)(III)(cc), the number of meals 

14 served to each child in a single meal 

15 service is limited to 2 meals; and 

16 ‘‘(II) any meal served meets the 

17 same standards for safety and quality 

18 as a meal served at a congregate feed19 ing site. 

20 ‘‘(E) SCOPE.—In implementing the alter21 native options described in subparagraph (A), 

22 the Secretary shall— 

23 ‘‘(i) permit States to operate either al24 ternative option but prohibit States from 


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1 operating both alternative delivery options 

2 simultaneously in the same area; and 

3 ‘‘(ii) permit States to implement ei4 ther alternative option in some or all eligi5 ble areas in a State. 

6 ‘‘(F) PROGRAM INTEGRITY.—Not later 

7 than October 1, 2017, the Secretary shall pro8 mulgate regulations, with an opportunity for 

9 notice and comment, to ensure the integrity of 

10 the 2 alternative options for program delivery 

11 described in this paragraph.’’; and 

12 (2) in subsection (n)— 

13 (A) by striking ‘‘and (6)’’ and inserting 

14 ‘‘(6)’’; and 

15 (B) by striking the period at the end and 

16 inserting ‘‘; and (7) the plans of the State for 

17 using 1 or both of the alternative options for 

18 program delivery described in subsection 

19 (a)(13).’’. 

Æ 


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