# 119-s-5495: Military Dependents School Meal Eligibility Act of 2026

119-s-5495, Military Dependents School Meal Eligibility Act of 2026, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Kim, Andy [D-NJ] (D-NJ); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-07).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5495
- As of: 2026-10-07
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-5495
- Congress: 119
- Title: Military Dependents School Meal Eligibility Act of 2026
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-09-24
- Sponsor: Sen. Kim, Andy [D-NJ] (D-NJ)
- Cosponsors: 1
- Policy area: Agriculture and Food
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-10-07

## Summary

**Excluding military housing pay from school meal income tests would make more children in military families eligible for free or reduced-price meals.** The bill also directs USDA and the Department of Defense to study direct-certification options that could enroll eligible military dependents without a separate school application.

## Cosponsors (1)

- Sen. Heinrich, Martin [D-NM] (D-NM), 2026-09-24T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- More meal help for military families: benefit, low. This bill would exclude Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) from household income when applying for free or reduced-price school meals. It would also cover school breakfast programs under the child nutrition laws. The Agriculture Secretary, with the Defense Secretary, would report to Congress by Octo…

## Related bills

- 119-s-5283: Momnibus Act
- 119-s-3990: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026
- 119-s-2823: FAMILY Act
- 119-s-2763: Keep Billionaires Out of Social Security Act
- 119-s-2120: Older Americans Act Reauthorization Act of 2025
- 119-s-3869: Healthy Families Act

## Sources
- [119-s-5495 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/5495)

## Related
- [119-s-5283: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5283)
- [119-s-3990: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3990)
- [119-s-2823: FAMILY Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2823)
- [119-s-2763: Keep Billionaires Out of Social Security Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2763)
- [119-s-2120: Older Americans Act Reauthorization Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2120)
- [119-s-3869: Healthy Families Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3869)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5495 (as of 2026-10-07).