Local Communities & Bird Habitat Stewardship Act of 2025

House Bill

H.R. 3276

119th Congress

Local Communities & Bird Habitat Stewardship Act of 2025

In Committee

Introduced:Jun 9, 2025

Primary Sponsor

Debbie Dingell

Representative

Democratic

MI-6

Cosponsors

20

Quick Stats

Policy Area

Agriculture and Food

Summary

This bill would create pilot programs to provide 100% plant-based food options in school meals and expand access to non-dairy milk substitutes. It aims to give more students, especially those from low-income families, the ability to choose meatless and non-dairy options in their school lunches.

Latest Action

Referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.

SponsorDebbie Dingell (D-MI)

Introduced6/9/2025

StatusReferred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.

ChamberHouse

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Vote Prediction

Local Communities & Bird Habitat Stewardship Act of 2025

This bill would create pilot programs to provide 100% plant-based food options in school meals and expand access to non-dairy milk substitutes. It aims to give more students, especially those from low-income families, the ability to choose meatless and non-dai

Community Breakdown

Pass

0%

Fail

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0 predictions

This bill would create pilot programs to provide 100% plant-based food options in school meals and expand access to non-dairy milk substitutes. It aims to give more students, especially those from low-income families, the ability to choose meatless and non-dairy options in their school lunches.

Bill Number: 3276
Sponsor: Debbie Dingell (D-MI)
Introduced: 6/9/2025
Status: Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
Policy Area: Agriculture and Food

Data from Congress.gov

AI-generated summary

Fact Sheet

Title: Local Communities & Bird Habitat Stewardship Act of 2025
Bill Number: 3276
Sponsor: Debbie Dingell (D-MI)
Status: Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
Introduced: 6/9/2025
Summary: This bill would create pilot programs to provide 100% plant-based food options in school meals and expand access to non-dairy milk substitutes. It aims to give more students, especially those from low-income families, the ability to choose meatless and non-dairy options in their school lunches.

Data from Congress.gov

AI Summary

Plain-English explanation of this bill

This bill would create pilot programs to provide 100% plant-based food options in school meals and expand access to non-dairy milk substitutes. It aims to give more students, especially those from low-income families, the ability to choose meatless and non-dairy options in their school lunches.

Last updated: 12/30/2025

Official Summary

Congressional Research Service summary

Healthy Future Students and Earth Pilot Program Act of 2023 This bill establishes pilot programs for providing 100% plant-based food and milk options in school meals and expands access to nondairy beverages in school meals.Specifically, the Department of Agriculture (USDA) must carry out a pilot program to award grants for purposes such as training food service personnel on serving 100% plant-based food options and covering additional costs of buying plant-based foods. USDA must give priority in awarding pilot program grants to school food authorities that will use the funds to serve a high proportion of children who are eligible for free or reduced-price meals. The bill also requires a school participating in the school lunch program to substitute a nondairy beverage that is nutritionally equivalent to fluid milk, and meets USDA-established standards, if the student's parent or legal guardian submits a written request for such substitution. Further, a school has the option to offer each student a nondairy beverage as a substitute for fluid milk if it  meets these same standards.  USDA must also establish a pilot program to reimburse eligible schools for the cost of providing a nondairy beverage as a substitute for fluid milk. Eligible schools are those where at least 50% of the students served are eligible for free or reduced-price meals.

Key Points

Main provisions of the bill

Establishes a pilot program to train food service staff and help cover the costs of 100% plant-based school meals
Requires schools to offer non-dairy milk substitutes if a student's parent or guardian requests it
Creates a separate pilot program to reimburse schools that offer non-dairy milk substitutes
Prioritizes funding for schools that serve a high proportion of students eligible for free or reduced-price meals

How This Impacts Americans

Potential effects on citizens and communities

This bill would primarily affect students in K-12 public schools, especially those from low-income families. It would give these students more choices in their school lunches, allowing them to select plant-based foods and non-dairy milk alternatives. This could improve nutrition and dietary diversity for participating students.

Policy Areas

Primary Policy Area

Agriculture and Food

Scope & Jurisdiction

Jurisdiction Level

federal

Congressional Session

119th Congress

Citation Reference

3276, 119th Congress (2025). "Local Communities & Bird Habitat Stewardship Act of 2025". Source: Voter's Right Platform. https://votersright.org/bills/118-hr-3276

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