Title: Hunger-Free Summer for Kids Act of 2019
Policy area: Agriculture and Food

Summary:
Hunger-Free Summer for Kids Act of 2019
This bill revises the Summer Food Service Program to direct the Department of Agriculture to establish electronic benefit transfer (EBT) cards and off-site consumption as two alternative delivery options for certain children through schools and service institutions in the program.
These options shall be available to a child only if (1) the child lives in a rural area or outside of an area in which poor economic conditions exist, and (2) the child is eligible for a free or reduced price lunch and breakfast. In the case of off-site consumption, the option is also available if the summer program is available to the child at a congregate feeding site but (1) the site is closed due to extreme weather conditions, (2) violence or other public safety concerns in the area prevent the child from traveling safely to the site, (3) the site is open not more than four days a week, or (4) the site provides only one meal per day.
A state may not operate the EBT card option and the off-site consumption option simultaneously in the same area.
Each state desiring to participate in the summer food service program shall include in its annual management and administration plan the state's plans for using one or both of these alternative delivery options.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1918 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>






116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1918

 To amend the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to require 
     alternative options for summer food service program delivery.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             June 20, 2019

  Mr. Boozman (for himself, Mr. Leahy, Mr. McConnell, Mr. Brown, Mrs. 
Hyde-Smith, Mr. Bennet, and Mr. Hoeven) introduced the following bill; 
  which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, 
                        Nutrition, and Forestry

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to require 
     alternative options for summer food service program delivery.

    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 ``Hunger-Free Summer for Kids Act of 
2019''.

SEC. 2. ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS FOR SUMMER FOOD SERVICE PROGRAM DELIVERY.

    Section 13 of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 
U.S.C. 1761) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a), by adding at the end the following:
            ``(13) Alternative options for program delivery.--
                    ``(A) Purpose.--The purpose of this paragraph is to 
                establish the alternative program delivery options 
                described in subparagraph (B)--
                            ``(i) to provide meals to children that do 
                        not have readily available access to meals 
                        otherwise provided under this section; and
                            ``(ii)(I) to increase program 
                        participation, effectiveness, and efficiency;
                            ``(II) to improve child nutrition; and
                            ``(III) to reduce food insecurity among 
                        children.
                    ``(B) Alternative options.--The Secretary shall 
                establish the following 2 alternative options for 
                program delivery:
                            ``(i) Provision of an electronic benefit 
                        card (referred to in this paragraph as an `EBT 
                        card') in accordance with subparagraph (C).
                            ``(ii) Off-site consumption in accordance 
                        with subparagraph (D).
                    ``(C) EBT card.--
                            ``(i) In general.--Beginning not later than 
                        summer 2022, the Secretary shall make available 
                        an option to States to provide program meals 
                        under this section through the issuance to 
                        children of EBT cards.
                            ``(ii) Amount.--
                                    ``(I) In general.--Subject to 
                                subclause (III), the value of an EBT 
                                card provided under this subparagraph 
                                to a child shall be $30 per month.
                                    ``(II) Annual limitation.--No child 
                                shall receive benefits under this 
                                subparagraph in an amount greater than 
                                $100 in any summer period, as defined 
                                by the Secretary.
                                    ``(III) Adjustment.--On January 1 
                                of each year, the Secretary shall 
                                adjust the values described in 
                                subclauses (I) and (II) by the same 
                                percentage as the adjustment made under 
                                subsection (b)(1)(B).
                            ``(iii) Use of benefits.--
                                    ``(I) In general.--An EBT card 
                                issued under this subparagraph may be 
                                used only for the purchase of food from 
                                retail stores approved for 
                                participation in the supplemental 
                                nutrition assistance program 
                                established under the Food and 
                                Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2011 et 
                                seq.).
                                    ``(II) Benefit redemption.--A 
                                retail store shall redeem EBT card 
                                benefits under this subparagraph in the 
                                same manner that benefits are redeemed 
                                under the supplemental nutrition 
                                assistance program described in 
                                subclause (I).
                                    ``(III) Timing.--An EBT card issued 
                                under this subparagraph may be used by 
                                a child only when school is out of 
                                session for the summer period, as 
                                defined by the Secretary.
                            ``(iv) Issuance requirements.--In 
                        administering this subparagraph, the Secretary 
                        shall ensure that an EBT card--
                                    ``(I) is only issued to a child--
                                            ``(aa) who lives--

