SPARK Act

Bill: 116-hr-4259
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Wild, Susan [D-PA-7]
Introduced: 2019-09-09
Policy area: Families
Subjects: Adoption and foster care

Child safety and welfare

Food assistance and relief

Nutrition and diet

Poverty and welfare assistance
Latest action: action_date: 2019-09-09
text: Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor.

Summaries:
action_date: 2019-09-09
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><b>Schools Preventing Hunger in At-Risk Kids Act or the SPARK Act</b><br /><br />This bill expands automatic eligibility for the National School Lunch Program to foster children who have been placed with a relative or family friend&nbsp;with the involvement of&nbsp;the state child welfare agency. To enroll in the program, a family must document the foster child's status to the child's school.</p>

tv_txt: I 116th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 4259 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES September 9, 2019 Ms. Wild (for herself, Mrs. Radewagen , Mr. Bacon , Ms. Moore , Mr. Payne , Mr. Fitzpatrick , Mr. Thompson of California , Ms. Bass , Ms. Judy Chu of California , Mr. Trone , Mrs. Bustos , Mr. Hastings , Mrs. Dingell , Mr. Ted Lieu of California , Ms. Dean , Mr. Lawson of Florida , Mrs. Hayes , Mr. Sean Patrick Maloney of New York , Ms. Haaland , Mr. McGovern , Mr. Harder of California , Mr. Serrano , Ms. Barragán , Mr. Langevin , Mr. Ryan , Mr. Pappas , and Ms. Pingree ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor A BILL To amend the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to provide categorical eligibility for free lunch and breakfast for certain children in kinship care, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Schools Preventing Hunger in At-Risk Kids Act or the SPARK Act . 2. School meals for foster children in kinship care Section 9 of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act ( 42 U.S.C. 1758 )— (1) in subsection (b)— (A) paragraph (5)(E)— (i) in clause (i), by striking or at the end; (ii) in clause (ii), by striking the period at the end and inserting ; or ; and (iii) by adding at the end the following: (iii) a child whose placement with a relative or family friend was carried out with the involvement of an agency that administers a State plan under part B or E of title IV of the Social Security Act ( 42 U.S.C. 621 et seq.), regardless of whether such agency is responsible for the care and placement of such child. ; and (B) in paragraph (12)(A)(vii)— (i) in subclause (I), by striking or at the end; (ii) in subclause (II), by striking the period and inserting ; or ; and (iii) by adding at the end the following: (III) a child whose placement with a relative or family friend was carried out with the involvement of an agency that administers a State plan under part B or E of title IV of the Social Security Act ( 42 U.S.C. 621 et seq.), regardless of whether such agency is responsible for the care and placement of such child. ; and (2) in subsection (d)(2)(F)— (A) in clause (i), by striking or at the end; and (B) by adding at the end the following: (iii) documentation has been provided to the appropriate local educational agency showing the status of the child as a child whose placement with a relative or family friend was carried out with the involvement of an agency that administers a State plan under part B or E of title IV of the Social Security Act ( 42 U.S.C. 621 et seq.), regardless of whether such agency is responsible for the care and placement of such child; or .