Military Dependents School Meal Eligibility Act of 2026

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [H.R. 7259 Introduced in House (IH)] <DOC> 119th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 7259 To amend the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to exclude certain military housing allowances from the calculation of household income, and for other purposes. _______________________________________________________________________ IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES January 27, 2026 Mr. Levin (for himself and Mr. Mackenzie) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce _______________________________________________________________________ A BILL To amend the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to exclude certain military housing allowances from the calculation of household income, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``Military Dependents School Meal Eligibility Act of 2026''. SEC. 2. DIRECT CERTIFICATION FOR CHILDREN WHO ARE MEMBERS OF A HOUSEHOLD OF A MEMBER OF A UNIFORMED SERVICE. (a) Report.-- (1) In general.--Not later than October 1, 2026, the Secretary of Agriculture, in consultation with the Secretary of Defense, shall submit to Congress a report on the feasibility and cost of establishing procedures under which children who are members of a household of a member of a uniformed service may be certified as eligible for free or reduced price lunches under the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1751 et seq.) and free or reduced price breakfasts under the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1771 et seq.), without further application. (2) Contents.--The report required under paragraph (1) shall evaluate a range of options for implementing direct certification, including-- (A) the use and sharing of data collected for the calculation of the basic needs allowance under