# 116-hr-5283: School MEALS Act of 2019

116-hr-5283, School MEALS Act of 2019, is a 116th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Fudge, Marcia L. [D-OH-11] (D-OH); status Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor. (as of 2025-11-18).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/116-hr-5283
- As of: 2025-11-18
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 116-hr-5283
- Congress: 116
- Title: School MEALS Act of 2019
- Status: Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor.
- Introduced: 2019-12-03
- Sponsor: Rep. Fudge, Marcia L. [D-OH-11] (D-OH)
- Cosponsors: 0
- Policy area: Agriculture and Food
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2025-11-18

## Summary

School Modernization and Efficient Access to Lunches for Students Act of 2019 or the School MEALS Act of 2019 This bill establishes programs and revises requirements relating to direct certification processes for the National School Lunch Program. Direct certification allows schools to use data matching procedures to approve school meals without the need for applications for children who receive assistance under other programs, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as the food stamp program). Specifically, the bill directs the Department of Agriculture to provide grants and technical assistance for states and tribal organizations to improve their direct certification processes, including with respect to children who receive assistance under a food distribution program on Indian reservations. The bill also expands the time frame for schools to elect and gather eligibility data for the Community Eligibility Provision that permits schools in high-poverty areas to serve free meals to all enrolled students without the need for applications.

## Related bills

- 116-hr-8958: Supporting Best Practices for Healthy Moms Act
- 116-hr-8856: To award a Congressional Gold Medal to the Freedom Riders, collectively, in recognition of their unique contribution to Civil Rights, which inspired a revoluti…
- 116-hr-8791: DHS Reform Act of 2020
- 116-hr-8782: Keeping All Students Safe Act
- 116-hr-8709: Analyzing Kinetic Impact Projectiles Against Americans Act of 2020
- 116-hr-8691: Save Education Jobs Act

## Sources
- [116-hr-5283 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/5283)

## Related
- [116-hr-8958: Supporting Best Practices for Healthy Moms Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/116-hr-8958)
- [116-hr-8856: To award a Congressional Gold Medal to the Freedom Riders, collectively, in rec…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/116-hr-8856)
- [116-hr-8791: DHS Reform Act of 2020](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/116-hr-8791)
- [116-hr-8782: Keeping All Students Safe Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/116-hr-8782)
- [116-hr-8709: Analyzing Kinetic Impact Projectiles Against Americans Act of 2020](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/116-hr-8709)
- [116-hr-8691: Save Education Jobs Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/116-hr-8691)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/116-hr-5283 (as of 2025-11-18).