Endorse the Universal School Meals Program Act

                        Sponsors: Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Ilhan Omar

       Co-leads: Sen. Gillibrand, Sen. Heinrich, Rep. McGovern, Rep. Moore

118th House Cosponsors (92): Reps. Alma Adams, Jake Auchincloss, Becca Balint, Nanette Barragán, Joyce Beatty, Earl Blumenauer, Jamaal Bowman, Julia Brownley, Cori Bush, Tony Cárdenas, André Carson, Greg Casar, Sean Casten, Kathy Castor, Judy Chu, Yvette D. Clarke, Emanuel Cleaver II, Steve Cohen, Jasmine Crockett, Mark DeSaulnier, Anna G. Eshoo, Adriano Espaillat, Dwight Evans, Maxwell Alejandro Frost, Ruben Gallego, Sylvia Garcia, Robert Garcia, Jesús “Chuy” García, Dan Goldman, Jimmy Gomez, Josh Gotteimer, Raul Grijalva, Jahana Hayes, Brian Higgins, Jared Huffman, Jonathan Jackson, Sheila Jackson Lee, Sara Jacobs, Pramila Jayapal, Ro Khanna, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Ann McLane Kuster, John B. Larson, Barbara Lee, Summer Lee, Mike Levin, Zoe Lofgren, Stephen F. Lynch, Seth Magaziner, Doris Matsui, Lucy McBath, Betty McCollum, Morgan McGarvey, James P. McGovern, Rob Menendez, Grace Meng, Gwen Moore, Joseph Morelle, Seth Moulton, Kevin Mullin, Jerrold Nadler, Grace F. Napolitano, Joe Neguse, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, Frank Pallone Jr., Jimmy Panetta, Donald M. Payne Jr, Brittany Pettersen, Chellie Pingree, Mark Pocan, Katie Porter, Ayanna Pressley, Delia C. Ramirez, Jamie Raskin, Linda Sánchez, Jan Schakowsky, Adam Schiff, Adam Smith, Darren Soto, Haley Stevens, Mark Takano, Shri Thanedar, Dina Titus, Rashida Tlaib, Jill Tokuda, Paul D. Tonko, Ritchie Torres, Juan Vargas, Nydia M. Velazquez, Bonnie Watson Coleman, Nikema Williams

118th Senate Cosponsors (15): Sen. Blumenthal, Booker, Fetterman, Gillibrand, Heinrich, Hirono, Merkley, Smith, Padilla, Van Hollen, Warnock, Warren, Whitehouse, Welch, and Wyden

118th Endorsements (150): African Heritage Food Co-Op, Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital, American Heart Association, Arlington Area Chilcare Inc, Association of State Public Health Nutritionists (ASPHN), Ballard Food Bank, BMH/ CHT Health Coach, California Association of Food Banks, Cambridge Economic Opportunity Committee (CEOC), Capstone Community Action, Catholic Academy of Niagara Falls, Center for Biological Diversity, Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP), Chef Ann Foundation, Chicago Food Policy Action Council, Child Development Council, Church Women United in New York State, City Harvest, Community Food Advocates, Cumberland County Food Security Council, CUNY Urban Food Policy Institute, Early Care and Learning Partnership non-profit, Vermont) , East End Food Institute, Farmingdale UFSD, Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin, Feeding New York State, Feeding Texas, Food Bank For New York City, Food Bank of Central New York, Food Bank of Northern Nevada, Food Bank of the Southern Tier, Food Research and Action Center (FRAC), Forsyth Co. Food Service, Fruit Belt Advisory Council, GRACE/End Child Poverty California, Greater Bennington Community Services, Greater Kansas City Food Policy Coalition, Green Mountain United Way, Green Mountain United Way, Guilford Public Schools, Hall County BOE, Hall County Nutrition, Hall County School, Hall County School District, Hall County School Nutrition, Hart County Charter System, Hawaii Children's Action Network Speaks!, Hunger Free America, Hunger Free Vermont, Hunger Solutions New York, Idaho Hunger Relief Task, Intervale Center, Jackson County School, Jamestown Public Schools, Jewish Family and Children's Service of Minneapolis, John Graham Housing & Services, Kona Kids Foundation, Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, Massachusetts Law Reform Institute, MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger, Middlebury Natural Foods Co-op, MUCH, National Association of Social Workers, National Education Association, National Family Farm Coalition, Nebraska Appleseed, New Hampshire Hunger Solutions, New York State School Boards Association, NH Hunger Solutions, Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont, Northwest Harvest, Nourish Colorado, Our Community Cares Camp INC, Our Community Cares Camp, OCCC, Partners for a Hunger Free Oregon, Project Bread, Red Hook CSD, Salamanca City Central School District, San Francisco-Marin Food Bank, San Luis Valley Local Foods Coalition, Saranac Lake CSD, Saratoga Immigration Coalition, School Nutrition Association, ScratchWorks, Second Harvest of Silicon Valley, Shelburne Farms, Shriver Center on Poverty Law, Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior, Soul Fire Farm Institute, St Peter's School, Stillwater Central Schools, Teens for Food Justice, The Colorado Blueprint to End Hunger, Union County Schools, University District Food Bank, Vermont Early Childhood Advocacy Alliance, Vermont Farm to School, Inc., Vermont Foodbank, West Islip Union Free School District, Wisconsin Education Association Council, Worcester County Food Bank