                                                    ``(AA) in a rural 
                                                area, as determined by 
                                                the Secretary; or

                                                    ``(BB) outside an 
                                                area in which poor 
                                                economic conditions 
                                                exist;

                                            ``(bb) through an 
                                        application process developed 
                                        by the Secretary; and
                                            ``(cc) who has been 
                                        determined to be eligible for a 
                                        free or reduced price lunch 
                                        under this Act and a free or 
                                        reduced price breakfast under 
                                        section 4 of the Child 
                                        Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 
                                        U.S.C. 1773); and
                                    ``(II) is not issued to a child 
                                living in an area in which a congregate 
                                feeding site is operating to prevent 
                                duplication in benefits.
                    ``(D) Off-site consumption.--
                            ``(i) In general.--Beginning not later than 
                        summer 2022, the Secretary shall make available 
                        an option to States to provide program meals 
                        under this section through service institutions 
                        that provide off-site consumption.
                            ``(ii) Availability.--In administering this 
                        subparagraph, the Secretary shall ensure that 
                        off-site consumption is only available to a 
                        child if--
                                    ``(I) the child is determined to be 
                                eligible for a free or reduced price 
                                lunch under this Act and a free or 
                                reduced price breakfast under section 4 
                                of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 
                                U.S.C. 1773); and
                                    ``(II) not less than 1 of the 
                                conditions described in clause (iii) is 
                                present.
                            ``(iii) Conditions.--The conditions 
                        referred to in clause (ii)(II) are the 
                        following:
                                    ``(I) The child lives in a rural 
                                area, as determined by the Secretary.
                                    ``(II) The child lives outside an 
                                area in which poor economic conditions 
                                exist.
                                    ``(III) The program is available to 
                                the child at a congregate feeding site 
                                but--
                                            ``(aa) the site is closed 
                                        due to extreme weather 
                                        conditions;
                                            ``(bb) violence or other 
                                        public safety concerns in the 
                                        area prevent the child from 
                                        traveling safely to the site;
                                            ``(cc) the site is open not 
                                        more than 4 days a week; or
                                            ``(dd) the site provides 
                                        only 1 meal per day.
                            ``(iv) Administration.--In administering 
                        this subparagraph, the Secretary shall ensure 
                        that--
                                    ``(I) in the case of off-site 
                                consumption under the condition 
                                described in clause (iii)(III)(cc), the 
                                number of reimbursable meals served to 
                                each child in a single meal service is 
                                not more than 2;
                                    ``(II) any meal served by a service 
                                institution through off-site 
                                consumption meets the same standards 
                                for safety and quality as a meal served 
                                at a congregate feeding site; and
                                    ``(III) each State gives priority 
                                to a child living in an area in which a 
                                congregate feeding site is not 
                                reasonably accessible, as determined by 
                                the Secretary.
                    ``(E) Scope.--Under this paragraph, a State--
                            ``(i) may implement an alternative option 
                        described in subparagraph (B) in any area 
                        described in subitem (AA) or (BB) of 
                        subparagraph (C)(iv)(I)(aa) in the State; but
                            ``(ii) shall not simultaneously implement 
                        both alternative options described in 
                        subparagraph (B) in the same area in the State.
                    ``(F) Regulations.--Not later than October 1, 2021, 
                the Secretary shall promulgate regulations, with an 
                opportunity for notice and comment--
                            ``(i) to ensure the integrity of the 
                        alternative options for program delivery 
                        described in subparagraph (B); and
                            ``(ii) to prevent duplication in benefits 
                        received under this paragraph.''; and
            (2) in subsection (n)--
                    (A) by striking ``and (6)'' and inserting ``(6)''; 
                and
                    (B) by striking the period at the end and inserting 
                ``; and (7) the plans of the State for using the 
                alternative options for program delivery described in 
                subsection (a)(13), if applicable.''.
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