II 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1908 

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

the efficiency of summer meals. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JUNE 19, 2019 

Mrs. GILLIBRAND (for herself and Ms. MURKOWSKI) 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 improve the efficiency of summer meals. 

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 ‘‘Summer Meals Act 

5 of 2019’’. 

6 SEC. 2. SUMMER FOOD SERVICE PROGRAM FOR CHILDREN. 

7 (a) BETTER INTEGRATE SUMMER EDUCATION AND

8 SUMMER MEALS PROGRAM.—Section 13(a)(1)(A)(i) of 

9 the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 

10 U.S.C. 1761(a)(1)(A)(i)) (relating to the definition of the 


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1 term ‘‘area in which poor economic conditions exist’’) is 

2 amended by striking ‘‘50 percent’’ each place it appears 

3 and inserting ‘‘40 percent’’. 

4 (b) REDUCE RED TAPE FOR PUBLIC-PRIVATE PART5 NERSHIPS.—Section 13(a)(8) of the Richard B. Russell 

6 National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1761(a)(8)) is 

7 amended— 

8 (1) by striking the paragraph designation and 

9 heading and all that follows through ‘‘Except’’ and 

10 inserting the following: 

11 ‘‘(8) YEAR-ROUND MEAL SERVICE.— 

12 ‘‘(A) SEAMLESS SUMMER OPTION FOR

13 SCHOOLS.—Except’’; and 

14 (2) by adding at the end the following: 

15 ‘‘(B) YEAR-ROUND MEAL SERVICE FOR

16 OTHER SERVICE INSTITUTIONS.—Each service 

17 institution (other than a service institution de18 scribed in subparagraph (A)), in addition to 

19 being eligible for reimbursement for meals de20 scribed in subsection (b)(2) served during each 

21 day of operation during the periods described in 

22 subsection (c)(1), may be reimbursed for up to 

23 1 meal and 1 snack per child served during 

24 each day of operation during— 

25 ‘‘(i) afterschool hours; 


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1 ‘‘(ii) weekends; and 

2 ‘‘(iii) school holidays during the reg3 ular school calendar.’’. 

4 (c) IMPROVE NUTRITION IN UNDERSERVED, HARD5 TO-REACH AREAS.—Section 13(a) of the Richard B. Rus6 sell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1761(a)) is 

7 amended— 

8 (1) by striking paragraphs (9) and (10) and in9 serting the following: 

10 ‘‘(9) IMPROVE NUTRITION IN UNDERSERVED, 

11 HARD-TO-REACH AREAS.— 

12 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Subject to the avail13 ability of appropriations provided in advance in 

14 an appropriations Act specifically for the pur15 pose of carrying out this paragraph, the Sec16 retary shall award competitive grants to service 

17 institutions selected by the Secretary to in18 crease participation in the program by children 

19 who lack the ability to access a congregate feed20 ing site through— 

21 ‘‘(i) innovative approaches to limited 

22 transportation; 

23 ‘‘(ii) mobile meal trucks; and 


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1 ‘‘(iii) any other method or approach 

2 that does not require children to access a 

3 congregate feeding site. 

4 ‘‘(B) ELIGIBILITY.—To be selected to re5 ceive a grant under this paragraph, a service in6 stitution— 

7 ‘‘(i) may be located in any State; and 

8 ‘‘(ii) shall— 

9 ‘‘(I) submit to the Secretary an 

10 application at such time, in such man11 ner, and containing such information 

12 as the Secretary may require; 

13 ‘‘(II) meet criteria established by 

14 the Secretary; and 

15 ‘‘(III) agree to the terms and 

16 conditions of the grant, as established 

17 by the Secretary. 

18 ‘‘(C) PRIORITY.—In awarding grants 

19 under this paragraph, the Secretary shall give 

20 priority to service institutions that plan— 

21 ‘‘(i) to serve both breakfast and lunch; 

22 or 

23 ‘‘(ii) to serve lunch, a snack, and din24 ner. 


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1 ‘‘(D) TRAVEL REIMBURSEMENT.—A serv2 ice institution that receives a grant under sub3 paragraph (A)(i) may use grant funds to pro4 vide reimbursement for travel. 

5 ‘‘(E) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIA6 TIONS.—There is authorized to be appropriated 

7 to the Secretary to make competitive grants 

8 under this paragraph $10,000,000 for each fis9 cal year.’’; and 

10 (2) by redesignating paragraphs (11) and (12) 

11 as paragraphs (10) and (11), respectively. 

12 (d) THIRD MEAL.—Section 13(b)(2) of the Richard 

13 B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 

14 1761(b)(2)) is amended by striking ‘‘only serve lunch’’ 

15 and all that follows through ‘‘migrant children may’’. 

16 (e) SUMMER MEAL SERVICE REIMBURSEMENT

17 AFTER EMERGENCIES AND DISASTERS.—Section 13 of 

18 the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 

19 U.S.C. 1761) is amended by striking subsection (r) and 

20 inserting the following: 

21 ‘‘(r) SUMMER MEAL SERVICE REIMBURSEMENT

22 AFTER EMERGENCIES AND DISASTERS.— 

23 ‘‘(1) DEFINITION OF AFFECTED AREA.—In this 

24 subsection, the term ‘affected area’ means an area 

25 for which— 


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1 ‘‘(A) the President has declared a major 

2 disaster in accordance with section 401 of the 

3 Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emer4 gency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5170); or 

5 ‘‘(B) the Governor of the State in which 

6 the area is located has declared an emergency 

7 or disaster under State law. 

8 ‘‘(2) SUMMER MEAL REIMBURSEMENT.—In an 

9 affected area, the Secretary shall, on request by a 

10 State, reimburse a service institution for meals pro11 vided under this section to children that consume 

12 the meals by a noncongregate method or approach.’’. 

13 (f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Section 

14 13 of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act 

15 (42 U.S.C. 1761) is amended by adding at the end the 

16 following: 

17 ‘‘(s) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

18 are authorized to be appropriated such sums as are nec19 essary to carry out this section for the period of fiscal 

20 years 2019 through 2024.’’. 

Æ 


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