Congress·In Committee·H.R. 7259
Military Dependents School Meal Eligibility Act of 2026
Congress proposes to exclude military housing allowance from school meal income checks, boosting eligibility
Legislative Progress
House
Key Points
- Congress would change how family income is counted for free or reduced-price school meals when a parent is in the uniformed services.
- The bill excludes the Basic Allowance for Housing from the income calculation, which could help more military families qualify.
- It also directs the Agriculture Department, working with the Defense Department, to report to Congress by Oct. 1, 2026 on making eligible military kids automatically approved without extra paperwork.
- That report must look at options like using existing military benefit data and whether to ignore income from non-service members in the home when deciding eligibility.
Impact Analysis
Personal Impact
How this policy affects specific groups of people
Positive Impacts(4)
Milestones
2 milestones2 actions
Jan 27, 2026
Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.
Jan 27, 2026
Introduced in House
The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.
Votes
No votes have been recorded for this legislation yet.
News
No related news coverage found for this legislation yet.
Source Information
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
Military Dependents School Meal Eligibility Act of 2026
Bill NumberHR 7259
Congress119th Congress
ChamberHouse of Representatives
Latest ActionReferred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.
Data Sources
Sponsor
Cosponsors
(1)R: 1
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