Title: Stop Child Summer Hunger Act of 2019
Policy area: Agriculture and Food

Summary:
Stop Child Summer Hunger Act of 2019
This bill requires the Department of Agriculture to establish a program providing eligible households with summer Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards in order to give children access to food during the summer months to (1) reduce or eliminate children's food insecurity and hunger, and (2) improve their nutritional status.
An "eligible household" is a household that includes one or more children who are eligible to receive free or reduced price meals under the school lunch or breakfast programs.
The amount on each summer EBT card is set at $150 per child in 2020, with adjustments thereafter reflecting changes in reimbursement rates for school meals under the school lunch program.
If children are enrolled to receive free or reduced price meals under the school lunch or breakfast programs, they must be enrolled in this program without further application.
Summer EBT cards may be used only to purchase food from retail food stores that have been approved for participation in the supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP, formerly known as the food stamp program).

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1941 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1941

To amend the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to establish 
    a permanent, nationwide summer electronic benefits transfer for 
                           children program.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             June 20, 2019

  Mrs. Murray 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 establish 
    a permanent, nationwide summer electronic benefits transfer for 
                           children program.

    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 ``Stop Child Summer Hunger Act of 
2019''.

SEC. 2. SUMMER ELECTRONIC BENEFITS TRANSFER FOR CHILDREN PROGRAM.

    Section 13(a) of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act 
(42 U.S.C. 1761(a)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
            ``(13) Summer electronic benefits transfer for children 
        program.--
                    ``(A) Definitions.--In this paragraph:
                            ``(i) Eligible household.--The term 
                        `eligible household' means a household that 
                        includes one or more children who are eligible 
                        to receive free or reduced-price lunches under 
                        this Act or free or reduced-price breakfasts 
                        under the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 
                        U.S.C. 1771 et seq.).
                            ``(ii) Summer ebt card.--The term `summer 
                        EBT card' means an electronic benefit transfer 
                        card that is issued to an eligible household 
                        under this paragraph and limited to food 
                        purchases.
                    ``(B) Program.--The Secretary shall establish a 
                program under which the Secretary shall provide to 
                eligible households summer EBT cards for the purpose of 
                providing access to food for children during summer 
                months--
                            ``(i) to reduce or eliminate the food 
                        insecurity and hunger of children; and
                            ``(ii) to improve the nutritional status of 
                        children.
                    ``(C) Use.--An eligible household may use a summer 
                EBT card only to purchase food from retail food stores 
                that have been 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.), in accordance with section 7(b) of that Act 
                (7 U.S.C. 2016(b)).
                    ``(D) Amount.--Each summer EBT card issued shall be 
                in an amount of--
                            ``(i) for calendar year 2020, $150 in food 
                        assistance per child per summer; and
                            ``(ii) for each subsequent calendar year, 
                        the amount specified in clause (i) as adjusted 
                        to reflect changes in reimbursement rates for 
                        school meals under this Act between calendar 
                        year 2020 and the most recent calendar year.
                    ``(E) Timing.--Summer EBT cards shall be issued at 
                the end of the regular school year.
                    ``(F) Funding.--
                            ``(i) In general.--On October 1, 2019, and 
                        on each October 1 thereafter, out of any funds 
                        in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, the 
                        Secretary of the Treasury shall transfer to the 
                        Secretary such sums as are necessary to carry 
                        out this section, to remain available until 
                        expended.
                            ``(ii) Receipt and acceptance.--The 
                        Secretary shall be entitled to receive, shall 
                        accept, and shall use to carry out this section 
                        the funds transferred under clause (i), without 
                        further appropriation. 
                    ``(G) Regulations.--
                            ``(i) In general.--Not later than October 
                        1, 2019, the Secretary shall issue regulations 
                        to carry out this paragraph.
                            ``(ii) Requirements.--Regulations issued 
                        under this subparagraph shall require that--
                                    ``(I) children shall be eligible to 
                                participate and shall be enrolled into 
                                the program under this paragraph for a 
                                summer without further application if 
                                the children are enrolled to 
                                participate in the free or reduced-
                                price lunch program under this Act or 
                                the free or reduced-price breakfast 
                                program under the Child Nutrition Act 
                                of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1771 et seq.) during 
                                the school year immediately preceding 
                                the summer; and
                                    ``(II) local educational agencies 
                                shall distribute to the families of all 
                                children enrolled in schools 
                                participating in programs authorized 
                                under this Act and the Child Nutrition 
                                Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1771 et seq.) 
                                and, to the maximum extent practicable, 
                                the families of all children enrolled 
                                in schools of the local educational 
                                agency information, as provided by the 
                                Secretary--
                                            ``(aa) regarding the 
                                        program authorized under this 
                                        paragraph, including 
                                        eligibility rules and how 
                                        children in eligible households 
                                        that are not automatically 
                                        enrolled under subclause (I) 
                                        may apply for program benefits; 
                                        and
                                            ``(bb) to assist households 
                                        receiving summer EBT cards in 
                                        making healthy food choices and 
                                        maximizing resources.
                            ``(iii) Alternative timing.--
                                    ``(I) In general.--In issuing 
                                regulations under this subparagraph, 
                                the Secretary shall allow alternative 
                                plans for the timing of issuance of the 
                                summer electronic benefit cards under 
                                subparagraph (D) in any part of a State 
                                in which the school year does not 
                                include a typical summer break, on the 
                                condition that the Secretary determines 
                                that no alternative plan increases or 
                                decreases Federal costs.
                                    ``(II) Considerations.--In 
                                developing regulations under subclause 
                                (I), the Secretary shall consider the 
                                ability of a State effectively to issue 
                                benefits under an alternative 
                                schedule.''.
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