Expanding Access to School Meals Act of 2025
Sponsored By: Representative Gottheimer
Introduced
Summary
This bill would expand free school meals by eliminating reduced-price meal categories and raising the income cutoff so many more children qualify for free breakfasts and lunches. It would also create new direct-certification paths, change school reimbursement rules, and raise the Community Eligibility Provision multiplier.
Show full summary
- Families and students: Families with incomes up to 224% of the poverty level would have children eligible for free meals, replacing the prior 130% reduced-price threshold.
- Schools and local educational agencies: The bill would remove reimbursements for reduced-price meals and require school food authorities to revise past meal claims so newly certified students can be reimbursed retroactively.
- State and local agencies: Schools could directly certify children for free meals based on TANF, certain Medicaid-linked eligibility, homelessness, foster care, migratory or runaway youth status, SSI, adoption assistance, or kinship guardianship assistance. The bill would require interagency agreements to implement Medicaid-based direct certification and raise the Community Eligibility Provision multiplier to 2.5.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.
More free meals, reduced-price would end
The bill would raise the income limit for free school lunches to 224% of the poverty line (up from 130%). It would end the reduced-price option for breakfast and lunch. Families at or below 224% of poverty could get free meals. If your income is above 224%, your child would pay the full price. These changes would apply to school years starting on or after July 1, 2025.
Automatic free meals for Medicaid and more
Schools could approve free meals without a new form for some children. Covered groups would include TANF, homeless or runaway youth, migratory, foster care, and certain Medicaid-linked cases. Medicaid children with family income at or below 224% of poverty could be directly certified. States would need agreements with Medicaid eligibility offices to share data. Schools would have to fix past meal claims so approved kids count free from the first day of the school year. These changes would apply to school years starting on or after July 1, 2025.
More meal money for CEP schools
If your child’s school uses the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), it would get more federal money per meal. The bill would set the CEP multiplier at 2.5. This could help schools keep offering free meals to all students. The change would apply to school years starting on or after July 1, 2025.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Gottheimer
NJ • D
Cosponsors
Dingell
MI • D
Sponsored 4/7/2025
Adams
NC • D
Sponsored 4/7/2025
DeSaulnier
CA • D
Sponsored 4/7/2025
Carson
IN • D
Sponsored 4/7/2025
Chu
CA • D
Sponsored 4/7/2025
Huffman
CA • D
Sponsored 4/7/2025
Moulton
MA • D
Sponsored 4/7/2025
Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large]
DC • D
Sponsored 4/7/2025
Sherrill
NJ • D
Sponsored 4/7/2025
Smith (WA)
WA • D
Sponsored 4/7/2025
Wasserman Schultz
FL • D
Sponsored 4/7/2025
Stevens
MI • D
Sponsored 4/7/2025
Thanedar
MI • D
Sponsored 4/7/2025
Evans (PA)
PA • D
Sponsored 4/7/2025
Suozzi
NY • D
Sponsored 5/15/2025
Davis (IL)
IL • D
Sponsored 10/14/2025
Bishop
GA • D
Sponsored 10/14/2025
McBride
DE • D
Sponsored 10/17/2025
Bell
MO • D
Sponsored 10/17/2025
Garamendi
CA • D
Sponsored 10/21/2025
Sewell
AL • D
Sponsored 10/21/2025
Frankel, Lois
FL • D
Sponsored 10/24/2025
Goldman (NY)
NY • D
Sponsored 10/24/2025
Doggett
TX • D
Sponsored 10/24/2025
McGarvey
KY • D
Sponsored 10/24/2025
Ansari
AZ • D
Sponsored 10/24/2025
DelBene
WA • D
Sponsored 10/24/2025
Salinas
OR • D
Sponsored 10/24/2025
Thompson (CA)
CA • D
Sponsored 10/31/2025
Ocasio-Cortez
NY • D
Sponsored 11/4/2025
Carbajal
CA • D
Sponsored 11/4/2025
Pettersen
CO • D
Sponsored 11/4/2025
Mullin
CA • D
Sponsored 11/7/2025
Wilson (FL)
FL • D
Sponsored 11/7/2025
Strickland
WA • D
Sponsored 11/7/2025
Williams (GA)
GA • D
Sponsored 11/7/2025
Latimer
NY • D
Sponsored 11/12/2025
Casten
IL • D
Sponsored 12/2/2025
Frost
FL • D
Sponsored 12/9/2025
Budzinski
IL • D
Sponsored 12/16/2025
Watson Coleman
NJ • D
Sponsored 1/8/2026
Hayes
CT • D
Sponsored 1/8/2026
Grijalva
AZ • D
Sponsored 1/27/2026
Cohen
TN • D
Sponsored 1/30/2026
Subramanyam
VA • D
Sponsored 3/30/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
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