US Congress House Bill 4249 (Prior Session Legislation)

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Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 30-0)
Status: Introduced on March 13 2014 - 25% progression, died in committee
Action: 2014-06-13 - Referred to the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education.
Pending: House Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education Committee
Text: Latest bill text (Introduced) [PDF]

Helping Hungry Students Learn Act - Amends the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (Russell Act) to raise the eligibility level for free lunches under the school lunch program to 185% of the poverty level. (Currently it is set at 130%.) Eliminates reduced price lunches, for which eligibility is currently set at 185% of the poverty level. Amends the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 to require schools participating in the school breakfast program to provide a free breakfast to each student who desires one. Sets the national average payment for each breakfast served to any child at the national average payment for each free breakfast served during the school year. Requires states to provide additional assistance, in the form of higher breakfast reimbursement rates, to schools in which there is an alternative breakfast serving model to increase participation in the school breakfast program, such as by serving breakfast in the classroom or having a school breakfast cart. Amends the Russell Act to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to award grants to assist states with the initial costs of participating in a summer electronic benefits transfer for children program to improve children's access to food during the summer months. Directs the Secretary to implement a pilot program providing commodities, on a competitive basis, to states to enable nonprofits to serve nutritious food to at-risk school children on weekends and during extended school holidays during the school year. (At-risk school children are those who participate in the school lunch program and reside in an area served by a school in which at least 50% of the students receive free or reduced price meals under the school lunch or breakfast programs.) Includes elementary and secondary schools, school food authorities, food banks or pantries, homeless shelters, and other Secretary-approved emergency feeding agencies as eligible nonprofit program participants. Requires the nonprofits serving such commodities to satisfy safe food storage, handling, and delivery standards established by the Secretary.

Helping Hungry Students Learn Act

Rep. Dina Titus [D-NV]	Rep. Tony Cardenas [D-CA]	Rep. Andre Carson [D-IN]	Rep. Matthew Cartwright [D-PA]
Rep. Katherine Clark [D-MA]	Rep. Yvette Clarke [D-NY]	Rep. Steve Cohen [D-TN]	Rep. John Conyers [D-MI]
Rep. Susan Davis [D-CA]	Rep. Rosa DeLauro [D-CT]	Rep. Theodore Deutch [D-FL]	Rep. Eliot Engel [D-NY]
Rep. Marcia Fudge [D-OH]	Rep. Jared Huffman [D-CA]	Rep. Henry Johnson [D-GA]	Rep. Marcy Kaptur [D-OH]
Rep. Ann Kuster [D-NH]	Rep. Barbara Lee [D-CA]	Rep. Sean Maloney [D-NY]	Rep. Gwen Moore [D-WI]
Rep. Jerrold Nadler [D-NY]	Rep. Gloria Negrete McLeod [D-CA]	Rep. Chellie Pingree [D-ME]	Rep. Mark Pocan [D-WI]
Rep. Jared Polis [D-CO]	Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard [D-CA]	Rep. Jose Serrano [D-NY]	Rep. Carol Shea-Porter [D-NH]
Rep. Mark Takano [D-CA]	Rep. Juan Vargas [D-CA]

Date	Chamber	Action
2014-06-13	House	Referred to the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education.
2014-03-13	House	Referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.

Type	Source
Summary	https://www.congress.gov/bill/113th-congress/house-bill/4249/all-info
Text	https://www.congress.gov/113/bills/hr4249/BILLS-113hr4249ih.pdf