I 
119TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1967 
To rename the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act, and for 
other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 6, 2025 
Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN (for herself, Mr. GREEN of Texas, Mr. CARSON, Mr. 
COHEN, Ms. BARRAGA´N, Mr. MEEKS, Mr. EVANS of Pennsylvania, Ms. 
NORTON, Ms. CLARKE of New York, Ms. MCCLELLAN, Mrs. MCIVER, 
and Ms. TLAIB) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Education and Workforce 
A BILL 
To rename the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch 
Act, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Renaming the National 
School Lunch Program Act of 2025’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) That Jean E. Fairfax was a civil rights ac-
tivist who— 
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(A) was born to parents who were the first 
in their family to be legally free; 
(B) fought for equitable educational ac-
cess, challenged systemic employment discrimi-
nation, and led influential federal policy innova-
tions in all realms to support working class and 
marginalized peoples; 
(C) assisted Black families navigating 
school integration after the ruling of Brown v. 
Board of Education; 
(D) joined the National Association for the 
Advancement of Colored People’s Legal Defense 
Fund and established the Division of Legal In-
formation and Community Service; and 
(E) continued to serve her community 
through civil rights work and philanthropy after 
retirement. 
(2) It is evidenced that Jean E. Fairfax con-
tributed greatly to the National School Lunch Pro-
gram in an equitable manner through— 
(A) organizing five national women’s orga-
nizations and creating the Committee on School 
Lunch Participation to study the National 
School Lunch Program; 
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(B) testifying before Congress on multiple 
occasions to reveal that the implementation of 
the National School Lunch Program was failing 
to reach children that needed it most; 
(C) advocating for increased funding of the 
National School Lunch Program to serve chil-
dren in areas of concentrated poverty that were 
disproportionately minorities; and 
(D) having her findings incorporated in 
National School Lunch Program reform legisla-
tion that led to the program becoming more in-
clusive. 
(3) The National School Lunch Program is 
named after an individual who— 
(A) objected to anti-lynching bills and civil 
rights legislation in Congress and affirmed his 
belief in white supremacy; 
(B) opposed school integration and was a 
contributor to the creation of the Southern 
Manifesto; 
(C) dismissed concerns of child-welfare ad-
vocates, civil rights activists, and women-led or-
ganizations during debate over the implementa-
tion of the National School Lunch Program; 
and 
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(D) believed that segregation should be 
maintained while implementing the National 
School Lunch Program. 
SEC. 3. RENAMING OF RICHARD B. RUSSELL NATIONAL 
SCHOOL LUNCH ACT. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—The first section of the Richard 
B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1751 
note) is amended by striking ‘‘Richard B. Russell National 
School Lunch Act’’ and inserting ‘‘Jean E. Fairfax Na-
tional School Lunch Act’’. 
(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—Each of the fol-
lowing provisions of law is amended by striking ‘‘Richard 
B. Russell National School Lunch Act’’ and inserting 
‘‘Jean E. Fairfax National School Lunch Act’’: 
(1) Sections 3(a)(2)(C), 3(b)(1)(A)(iii)(III), 
3(e)(1)(D)(iii)(III), 17(b)(2), and 18(3)(A) of the 
Commodity Distribution Reform Act and WIC 
Amendments of 1987 (7 U.S.C. 612c note). 
(2) Section 5(l)(2)(D) of the Agriculture and 
Consumer Protection Act of 1973 (7 U.S.C. 612c 
note). 
(3) Section 10603(b) of the Farm Security and 
Rural Investment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 612c–4(b)). 
(4) 
Sections 
4301(b)(2), 
4301(b)(3), 
4304(a)(2)(A), 4304(a)(2)(B), 4305(c), 4305(c)(1), 
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4306(a)(3), 4306(b), 14222(b)(1), 14222(c), and 
14222(e)(1) of the Food, Conservation, and Energy 
Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 612c–6(b)(1), 612c–6(c), 
612c–6(e)(1) 
2208 
note; 
U.S.C. 
1755a, 
1758(b)(2), 1758(b)(3), 1769a note). 
(5) Section 404 of the Agricultural Act of 1949 
(7 U.S.C. 1424). 
(6) Section 282(f)(2)(b) of the Act entitled ‘‘To 
provide for further research into basic laws and 
principles relating to agriculture and to improve and 
facilitate the marketing and distribution of agricul-
tural products’’, approved August 14, 1946 (7 U.S.C 
1638a(f)(2)(b)). 
(7) Section 201(a) of the Act entitled ‘‘An Act 
to extend the Agricultural Trade Development and 
Assistance Act of 1954, and for other purposes’’, ap-
proved September 21, 1959 (7 U.S.C. 1431c(a)). 
(8) 
Sections 
1101(e), 
2102(a), 
2102(b), 
2102(c), 2102(d)(1), 2202(a)(1), 2202(a)(2)(A), 
2202(b), 2202(c), 2202(e)(2)(A)(ii), 2202(f)(1)(A), 
2202(f)(1)(C), 2201(f)(1)(D), and 2202(f)(3), of the 
Families First Coronavirus Response Act (7 U.S.C. 
2011 note; 42 U.S.C. 1760 note). 
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(9) 
Sections 
11(u)(1), 
11(u)(2)(A), 
and 
11(u)(2)(B), of the Food Stamp Act of 1977 (7 
U.S.C. 2020(u)(1), 2020(u)(2)(A), 2020(u)(2)(B)). 
(10) Section 28(a)(1)(B) of the Food Stamp 
Act of 1964 (7 U.S.C. 2036a(a)(1)(B)). 
(11) Section 211(a) of the Agricultural Trade 
Suspension Adjustment Act of 1980 (title II of the 
Agricultural Act of 1980) (7 U.S.C. 4004(a)). 
(12) Sections 413(b)(2) and 413(b)(3) of the 
Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education 
Reform Act of 1998 (7 U.S.C. 7633(b)(2), 
7633(b)(3)). 
(13) 
Sections 
403(c)(2)(C), 
422(b)(3), 
423(d)(3), 741(a)(1), 742(a), and 742(b)(2)(A) and 
the caption for section 742 of the Personal Respon-
sibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 
1996 (8 U.S.C. 1183a note, 1613(c)(2)(C), 1615(a), 
1615(b)(2)(A), 1632(b)(3); 42 U.S.C. 1751 note). 
(14) Section 245A(h)(4)(A) of the Immigration 
and Nationality Act approved June 27, 1952, (8 
U.S.C. 1255a(h)(4)(A)). 
(15) Section 645(a)(3)(C)(iii) of the James M. 
Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fis-
cal Year 2023 (10 U.S.C. 1060a note). 
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(40) Subsection (b) of the first section of the 
Act entitled ‘‘An Act to extend the application of 
certain laws to American Samoa’’, as approved Sep-
tember 25, 1962 (48 U.S.C. 1666(b)). 
Æ 
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