*This list has last been updated on 10/23/23 at 2:45 PM EST*

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Dear friends,

Please join us in endorsing the Universal School Meals Program Act to ensure no child goes hungry. 

In the richest country in the world, no child should be denied a school meal because they can’t afford to pay. The USDA estimates that 6 million children live in food-insecure households. Schools across the nation played an important role in combatting the spike in child hunger caused by the coronavirus pandemic reducing food insecurity in at-risk households with children by about 7 percentage points between the beginning of the pandemic and summer 2021.Through a combination of federal waivers, many schools for the first time were able to provide free breakfast and lunch to all students regardless of their income. New research finds medium and large schools actually saw cost savings while maintaining nutritional standards though this universal model.

Unfortunately, the short-term pandemic that brought relief to many families have come to an end, without a permanent solution to provide free meals to all students. Our bill provides a way for schools to provide the best and most cost-effective model for feeding all students.

The Universal School Meals Program Act would provide free breakfast, lunch, and dinner to every student—without demanding they prove they are poor enough to deserve help getting three meals a day. Many students from homes with incomes just above 130 percent of the poverty line, $34,450 for a family of four, are unable to receive free meals at school. Unfortunately, not all eligible students participate in the program due to a variety of reasons including burdensome application paperwork and stigma. Our bill puts an end to the burdensome application paperwork by no longer requiring a Free and Reduce Lunch Program application in order to participate in the program. Our bill also recognizes the importance of continuing to work towards an improved school-level poverty measure. It is time to build off of the success of the universal meals structure in place during this pandemic and eliminate the stigma some children fear of being labeled “poor” by their classmates once and for all. Every child deserves to eat.

Prior to the pandemic, school participation rates in the universal school meals program more than doubled from 2014 to 2018. This legislation builds off that success and offers major benefits to students, families, public schools, and communities. Studies show that students with access to free breakfast have improved attendance rates and perform better in school. Free and accessible school meals have also shown to reduce financial stress for students and families, improve health outcomes in students, reduce stigma associated with the programs, and lead to fewer behavioral incidents and lower suspension rates.

Offering universal school meals benefits students and their parents, teachers, and schools. Multiple studies show that students with access to free breakfast have improved attendance rates and perform better in school. Universal school meals has been shown to increase overall participation rates. One study found that 98% of school staff said universal meals reduced financial stress for students and families. Other studies have shown that children with access to universal schools meals have improved health outcomes. Parents will not be troubled with redundant paperwork or, as we have seen in recent months, subjected to threats to have their children taken away or saddled with burdensome debt.

Teachers, who rank hunger as a top three priority in children’s health, and school administrators can expect fewer behavioral incidents and lower suspension rates.

Specifically, the Universal School Meals Act:

- puts and end to school lunch shaming

- increases the reimbursement rate for school meals

- provides an additional incentive for local food procurement

- reimburses schools for all delinquent school meal debt

- provides summer meals for all children and Summer EBT to lower-income children

- strengthens and expands the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP)

- amends other laws referring to free-and-reduced price lunch

Recognizing that several existing programs and laws rely on FRPL data for targeting resources to schools and communities with the highest number or percentages of students from low-income background, the bill supports the use of direct certification and survey data for such targeting. 

In one of the wealthiest countries in the world, no child should be turned away from a meal if they can not afford it. If you would like to cosponsor the Universal School Meals Program Act, please complete the form below.

For additional information or should you have any questions feel free to reach out to Maria Martirosyan in Rep. Ilhan Omar's office at Maria.Martirosyan@mail.house.gov, Lauren Battle or Jose Garcia in Senate HELP Committee at lauren_battle@senate.help.gov , Jose Gar