Many Democrats in the House and Senate want to pass a universal school meal program for kids in preschool through high school. It applies to all kids, no matter their income.
The bill includes a summer food service program.
From a Bernie Sanders press release:
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), and Rep. Gwen Moore (D-Wis.), along with 15 colleagues in the Senate and 68 in the House of Representatives, today introduced legislation that provides a permanent solution to end child hunger in schools by offering free breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a snack to all students, preschool through high school, regardless of income, eliminating all school meal debt, and strengthening local economies by incentivizing local food procurement.The Universal School Meals Program Act of 2023 builds on the highly successful universal free school meals program that Congress funded to combat the spike in child and youth hunger brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. While various efforts were made to bolster and extend the program since 2020, it expired in September 2022 leaving nearly 30 million children who rely on free or reduced-price lunch in a state of uncertainty and strain.
The bill’s summary claims it would end “school lunch shaming” and “provides an additional incentive for local food procurement.”
But the 47-page bill doesn’t explain how the government would pay for the program. How much does the program cost? How will the government offset the payments?
Oh, wait. These people think money grows on trees.
It looks like the bill would amend the Child Nutrition Act of 1966. Let’s see if we can find anything in this section:
(c) STATE DISBURSEMENT TO SCHOOLS.—Section 4 of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1773) is amended by striking subsection (c) and inserting the following:‘‘(c) STATE DISBURSEMENT TO SCHOOLS.—Funds apportioned and paid to any State for the purpose of this section shall be disbursed by the State educational agency to schools selected by the State educational agency to assist those schools in operating a breakfast program.’’.
The subsection the bill suspends states:
(c) Disbursement of apportioned funds by State; preference for schools in poor economic areas, for students traveling long distances daily, and for schools for improvement of nutrition and dietary practices of children of working mothers and from low-income familiesFunds apportioned and paid to any State for the purpose of this section shall be disbursed by the State educational agency to schools selected by the State educational agency to assist such schools in operating a breakfast program and for the purpose of subsection (d). Disbursement to schools shall be made at such rates per meal or on such other basis as the Secretary shall prescribe. In selecting schools for participation, the State educational agency shall, to the extent practicable, give first consideration to those schools drawing attendance from areas in which poor economic conditions exist, to those schools in which a substantial proportion of the children enrolled must travel long distances daily, and to those schools in which there is a special need for improving the nutrition and dietary practices of children of working mothers and children from low-income families. Breakfast assistance disbursements to schools under this section may be made in advance or by way of reimbursement in accordance with procedures prescribed by the Secretary.
Oh, I see! The bill is forcing the state to cover the burden of the costs? Doesn’t that make the bill unconstitutional?
The bill reimburses schools for any school lunch debt. Again, who pays for the debt?
The Secretary of Agriculture will have to establish a program to reimburse every school participating in a school lunch program. Then the secretary sends out a form to state agencies. After getting that information the secretary will “provide all reimbursements under the program not later than 180 days after the effective date specified in section 2.”
Alrighty then.
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