I 
113TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 4249 
To amend the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act and the Child 
Nutrition Act of 1966 to expand and improve Federal programs to 
reduce child hunger. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 13, 2014 
Ms. TITUS (for herself, Mr. VARGAS, Ms. FUDGE, Mr. HUFFMAN, Mr. CART-
WRIGHT, Ms. MOORE, Mr. CONYERS, Mr. POLIS, Ms. CLARKE of New 
York, Ms. CLARK of Massachusetts, Mr. CA´RDENAS, Mr. JOHNSON of 
Georgia, Mr. DEUTCH, and Mr. SERRANO) 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 expand 
and improve Federal programs to reduce child hunger. 
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 ‘‘Helping Hungry Stu-
dents Learn Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress makes the following findings: 
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(1) In 2012, nearly one in five children in 
America lived in a household that lacked access to 
nutritious food on a regular basis. That is 15.9 mil-
lion American children who struggled with hunger at 
some time during the year. 
(2) Children who experience hunger are more 
likely to get sick and are more likely to be obese 
than those who do not. Children facing chronic hun-
ger also find it more difficult to concentrate in 
school and tend to exhibit higher levels of behavioral, 
emotional, and academic problems. 
(3) Federal programs play an important role in 
addressing childhood hunger. In 2013, 21 million 
students participated in the free or reduced-price 
lunch program. Eleven million students participated 
in the free or reduced-price breakfast program. 
Three million low-income children received free 
meals during the summer months. Forty-seven per-
cent of participants in the supplemental nutrition as-
sistance program are under the age of 18. 
(4) On average, students who eat school break-
fast achieve 17.5 percent higher scores on standard-
ized math tests, and attend 1.5 more days of school 
each year than those who do not. Students who at-
tend class more regularly are 20 percent more likely 
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to graduate from high school. Participation in the 
school breakfast program is associated with children 
having a lower Body Mass Index. 
SEC. 3. SCHOOL LUNCH PROGRAM. 
Section 9(b) of the Richard B. Russell National 
School Lunch Act is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (1)(A), by inserting after the 
third sentence the following: ‘‘Notwithstanding any 
other provision of this Act and the Child Nutrition 
Act of 1966, for each school year beginning on or 
after the July 1 of the year following the year of en-
actment of the Helping Hungry Students Learn Act, 
the income guidelines for determining eligibility for 
free lunches shall be 185 percent of the applicable 
family size income levels contained in the nonfarm 
income poverty guidelines prescribed by the Office of 
Management and Budget, as adjusted annually in 
accordance with subparagraph (B)’’; and 
(2) in paragraph (9)(B), by inserting at the end 
the following: 
‘‘(iii) TERMINATION
OF
REDUCED- 
PRICE
CATEGORY.—Beginning with the 
school year beginning July 1 of the year 
following the year of enactment of the 
Helping Hungry Students Learn Act, no 
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child shall be determined eligible for a re-
duced price lunch.’’. 
SEC. 4. SCHOOL BREAKFAST PROGRAM. 
(a) UNIVERSAL SCHOOL BREAKFAST PROGRAM.— 
Section 4(a) of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 
1773(a)) is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘(a) There’’ and inserting: 
‘‘(a)(1) There’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(2) UNIVERSAL
SCHOOL
BREAKFAST
PRO-
GRAM.—For each school year beginning on or after 
the July 1 of the year following the year of enact-
ment of the Helping Hungry Students Learn Act, 
each school participating in the school breakfast pro-
gram under this section shall provide breakfast 
under the program to each student that desires such 
a breakfast at no cost to the student.’’. 
(b) NATIONAL AVERAGE PAYMENT RATE.—Section 
4(b)(1)(B) of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 
1773(b)(1)(B)) is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: ‘‘Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act 
or the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act, for 
each school year beginning on or after the July 1 of the 
year following the year of enactment of the Helping Hun-
gry Students Learn Act, the national average payment for 
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each breakfast served to any child shall be equal to the 
national average payment for each free breakfast served 
during the school year beginning July 1 of the year of 
enactment of the Helping Hungry Students Learn Act 
(which shall be adjusted pursuant to section 11(a) of the 
Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act).’’. 
(c) SEVERE NEED ASSISTANCE.—Section 4(d)(1) of 
the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1773(d)(1)) 
is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘(A) during’’ and inserting: 
‘‘(A)(i) during’’; 
(2) by striking ‘‘(B) in’’ and inserting ‘‘(ii) in’’; 
(3) by striking ‘‘subparagraph (A)’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘clause (i)’’; 
(4) by striking ‘‘met.’’ and inserting ‘‘met; 
and’’; and 
(5) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(B) for each school year beginning on or 
after the July 1 of the year following the year 
of enactment of the Helping Hungry Students 
Learn Act, there is an alternative breakfast 
serving model to increase participation in the 
school breakfast program, such as by serving 
breakfast in the classroom or having a school 
breakfast cart.’’. 
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SEC. 5. SUMMER ELECTRONIC BENEFITS TRANSFER FOR 
CHILDREN PROGRAM. 
The Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act 
(42 U.S.C. 1751 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end 
the following: 
‘‘SEC. 30. SUMMER ELECTRONIC BENEFITS TRANSFER FOR 
CHILDREN PROGRAM. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—From the amount appropriated 
to carry out this section, the Secretary shall carry out a 
summer electronic benefits transfer for children program 
by awarding grants to States that desire to participate in 
such program to assist such States with the initial admin-
istrative costs of such participation. 
