# 119-hr-5731: School Food Modernization Act

119-hr-5731, School Food Modernization Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. DeSaulnier, Mark [D-CA-10] (D-CA); status in_committee; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-09-23).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-5731
- As of: 2026-09-23
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-5731
- Congress: 119
- Title: School Food Modernization Act
- Status: in_committee
- Introduced: 2025-10-10
- Sponsor: Rep. DeSaulnier, Mark [D-CA-10] (D-CA)
- Cosponsors: 21
- Policy area: Agriculture and Food
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-23

## Summary

**This bill would create new loan, grant, and training programs to help schools upgrade kitchens and train staff, with a focus on** **modernizing school lunch facilities and equipment**. It pairs loan guarantees, competitive equipment grants, and training to boost meal quality and food safety. - Gives local educational agencies and tribal organizations access to loan guarantees and equipment grants for construction, remodels, and durable equipment purchases, backed by a $300 million loan reserve and up to $35 million per year in equipment grants (FY2026–2031). - Creates competitive grants for nonprofits, colleges, and career schools to deliver training and technical assistance so school food staff meet updated nutrition standards. It authorizes $10 million per year (FY2026–2031) and limits the federal share to 80 percent with required matching contributions. - Requires annual implementation reports and a study of how States use administrative expense funds to support training, plus a report to Congress within 18 months. The bill also rescinds $45 million of unobligated Department of Education administration funds.

## Cosponsors (21)

- Rep. Thompson, Glenn [R-PA-15] (R-PA), 2025-10-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Harder, Josh [D-CA-9] (D-CA), 2025-10-17T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Pocan, Mark [D-WI-2] (D-WI), 2025-11-17T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Keating, William R. [D-MA-9] (D-MA), 2025-11-18T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Thompson, Mike [D-CA-4] (D-CA), 2025-11-18T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Cohen, Steve [D-TN-9] (D-TN), 2026-03-12T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Whitesides, George [D-CA-27] (D-CA), 2026-03-25T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Grijalva, Adelita S. [D-AZ-7] (D-AZ), 2026-04-20T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Comer, James [R-KY-1] (R-KY), 2026-06-18T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. McBath, Lucy [D-GA-6] (D-GA), 2026-06-18T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. McGovern, James P. [D-MA-2] (D-MA), 2026-06-18T00:00:00.000Z
- Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large] (D-DC), 2026-06-18T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Pingree, Chellie [D-ME-1] (D-ME), 2026-06-18T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Scanlon, Mary Gay [D-PA-5] (D-PA), 2026-06-18T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Beatty, Joyce [D-OH-3] (D-OH), 2026-06-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Figures, Shomari [D-AL-2] (D-AL), 2026-07-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Schrier, Kim [D-WA-8] (D-WA), 2026-07-27T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Krishnamoorthi, Raja [D-IL-8] (D-IL), 2026-08-03T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Kaptur, Marcy [D-OH-9] (D-OH), 2026-08-20T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Mullin, Kevin [D-CA-15] (D-CA), 2026-08-31T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Hayes, Jahana [D-CT-5] (D-CT), 2026-09-21T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Loan guarantees for school kitchens: benefit, high. If enacted, the bill would let USDA guarantee loans to build, remodel, or expand school food storage, kitchens, cafeterias, and buy durable equipment. Guarantees could cover up to 80 percent of a loan's principal. The bill would reserve $300 million of existing loan guarantee authority for this pur…
- Grants to train school food staff: benefit, low. If enacted, the bill would create competitive grants for nonprofits, colleges, and career schools to train school food service staff. The federal share would be limited to 80 percent of training costs and grantees would have to provide matching support. The bill would authorize $10 million per year…
- Key program definitions for schools: benefit, low. If enacted, the bill would add clear definitions for the new school food programs. "Durable equipment" would mean food prep, cooking, serving, handling, or storage items valued over $500. "Eligible entity" would mean local educational agencies or school food authorities that run school meal program…
- State grants for school meal equipment: benefit, low. If enacted, starting in fiscal year 2026 the bill would authorize grants to State agencies to give competitive subgrants to school districts and tribes for durable equipment. The bill would authorize about $35 million per year for fiscal years 2026 through 2031, subject to annual appropriations. St…
- Rescind $45M from Education admin: cost, low. If enacted, the bill would rescind $45 million of the Department of Education's unobligated administrative funds. The rescission would apply upon enactment and would reduce available DOE administrative balances by $45 million.

## Related bills

- 119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act
- 119-hr-2102: Major Richard Star Act
- 119-hr-2048: Metastatic Breast Cancer Access to Care Act
- 119-hr-20: Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2025
- 119-hr-5390: FAMILY Act
- 119-hr-15: Equality Act

## Sources
- [119-hr-5731 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/5731)

## Related
- [119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7973)
- [119-hr-2102: Major Richard Star Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2102)
- [119-hr-2048: Metastatic Breast Cancer Access to Care Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2048)
- [119-hr-20: Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-20)
- [119-hr-5390: FAMILY Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-5390)
- [119-hr-15: Equality Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-15)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-5731 (as of 2026-09-23).