Washington, D.C. – On April 10, 2025, U.S. Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) introduced the School Meal Modernization and Hunger Elimination Act, critical legislation that would expand access to free or reduced price school lunches for children and make it easier for school districts to feed hungry students.
“No child should ever worry about where their next meal will come from. It’s long past time we stop humiliating kids and penalizing hunger,” said Senator Fetterman. “By expanding access to free and reduced price school lunches for kids who need them and making it more convenient for school districts to enroll students, this legislation will help keep Pennsylvania children healthy and fed. We need to make it easier, not harder, for kids to get the nutritious food they need – this bill does just that.”
The School Meal Modernization and Hunger Elimination Act combines several pieces of legislation from the 118th Congress into one package that will reduce barriers for school districts looking to expand direct certification and increase access to free school meals for children in need. By expanding free school meal coverage to children living in informal care arrangements, including those living with their grandparents or other relatives, this bill will ensure vulnerable children have access to the healthy food they need. The School Meal Modernization and Hunger Elimination Act will also make it easier for schools to directly certify more students to be eligible for free school meals. Direct certification helps get more food to the kids who need it most by allowing districts to provide meals to eligible children without families having to first fill out an application and other paperwork.
The School Meal Modernization and Hunger Elimination Act is endorsed by the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC).
“We applaud Senator Fetterman for his commitment to expanding access to school meals so more children can get the nutrition they need for their health and learning. The School Meal Modernization and Hunger Elimination Act would be a game-changer for students, their families, and schools,” said Crystal FitzSimons, Interim President, Food Research & Action Center. “By increasing the number of high-need schools that can offer free school meals to all students and expanding direct certification along with other improvements, this bill would decrease hunger, eliminate school meal debt, and reduce stigma. We urge Congress to quickly move this bill forward. Hungry children can’t wait.”
The full text of the bill is available here.
