Participating schools would provide free lunches to all enrolled children

Children enrolled in participating schools would be eligible for free lunch. This applies to all children enrolled in a school that participates in the school lunch program. The change would generally take effect one year after enactment.

Schools could not collect unpaid meal charges and would have to serve eligible children their program meals. This applies to schools in the federal breakfast or lunch programs and to children eligible under those programs. The debt collection ban and breakfast protections would begin on enactment; schools would accrue debt for reimbursement until the general effective date, one year after enactment. The lunch provision states the collection ban without a separate start date.

School food authorities would receive extra payments if their state certifies that at least 25 percent of their meals used locally sourced farm products. A locally sourced product must be marketed directly or through an intermediary and produced and distributed in the same state as the school food authority or within 250 miles of it. The state must certify the share of meals served during the previous school year. The bill generally would take effect one year after enactment; the payment rates are adjusted each year.

The Agriculture Secretary would reimburse schools for all qualifying unpaid meal debt. The program covers schools participating in the federal breakfast or lunch programs. Qualifying debt is owed by a child's parent or guardian for school breakfast or lunch and is outstanding on the general effective date. The Secretary would establish the program within 60 days after the general effective date and complete reimbursements within 180 days after that date.