Title: FEED the Children Act
Policy area: Education

Summary:
Funding Emergency Eating Distribution for the Children or the FEED the Children Act
This bill directs the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to allocate additional funds to states to reimburse school food authorities for a specified percentage of the costs incurred from March 2020 through June 2020 to operate school food programs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Further, USDA must issue guidance for the implementation of this bill not later than 10 days after enactment.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6801 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6801

To provide reimbursements for the emergency operational costs of school 
 food authorities during the COVID-19 pandemic, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 12, 2020

Ms. Adams (for herself, Mr. Scott of Virginia, Ms. Fudge, Mr. McGovern, 
 Ms. Wilson of Florida, Mr. Butterfield, Mr. Payne, Ms. Barragan, Mrs. 
   Dingell, Ms. Schakowsky, Ms. Wild, Mr. Grijalva, Mrs. Bustos, Ms. 
  Pingree, Mr. Thompson of Mississippi, Mr. Smith of Washington, Ms. 
 Garcia of Texas, Mrs. Hayes, Mr. Rush, Mr. Cox of California, and Mr. 
   Ted Lieu of California) introduced the following bill; which was 
            referred to the Committee on Education and Labor

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To provide reimbursements for the emergency operational costs of school 
 food authorities during the COVID-19 pandemic, and for other purposes.

    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 ``Funding Emergency Eating 
Distribution for the Children'' or the ``FEED the Children Act''.

SEC. 2. EMERGENCY COSTS FOR CHILD NUTRITION PROGRAMS DURING COVID-19 
              PANDEMIC.

    (a) Use of Certain Appropriations To Cover Emergency Operational 
Costs Under School Meal Programs.--
            (1) In general.--
                    (A) Required allotments.--Notwithstanding any other 
                provision of law, the Secretary shall allocate to each 
                State that participates in the reimbursement program 
                under paragraph (3) such amounts as may be necessary to 
                carry out reimbursements under such paragraph for each 
                reimbursement month, including, subject to paragraph 
                (4)(B), administrative expenses necessary to make such 
                reimbursements.
                    (B) Guidance with respect to program.--Not later 
                than 10 days after the date of the enactment of this 
                section, the Secretary shall issue guidance with 
                respect to the reimbursement program under paragraph 
                (3).
            (2) Reimbursement program application.--To participate in 
        the reimbursement program under paragraph (3), not later than 
        30 days after the date described in paragraph (1), a State 
        shall submit an application to the Secretary that includes a 
        plan to calculate and disburse reimbursements under the 
        reimbursement program under paragraph (3).
            (3) Reimbursement program.--Using the amounts allocated 
        under paragraph (1)(A), a State participating in the 
        reimbursement program under this paragraph shall make 
        reimbursements for emergency operational costs for each 
        reimbursement month as follows:
                    (A) For each new school food authority in the State 
                for the reimbursement month, an amount equal to 55 
                percent of the amount equal to--
                            (i) the average monthly amount such new 
                        school food authority was reimbursed under the 
                        reimbursement sections for meals and 
                        supplements served by such new school food 
                        authority during the alternate period; minus
                            (ii) the amount such new school food 
                        authority was reimbursed under the 
                        reimbursement sections for meals and 
                        supplements served by such new school food 
                        authority during such reimbursement month.
                    (B) For each school food authority not described in 
                subparagraph (A) in the State for the reimbursement 
                month, an amount equal to 55 percent of--
                            (i) the amount such school food authority 
                        was reimbursed under the reimbursement sections 
                        for meals and supplements served by such school 
                        food authority for the month beginning one year 
                        before such reimbursement month; minus
                            (ii) the amount such school food authority 
                        was reimbursed under the reimbursement sections 
                        for meals and supplements served by such school 
                        food authority during such reimbursement month.
            (4) Treatment of funds.--
                    (A) Availability.--Funds allocated to a State under 
                paragraph (1)(A) shall remain available until March 30, 
                2021.
                    (B) Administrative expenses.--A State may reserve 
                not more than 1 percent of the funds allocated under 
                paragraph (1)(A) for administrative expenses to carry 
                out this subsection.
                    (C) Unexpended balance.--On September 30, 2021, any 
                amounts allocated to a State under paragraph (1)(A) or 
                reimbursed to a school food authority or new school 
                food authority under paragraph (3) that are unexpended 
                by such State, school food authority, or new school 
                food authority shall revert to the Secretary.
            (5) Reports.--Each State that carries out a reimbursement 
        program under paragraph (3) shall, not later than September 30, 
        2021, submit a report to the Secretary that includes a summary 
        of the use of such funds by the State and each school food 
        authority and new school food authority in such State.
    (b) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Alternate period.--The term ``alternate period'' means 
        the period beginning January 1, 2020, and ending February 29, 
        2020.
            (2) Emergency operational costs.--The term ``emergency 
        operational costs'' means the costs incurred by a school food 
        authority or new school food authority--
                    (A) during a public health emergency;
                    (B) that are related to the ongoing operation, 
                modified operation, or temporary suspension of 
                operation (including administrative costs) of such 
                school food authority or new school food authority; and
                    (C) except as provided under subsection (a), that 
                are not reimbursed under a Federal grant.
            (3) New school food authority.--The term ``new school food 
        authority'' means a school food authority for which no 
        reimbursements were made under the reimbursement sections with 
        respect to the previous reimbursement period.
            (4) Public health emergency.--The term ``public health 
        emergency'' means a public health emergency declared pursuant 
        to section 319 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 
        247d) resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.
            (5) Reimbursement month.--The term ``reimbursement month'' 
        means March 2020, April 2020, May 2020, and June 2020.
            (6) Reimbursement sections.--The term ``reimbursement 
        sections'' means--
                    (A) section 4(b), section 11(a)(2), section 13, and 
                section 17A(c) of the Richard B. Russell National 
                School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1753(b); 42 U.S.C. 
                1759a(a)(2); 42 U.S.C. 1761; 42 U.S.C. 1766a(c)); and
                    (B) section 4 of the Child Nutrition Act (42 U.S.C. 
                1773).
            (7) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Agriculture.
            (8) State.-- The term ``State'' has the meaning given such 
        term in section 12(d)(8) of the Richard B. Russell National 
        School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1760(d)(8)).
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