S. 1736 · Where this bill is now
In committee
Introduced in the Senate, May 13, 2025
What this bill does
In plain words · AI-written from the official summaryImproves requirements for school food service training
The Department of Agriculture already provides training for school food service workers, but this bill would set new standards for how that training gets delivered. The training would need to happen during paid work hours, be free to attend, and include hands-on learning when possible. If training ever happens outside regular hours, workers have to be told why, get a say in scheduling, be paid for their time, and can't face penalties for skipping it.
How it affects you
School food service workers would see the most direct change. Instead of training cutting into their personal time or costing them money, sessions would fit into their regular pay and schedules. This means they could learn new skills without sacrificing hours with family or extra income, and their employer couldn't punish them for not attending after-hours sessions.
Read the official summary (Introduced in Senate, May 13, 2025)
Improving Training for School Food Service Workers Act of 2025
This bill adds requirements regarding the availability of training that the Department of Agriculture provides under current law for local food service personnel in schools.
The training must be scheduled during regular, paid working hours; provided at no cost to food service personnel; offered in-person whenever appropriate; and incorporate experiential learning.
If the training is scheduled outside of working hours, food service personnel must be informed about the necessity of scheduling the program, consulted to schedule the program, and compensated for attending the program. Personnel may not be penalized for failing to attend a program outside of working hours.
Written by AI (Claude) using only the official summary by the Congressional Research Service, the Library of Congress’s nonpartisan research staff. It can miss nuance, so check the official summary and the bill text for details.
1st SessionS. 1736
A BILL
Improving Training for School Food Service Workers Act of 2025
Sponsor: Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) · Introduced May 13, 2025 · Agriculture and Food · 1 version of the text
Sources: Congress.gov actions and votes · bill text from GovInfo · latest official action May 13, 2025: “Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.”