‘‘(b) PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS.—The summer elec-
tronic benefits transfer for children program carried out 
under this section shall have the same terms and condi-
tions as the summer electronic benefits transfer for chil-
dren demonstration project carried out under section 
749(g) of the Agriculture, Rural Development, and Food 
and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appro-
priations Act, 2010 (Public Law 111–80; 123 Stat. 2131), 
except that the Secretary shall prescribe an annual adjust-
ment for the monthly benefit of $60 per child that is ad-
justed at the time that the annual adjustments are made 
for the national average payment rates for breakfasts and 
lunches (pursuant to section 11(a) of this Act).’’. 
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SEC. 6. WEEKENDS AND HOLIDAYS WITHOUT HUNGER. 
Section 18 of the Richard B. Russell National School 
Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1769) is amended by adding at the 
end the following: 
‘‘(l) WEEKENDS
AND HOLIDAYS WITHOUT HUN-
GER.— 
‘‘(1) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 
‘‘(A) AT-RISK SCHOOL CHILD.—The term 
‘at-risk school child’ has the meaning given the 
term in section 17(r)(1). 
‘‘(B) ELIGIBLE INSTITUTION.— 
‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘eligible 
institution’ means a public or private non-
profit institution that is determined by the 
Secretary to be able to meet safe food stor-
age, handling, and delivery standards es-
tablished by the Secretary. 
‘‘(ii) INCLUSIONS.—The term ‘eligible 
institution’ includes— 
‘‘(I) an elementary or secondary 
school or school food service authority; 
‘‘(II) a food bank or food pantry; 
‘‘(III) a homeless shelter; and 
‘‘(IV) such other type of emer-
gency feeding agency as is approved 
by the Secretary. 
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‘‘(2) ESTABLISHMENT.—Subject to the avail-
ability of appropriations provided in advance in an 
appropriations Act specifically for the purpose of 
carrying out this subsection, the Secretary shall es-
tablish a program under which the Secretary shall 
provide commodities, on a competitive basis, to State 
agencies for the purposes of enabling eligible institu-
tions to carry out projects to provide nutritious food 
to at-risk children on weekends and during extended 
school holidays during the school year. 
‘‘(3) APPLICATIONS.—To participate in the pro-
gram under this subsection, a State agency shall 
submit an application to the Secretary at such time, 
in such manner, and containing such information as 
the Secretary may require. 
‘‘(4) ELIGIBILITY.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—To be eligible to re-
ceive commodities under this subsection, an eli-
gible institution shall submit an application to 
the State agency involved at such time, in such 
manner, and containing such information as the 
State agency may require. 
‘‘(B) PLAN.—An application under sub-
paragraph (A) shall include the plan of the eli-
gible institution for the distribution of nutri-
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tious foods to at-risk school children under the 
project to be carried out under this subsection, 
including— 
‘‘(i) methods of food service delivery 
to at-risk school children; 
‘‘(ii) assurances that children receiv-
ing foods under the project will not be pub-
licly separated or overtly identified; 
‘‘(iii) lists of the types of food to be 
provided under the project and provisions 
to ensure food quality and safety; 
‘‘(iv) information on the number of 
at-risk school children to be served and the 
per-child cost of providing the children 
with food; and 
‘‘(v) such other information as the 
Secretary determines to be necessary to as-
sist the Secretary in evaluating projects 
that receive commodities under this sub-
section. 
‘‘(5) PRIORITY.—In selecting applications under 
this subsection, a State agency shall give priority to 
eligible institutions that— 
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‘‘(A) have on-going programs and experi-
ence serving populations with significant pro-
portions of at-risk school children; 
‘‘(B) have a good record of experience in 
food delivery and food safety systems; 
‘‘(C) maintain high-quality control, ac-
countability, and recordkeeping standards; 
‘‘(D) 
provide 
children 
with 
readily 
consumable food of high nutrient content and 
quality; 
‘‘(E) demonstrate cost efficiencies and the 
potential for obtaining supplemental funding 
from non-Federal sources to carry out projects; 
and 
‘‘(F) demonstrate the ability to continue 
projects for the full approved term of the pilot 
project period. 
‘‘(6) GUIDELINES.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary shall 
issue guidelines containing the criteria for eligi-
ble institutions to receive commodities under 
this section from State agencies. 
‘‘(B) INCLUSIONS.—The guidelines shall, 
to the maximum extent practicable within the 
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funds available and applications submitted, take 
into account— 
‘‘(i) geographical variations in project 
locations that will be carried out by eligible 
institutions to include qualifying projects 
in rural, urban, and suburban areas with 
high proportions of families with at-risk 
school children; 
‘‘(ii) different types of projects that 
offer nutritious foods on weekends and 
during school holidays to at-risk school 
children; and 
‘‘(iii) institutional capacity to collect, 
maintain, and provide statistically valid in-
formation necessary for the Secretary— 
‘‘(I) to analyze and evaluate the 
results of the pilot project; and 
‘‘(II) to make recommendations 
to Congress. 
‘‘(7) EVALUATION.— 
‘‘(A) INTERIM
EVALUATION.—Not later 
than November 30, 2016, the Secretary shall 
complete an interim evaluation of the pilot pro-
gram carried out under this subsection. 
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‘‘(B) FINAL REPORT.—Not later than De-
cember 31, 2018, the Secretary shall submit to 
Congress a final report that contains— 
‘‘(i) an evaluation of the pilot pro-
gram carried out under this subsection; 
and 
‘‘(ii) any recommendations of the Sec-
retary for legislative action. 
‘‘(8) FUNDING.— 
‘‘(A) 
AUTHORIZATION
OF
APPROPRIA-
TIONS.—There is authorized to be appropriated 
to carry out this subsection such sums as are 
necessary, to remain available until expended. 
‘‘(B) AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS.—Not more 
than 3 percent of the funds made available 
under subparagraph (A) may be used by the 
Secretary for expenses associated with review of 
the operations and evaluation of the projects 
carried out under this subsection.’’. 
Æ 
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