# 119-hr-4451: CARE for Kids Act of 2025

119-hr-4451, CARE for Kids Act of 2025, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Hayes, Jahana [D-CT-5] (D-CT); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-04-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4451
- As of: 2026-04-21
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-4451
- Congress: 119
- Title: CARE for Kids Act of 2025
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-07-16
- Sponsor: Rep. Hayes, Jahana [D-CT-5] (D-CT)
- Cosponsors: 2
- Policy area: Agriculture and Food
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-04-21

## Summary

**Expands direct certification so more vulnerable children automatically qualify for free or reduced-price school meals.** The bill would broaden which children are directly certified, require schools to honor eligibility when students move between districts, and align school meal checks with Medicaid and related welfare programs. - Families and caregivers: Children placed with caregivers through State title IV Part B or E agencies, tribal child welfare agencies, or those receiving adoption assistance or kinship guardianship assistance would be covered for direct certification. The bill also includes children living in low-income or Native American housing programs with caregiving grandparents or older relatives. - Students who move between districts: A student’s original eligibility determination must transfer to the new local educational agency and be honored. If the child began living with the caregiver within the prior 12 months and the caregiver has legal authority or custody, eligibility can be extended by 1 year. - Schools and tribal programs: Schools operated by the Bureau of Indian Education are added to direct certification authority and local educational agencies must accept transferred determinations. - Medicaid alignment: The bill broadens Medicaid-based direct certification to include children aided under specific Medicaid provisions and those tied to title IV Part E or section 473(b) of the Social Security Act. This lets Medicaid and related welfare records more directly identify eligible students.

## Cosponsors (2)

- Rep. Bacon, Don [R-NE-2] (R-NE), 2025-07-16T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Ross, Deborah K. [D-NC-2] (D-NC), 2025-07-16T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Automatic school meals for more kids: benefit, medium. If enacted, more children would qualify automatically for free or reduced‑price school meals. This would include children in adoption assistance, kinship guardianship, or placements involving State or tribal child welfare. It would also cover families in certain low‑income housing or receiving Nati…
- Meal eligibility follows kids when they move: benefit, medium. If enacted, when a child changes school districts, the new district would have to honor the prior meal eligibility decision. If the child began living with a grandparent or relative in the past 12 months, eligibility would be extended for one extra year. The caregiver would need legal documents to…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026
- 119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025
- 119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act
- 119-hr-9237: Take Care of America’s Veterans Act
- 119-hr-2485: Arts Education for All Act
- 119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act

## Sources
- [119-hr-4451 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/4451)

## Related
- [119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9877)
- [119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3151)
- [119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7977)
- [119-hr-9237: Take Care of America’s Veterans Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9237)
- [119-hr-2485: Arts Education for All Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2485)
- [119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7973)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4451 (as of 2026-04-21).