I 
117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3519 
To amend the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to establish 
a permanent, nationwide electronic benefits transfer program for children 
during school closures, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 25, 2021 
Mr. LEVIN of California (for himself and Mrs. HAYES) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor 
A BILL 
To amend the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch 
Act to establish a permanent, nationwide electronic bene-
fits transfer program for children during school closures, 
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 ‘‘Stop Child Hunger 
Act of 2021’’. 
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SEC. 2. SUMMER ELECTRONIC BENEFITS TRANSFER FOR 
CHILDREN PROGRAM. 
Section 13(a) of the Richard B. Russell National 
School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1761(a)) is amended by add-
ing at the end the following: 
‘‘(13) SCHOOL
CLOSURE
ELECTRONIC
BENE-
FITS TRANSFER FOR CHILDREN PROGRAM.— 
‘‘(A) DEFINITIONS.—In this paragraph: 
‘‘(i) COVERED
PERIOD.—The term 
‘covered period’ means a period in which 
an elementary school or secondary school is 
closed, operating remotely, or operating in 
a hybrid-manner for 5 or more consecutive 
weekdays during the calendar year. 
‘‘(ii) 
ELIGIBLE
HOUSEHOLD.—The 
term ‘eligible household’ means a house-
hold that includes 1 or more children who 
are eligible to receive free or reduced-price 
lunches under this Act or free or reduced- 
price breakfasts under the Child Nutrition 
Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1771 et seq.), in-
cluding children eligible for such meals 
pursuant to section 11(a)(1)(F). 
‘‘(iii) FREE
RATE.—The term ‘free 
rate’ has the meaning given the term in 
section 1101(j)(4) of the Families First 
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Coronavirus Response Act (7 U.S.C. 2011 
note). 
‘‘(iv) SCHOOL CLOSURE EBT CARD.— 
The term ‘school closure EBT card’ means 
an electronic benefit transfer (EBT) card 
that is issued to an eligible household 
under this paragraph and limited to food 
purchases. 
‘‘(B) PROGRAM.—The Secretary shall es-
tablish a program under which the Secretary 
shall provide to eligible households school clo-
sure EBT cards for the purpose of providing 
access to food for children during covered peri-
ods— 
‘‘(i) to reduce or eliminate the food in-
security and hunger of children; and 
‘‘(ii) to improve the nutritional status 
of children. 
‘‘(C) USE.—An eligible household may use 
a school closure EBT card only to purchase 
food from retail food stores that have been ap-
proved for participation in the supplemental nu-
trition assistance program established under the 
Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 
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2011 et seq.), in accordance with section 7(b) 
of that Act (7 U.S.C. 2016(b)). 
‘‘(D) AMOUNT.—The amount of a school 
closure EBT card issued pursuant to this para-
graph shall be, with respect to a covered period, 
not less than the value of meals at the free rate 
for each day of such covered period. 
‘‘(E) FUNDING.— 
‘‘(i) IN
GENERAL.—On October 1, 
2021, and on each October 1 thereafter, 
out of any funds in the Treasury not oth-
erwise appropriated, the Secretary of the 
Treasury shall transfer to the Secretary 
such sums as are necessary to carry out 
this paragraph (including administrative 
expenses), to remain available until ex-
pended. 
‘‘(ii) RECEIPT
AND
ACCEPTANCE.— 
The Secretary shall be entitled to receive, 
shall accept, and shall use to carry out this 
section the funds transferred under clause 
(i), without further appropriation. 
‘‘(F) REGULATIONS.— 
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‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Not later than Oc-
tober 1, 2021, the Secretary shall issue 
regulations to carry out this paragraph. 
‘‘(ii) 
REQUIREMENTS.—Regulations 
issued under this subparagraph shall re-
quire that— 
‘‘(I) children shall be eligible to 
participate and shall be enrolled into 
the program under this paragraph for 
a covered period without further ap-
plication if the children are enrolled to 
participate in the free or reduced- 
price lunch program under this Act or 
the free or reduced-price breakfast 
program under the Child Nutrition 
Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1771 et seq.); 
‘‘(II) local educational agencies 
shall support the administration of 
the program under this paragraph 
by— 
‘‘(aa) communicating to the 
State agency when any school is 
closed, operating remotely, or op-
erating in a hybrid-manner for 
more than 5 days; and 
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‘‘(bb) providing data on the 
children eligible to participate in 
the program under this para-
graph; 
‘‘(III) State agencies shall pro-
vide information on children eligible to 
participate in the program under this 
paragraph with the State agency con-
ducting eligibility determinations for 
the supplemental nutrition assistance 
program established under the Food 
and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 
2011 et seq.); and 
‘‘(IV) State agencies conducting 
eligibility determinations described in 
subclause (III) shall— 
‘‘(aa) distribute the school 
closure EBT cards; 
‘‘(bb) provide information to 
households regarding the pro-
gram under this paragraph, in-
cluding eligibility rules and how 
children in eligible households 
that are not automatically en-
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