Title: Weekends Without Hunger Act
Policy area: Agriculture and Food

Summary:
Weekends Without Hunger Act
This bill amends the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to require the Department of Agriculture to establish a program to provide commodities, on a competitive basis, to public or private nonprofit institutions to provide nutritious food to at-risk children on weekends and during extended school holidays throughout the year
(At-risk children are children who are eligible to receive free or reduced price meals under the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act or the Child Nutrition Act of 1966.)

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7185 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 7185

To amend the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to establish 
a weekend and holiday feeding program to provide nutritious food to at-
 risk school children on weekends and during extended school holidays 
                          throughout the year.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           November 28, 2018

 Ms. Titus (for herself, Ms. Moore, Ms. Wilson of Florida, Mr. Deutch, 
     Mr. Blumenauer, Ms. Norton, Mr. Cohen, Mr. Soto, Ms. Esty of 
Connecticut, Ms. Lofgren, Ms. Jackson Lee, Ms. Clark of Massachusetts, 
  Ms. Schakowsky, Mr. Carson of Indiana, Mr. Richmond, Mr. Brendan F. 
 Boyle of Pennsylvania, Mr. Rush, Mr. Ryan of Ohio, Ms. Eddie Bernice 
Johnson of Texas, Mr. Espaillat, Mr. Vela, Ms. Judy Chu of California, 
Ms. Wasserman Schultz, Mr. Hastings, Ms. Roybal-Allard, Mr. Thompson of 
 Mississippi, Mr. DeSaulnier, Mr. Gallego, and Mr. Yarmuth) 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 to establish 
a weekend and holiday feeding program to provide nutritious food to at-
 risk school children on weekends and during extended school holidays 
                          throughout the year.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Weekends Without Hunger Act''.

SEC. 2. 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 Hunger.--
            ``(1) Definitions.--In this subsection:
                    ``(A) At-risk school child.--The term `at-risk 
                school child' means a child who is eligible to receive 
                free or reduced price meals under this Act or the Child 
                Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1771 et seq.).
                    ``(B) Eligible institution.--
                            ``(i) In general.--The term `eligible 
                        institution' means a public or private 
                        nonprofit institution that is determined by the 
                        Secretary to be able to meet safe food storage, 
                        handling, and delivery standards established 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;
                                    ``(IV) an institution participating 
                                in the program under section 13;
                                    ``(V) an institution participating 
                                in the program under section 17; and
                                    ``(VI) such other type of emergency 
                                feeding agency as is approved by the 
                                Secretary.
            ``(2) Establishment.--Subject to the availability of 
        appropriations provided in advance in an appropriations Act 
        specifically for the purpose of carrying out this subsection, 
        the Secretary shall establish a program under which the 
        Secretary shall provide commodities, on a competitive basis, to 
        eligible institutions to provide nutritious food to at-risk 
        children on weekends and during extended school holidays 
        throughout the year.
            ``(3) Eligibility.--
                    ``(A) In general.--To be eligible to receive 
                commodities under this subsection, an eligible 
                institution shall submit an application to the 
                Secretary at such time, in such manner, and containing 
                such information as the Secretary may determine.
                    ``(B) Plan.--An application under subparagraph (A) 
                shall include the plan of the eligible institution for 
                the distribution of nutritious foods to at-risk school 
                children, including--
                            ``(i) methods of food service delivery that 
                        will allow at-risk school children to leave the 
                        premises of the institution with commodities 
                        provided under the project;
                            ``(ii) assurances that children receiving 
                        foods under the project will not be publicly 
                        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 assist 
                        the Secretary in evaluating projects that 
                        receive commodities under this subsection.
            ``(4) Priority.--In selecting applications under this 
        subsection, the Secretary shall give priority to eligible 
        institutions that--
                    ``(A) have on-going programs and experience serving 
                populations with significant proportions of at-risk 
                school children;
                    ``(B) have a good record of experience in food 
                delivery and food safety systems;
                    ``(C) maintain high-quality control, 
                accountability, 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.
            ``(5) Guidelines.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The Secretary shall issue 
                guidelines containing the criteria for projects to 
                receive commodities under this section.
                    ``(B) Inclusions.--The guidelines shall, to the 
                maximum extent practicable within the funds available 
                and applications submitted, take into account--
                            ``(i) geographical variations in project 
                        locations 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 
                        information necessary for the Secretary--
                                    ``(I) to analyze and evaluate the 
                                results of the pilot project; and
                                    ``(II) to make recommendations to 
                                Congress.
            ``(6) Evaluation.--
                    ``(A) Interim evaluation.--Not later than November 
                30, 2021, the Secretary shall complete an interim 
                evaluation of the pilot program carried out under this 
                subsection.
                    ``(B) Final report.--Not later than December 31, 
                2023, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a final 
                report that contains--
                            ``(i) an evaluation of the pilot program 
                        carried out under this subsection; and
                            ``(ii) any recommendations of the Secretary 
                        for legislative action.
            ``(7) Funding.--
                    ``(A) Authorization of appropriations.--There is 
                authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 
                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.''.
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