I 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2382 
To amend the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act and the Child 
Nutrition Act of 1966 to eliminate certain Federal nutrition require-
ments, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 4, 2017 
Mrs. NOEM introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 
on Education and the Workforce 
A BILL 
To amend the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch 
Act and the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 to eliminate 
certain Federal nutrition requirements, 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 ‘‘Permanent Flexibility 
for School Meals Act’’. 
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SEC. 
2. 
NUTRITIONAL 
REQUIREMENTS 
FOR 
SCHOOL 
LUNCH 
AND 
SCHOOL 
BREAKFAST 
PRO-
GRAMS. 
(a) AMENDMENTS
TO NATIONAL SCHOOL LUNCH 
ACT.—The Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act 
(42 U.S.C. 1751) is amended— 
(1) 
in 
section 
4(b)(1)(A) 
(42 
U.S.C. 
1753(b)(1)(A)), by striking ‘‘(consisting of a com-
bination of foods which meet the minimum nutri-
tional requirements prescribed by the Secretary 
under section 9(a) of this Act)’’; 
(2) in section 9 (42 U.S.C. 1758)— 
(A) in the heading, by striking ‘‘AND 
OTHER PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS’’ and in-
serting ‘‘GUIDELINES’’; 
(B) in subsection (a)(1)— 
(i) in subparagraph (A)— 
(I) by striking ‘‘shall meet’’ and 
inserting ‘‘may meet’’; 
(II) by striking ‘‘minimum nutri-
tional requirements prescribed’’ and 
inserting 
‘‘nutrition 
guidelines 
issued’’; and 
(III) by striking ‘‘, except that 
the 
minimum 
nutritional 
require-
ments’’ and inserting ‘‘which’’; and 
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(ii) in subparagraph (B)— 
(I) by striking ‘‘complying with 
the nutritional requirements’’ and in-
serting 
‘‘meeting 
nutrition 
guide-
lines’’; 
(II) by striking ‘‘minimum nutri-
tional requirements’’ and inserting 
‘‘nutrition guidelines’’; and 
(III) by striking ‘‘maintaining 
compliance with the requirements’’ 
and 
inserting 
‘‘meeting 
nutrition 
guidelines’’; and 
(C) in subsection (f)— 
(i) in the heading, by striking ‘‘NU-
TRITIONAL REQUIREMENTS’’ and inserting 
‘‘NUTRITION GUIDELINES’’; 
(ii) by striking ‘‘requirements of this 
subsection’’ each place it appears and in-
serting ‘‘guidelines under this subsection’’; 
and 
(iii) in paragraph (1), by striking 
‘‘shall serve’’ and inserting ‘‘may serve’’; 
(3) 
in 
section 
11(a)(1)(A) 
(42 
U.S.C. 
1759a(a)(1)(A)), by striking ‘‘(consisting of a com-
bination of foods which meet the minimum nutri-
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tional requirements prescribed by the Secretary pur-
suant to subsection 9(a) of this Act)’’; 
(4) in section 13(f) (7 U.S.C. 1761(f))— 
(A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘shall 
serve meals consisting of a combination of foods 
and meeting minimum nutritional standards 
prescribed by the Secretary’’ and inserting 
‘‘may serve meals consisting of a combination 
of foods that meet nutrition guidelines issued 
by the Secretary’’; and 
(B) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘com-
plying with the nutritional requirements pre-
scribed by the Secretary pursuant to this sub-
section’’ and inserting ‘‘meeting nutrition 
guidelines’’; 
(5) in section 14(f) (42 U.S.C. 1762a(f)) by 
striking ‘‘meet the minimum nutritional require-
ments prescribed by the Secretary under section 9(a) 
of this Act, and’’; 
(6) in section 17 (42 U.S.C. 1766)— 
(A) in subsection (g)— 
(i) in paragraph (2)— 
(I) in the heading, by striking 
‘‘REQUIREMENTS’’ 
and 
inserting 
‘‘GUIDELINES’’; and 
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(II) in subparagraph (A)— 
(aa) by striking ‘‘shall’’ and 
inserting ‘‘may’’; and 
(bb) by striking ‘‘minimum 
nutritional 
requirements 
pre-
scribed’’ and inserting ‘‘nutrition 
guidelines issued’’; 
(ii) in paragraph (2)(B)— 
(I) in clause (i), by striking ‘‘up-
date requirements’’ and inserting ‘‘up-
date guidelines’’; and 
(II) in clause (ii), by striking 
‘‘updated requirements’’ and inserting 
‘‘updated guidelines’’; and 
(iii) by amending paragraph (2)(C) to 
read as follows: 
‘‘(C) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—The nu-
trition guidelines issued under subparagraph 
(A) shall not be construed as— 
‘‘(i) prohibiting institutions, family or 
group day care homes, and sponsored cen-
ters from substituting foods to accommo-
date the medical or other special dietary 
needs of individual participants; or 
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‘‘(ii) requiring an institution, family 
or group day care home, sponsored center, 
or emergency shelter from complying with 
such guidelines.’’; 
(B) in subsection (o)(3)(A), by striking 
‘‘nutritional requirements’’ and inserting ‘‘nu-
trition guidelines’’; and 
(C) in subsection (u)(3), by striking ‘‘nu-
tritional requirements’’ both places it appears 
and inserting ‘‘nutrition guidelines’’; and 
(7) in section 22 (42 U.S.C. 1769c), by striking 
‘‘nutritional requirements’’ each place it appears and 
inserting ‘‘nutrition guidelines’’. 
(b) AMENDMENTS TO CHILD NUTRITION ACT.—Sec-
tion 4 of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 
1758) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (b)(1), by striking subpara-
graph (D) and redesignating subparagraph (E) as 
subparagraph (D); and 
(2) in subsection (e)— 
(A) in the heading, by striking ‘‘NUTRI-
TIONAL
AND
OTHER
PROGRAM
REQUIRE-
MENTS’’ and inserting ‘‘NUTRITION
GUIDE-
LINES’’; 
(B) in paragraph (1)(A)— 
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(i) by striking ‘‘shall meet minimum 
nutritional requirements prescribed’’ and 
inserting ‘‘may meet nutrition guidelines 
issued’’; and 
(ii) by striking ‘‘, except that the min-
imum nutritional requirements shall be 
measured by not less than the weekly aver-
age of the nutrient content of school break-
fasts’’; and 
(C) in paragraph (1)(B), by striking ‘‘nu-
tritional requirements prescribed’’ and inserting 
‘‘nutrition guidelines issued’’. 
Æ 
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