Congress·In Committee·H.R. 5128

Ms. Gillen Proposes Lowering Poverty Threshold to Expand Free School Meals to More Students

Feed Hungry Kids Act

7 months ago·View on Congress.gov

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Stalled

No legislative action in over 90 days.

Legislative Progress

House

Senate

President

Law

Key Points

This bill, introduced by Ms. Gillen, changes the rules for how schools qualify to give free breakfast and lunch to every student. It aims to reduce hunger by making it easier for schools in low-income neighborhoods to offer these meals to everyone without charging any fees.
Right now, schools need a high percentage of students who already qualify for government help (like SNAP or foster care) to provide free meals to the entire student body. This bill lowers that requirement to 25%, which would allow many more schools to stop charging for meals and eliminate the need for parents to fill out individual applications.
If passed, the new rules would start on July 1, 2025. This change would help families who earn too much to qualify for traditional free lunch but still struggle to pay for school meals, ensuring all kids in these schools are fed and ready to learn without the stigma of 'lunch debt.'

EducationAgriculture

Impact Analysis

Personal Impact

Who is affectedScoreImpactCertaintyScopeDurationSentiment

Scores: 1 = low, 5 = highSentiment: -5 to +5 (net benefit)

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions

Sep 4, 2025House

Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.

Sep 4, 2025

Introduced in House

Related News

3 articles

Food Management·6 months ago

Federal bill aims to protect the 2023 expansion of the Community Eligibility Provision

The Feed Hungry Kids Act, introduced by Reps. Laura Gillen and David Valadao, would codify the current 25% Identified Student Percentage (ISP) threshold into law. This move seeks to make permanent the USDA's 2023 expansion, which lowered the requirement from 40% to allow more schools to offer free meals.

PIX11·6 months ago

Long Island Congresswoman Backing Food Assistance Program For Schools

Rep. Laura Gillen is leading a bipartisan effort to expand access to free school meals. The 'Feed Hungry Kids Act' would ensure that schools in high-poverty areas remain eligible for universal meal service by keeping the participation threshold at 25%, protecting it from future legislative cuts.

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Massapequa Post·6 months ago

In Congress, I'm fighting for Nassau County's students

In this op-ed, Rep. Laura Gillen discusses the introduction of the Feed Hungry Kids Act. She explains that by codifying the 25% threshold, an additional 17,000 schools nationwide would remain eligible for the Community Eligibility Provision, reducing paperwork and eliminating student lunch debt.

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