Summer Meals REACH Act of 2026
Sponsored By: Representative McIver, LaMonica [D-NJ-10]
Introduced
Summary
Universal eligibility for summer meals would expand the Summer Food Service Program so every child can get free summer meals and so meals can be provided in noncongregate settings.
Show full summary
- Families and children would see broader access because the bill replaces limits with a universal meals standard so all children are eligible. Meals could be provided outside group settings starting the first summer after enactment.
- Meal sites and sponsors would be allowed to offer noncongregate service and would face new monitoring requirements that can be done onsite or offsite to protect program integrity and ensure proper meal delivery.
- States and the Department of Agriculture would be pushed to target areas with no congregate service under a new priority framework. The Secretary would have one year to issue regulations, including interim final rules, and must draw on prior noncongregate demonstration projects and best practices. The bill also updates regulatory references and makes housekeeping fixes to payment provisions.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
2 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.
More summer meals for children
This bill would let all children take part in the Summer Food Service Program. It would allow meals to be provided for noncongregate consumption (meals you can eat off-site). These changes would take effect no later than the first summer that begins after the bill is enacted. Households with children who rely on summer meals would likely get easier access, especially where group sites are scarce.
New rules for meal providers and States
This bill would require participating meal providers to do food service monitoring either on-site or off-site starting upon enactment. States would need to find areas with no group meal sites and push providers there to offer off-site meals. The Agriculture Secretary would have to issue final or interim rules within 1 year to protect program integrity and use lessons from past noncongregate pilot projects. The bill would also strike a specific exception in a program subsection on enactment, changing which operators must follow the rules.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
McIver, LaMonica [D-NJ-10]
NJ • D
Cosponsors
Rep. Hayes, Jahana [D-CT-5]
CT • D
Sponsored 7/2/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.gov