This bill aims to improve the process for directly certifying eligible students to receive free or reduced-price school meals. It provides grants and assistance to help states and tribes enhance their direct certification procedures, especially for students who receive other government benefits like food stamps. The bill also expands the time frame for schools to use a provision that allows high-poverty schools to offer free meals to all students.
Latest Action
Referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.
AI Summary
Plain-English explanation of this bill
This bill aims to improve the process for directly certifying eligible students to receive free or reduced-price school meals. It provides grants and assistance to help states and tribes enhance their direct certification procedures, especially for students who receive other government benefits like food stamps. The bill also expands the time frame for schools to use a provision that allows high-poverty schools to offer free meals to all students.
Last updated: 12/29/2025
Official Summary
Congressional Research Service summary
<p><strong>School Modernization and Efficient Access to Lunches for Students Act of 2023 or the School MEALS Act of 2023</strong></p><p>This bill establishes programs and revises requirements relating to direct certification processes for the National School Lunch Program. Direct certification allows schools to use data matching procedures to approve school meals without the need for applications for children who receive assistance under other programs, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).</p><p>Specifically, the bill directs the Department of Agriculture to provide grants and technical assistance for states and tribal organizations to improve their direct certification processes, including with respect to children who receive assistance under a food distribution program on Indian reservations.</p><p>The bill also expands the time frame for schools to elect and gather eligibility data for the Community Eligibility Provision that permits schools in high-poverty areas to serve free meals to all enrolled students without the need for applications.</p><p>Further, the bill specifies that a state subject to a continuous improvement plan (for not directly certifying at least 95% of children eligible for direct certification because they receive SNAP benefits) must implement the improvement measures within three years.</p><!--tinycomments|2.1|data:application/json;base64,eyJtY2UtY29udmVyc2F0aW9uXzYzNjU2MDM1ODIxNzI3NzE4NTkyOTE1Ijp7InVpZCI6Im1jZS1jb252ZXJzYXRpb25fNjM2NTYwMzU4MjE3Mjc3MTg1OTI5MTUiLCJjb21tZW50cyI6W3sidWlkIjoibWNlLWNvbnZlcnNhdGlvbl82MzY1NjAzNTgyMTcyNzcxODU5MjkxNSIsImF1dGhvciI6Im5jaHVyY2hpbGxAbGliLmxvYy5nb3YiLCJhdXRob3JOYW1lIjoibmNodXJjaGlsbEBsaWIubG9jLmdvdiIsImNvbnRlbnQiOiJTZWMuIDIuIFRoaXMgaXMgYW4gZXhpc3RpbmcgcHJvdmlzaW9uIG9mIHRoZSBiaWxsIHRoYXQgSSBjaG9zZSB0byBpbmNsdWRlIHNpbmNlIGl0IGNyZWF0ZXMgYSBkZWFkbGluZSBmb3IgYWN0aW9uLiAiLCJjcmVhdGVkQXQiOiIyMDI0LTA5LTMwVDE3OjQ5OjUyLjkxNVoiLCJtb2RpZmllZEF0IjoiMjAyNC0wOS0zMFQxNzo0OTo1Mi45MTVaIn1dfSwibWNlLWNvbnZlcnNhdGlvbl81OTUwNDIxODQyMTczMDgxOTMzNjMxNSI6eyJ1aWQiOiJtY2UtY29udmVyc2F0aW9uXzU5NTA0MjE4NDIxNzMwODE5MzM2MzE1IiwiY29tbWVudHMiOlt7InVpZCI6Im1jZS1jb252ZXJzYXRpb25fNTk1MDQyMTg0MjE3MzA4MTkzMzYzMTUiLCJhdXRob3IiOiJjaXNlbmJlcmdAbGliLmxvYy5nb3YiLCJhdXRob3JOYW1lIjoiY2lzZW5iZXJnQGxpYi5sb2MuZ292IiwiY29udGVudCI6IkkgYWRkZWQgYSByZWZlcmVuY2UgdG8gU05BUCBoZXJlIGJlY2F1c2UgNDIgVVNDIDE3NTgoYikoNCkgaXMgc3BlY2lmaWNhbGx5IHJlZmVycmluZyB0byBjaGlsZHJlbiB3aG8gYXJlIGVsaWdpYmxlIGZvciBkaXJlY3QgY2VydGlmaWNhdGlvbiBiZWNhdXNlIHRoZXkgcmVjZWl2ZSBTTkFQIGJlbmVmaXRzLiAiLCJjcmVhdGVkQXQiOiIyMDI0LTExLTA1VDE1OjA4OjU2LjMxNVoiLCJtb2RpZmllZEF0IjoiMjAyNC0xMS0wNVQxNTowODo1Ni4zMTVaIn0seyJ1aWQiOiJtY2UtcmVwbHlfMjk4NTg1MDU0MzE3MzA4MTkzNDgyOTQiLCJhdXRob3IiOiJjaXNlbmJlcmdAbGliLmxvYy5nb3YiLCJhdXRob3JOYW1lIjoiY2lzZW5iZXJnQGxpYi5sb2MuZ292IiwiY29udGVudCI6Imh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmZlZGVyYWxyZWdpc3Rlci5nb3YvZG9jdW1lbnRzLzIwMTMvMDIvMjIvMjAxMy0wNDExOC9uYXRpb25hbC1zY2hvb2wtbHVuY2gtcHJvZ3JhbS1kaXJlY3QtY2VydGlmaWNhdGlvbi1jb250aW51b3VzLWltcHJvdmVtZW50LXBsYW5zLXJlcXVpcmVkLWJ5LXRoZSIsImNyZWF0ZWRBdCI6IjIwMjQtMTEtMDVUMTU6MDk6MDguMjk0WiIsIm1vZGlmaWVkQXQiOiIyMDI0LTExLTA1VDE1OjA5OjA4LjI5NFoifV19fQ==-->
Key Points
Main provisions of the bill
Provides grants and technical assistance to states and tribes to improve direct certification of eligible students for free/reduced school meals
Extends the time frame for schools to elect and gather data for the Community Eligibility Provision, which allows high-poverty schools to offer free meals to all students
Requires states that don't directly certify at least 95% of SNAP-eligible students to implement improvement measures within 3 years
How This Impacts Americans
Potential effects on citizens and communities
This bill would primarily impact low-income students and their families by making it easier for them to access free or reduced-price school meals without having to fill out additional applications. It would also benefit schools in high-poverty areas by allowing them to provide universal free meals to all students. Overall, the bill aims to increase access to school nutrition programs for students from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Policy Areas
Primary Policy Area
Agriculture and Food
Scope & Jurisdiction
Jurisdiction Level
federal
Congressional Session
119th Congress
Citation Reference
5407, 119th Congress (2025). "Climate Resilient Elections Act". Source: Voter's Right Platform. https://votersright.org/bills/118-hr-5407
