S. 5318 · Where this bill is now
In committee
Introduced in the Senate, Aug 6, 2026
What this bill does
In plain words · AI-written from the official summaryFunds summer reading programs at lunch sites
This bill creates a grant program to help early readers during summer. The Department of Education would give money to state library agencies, which would then pass grants down to school districts. The schools that qualify are ones where at least half the students in pre-K through third grade are reading below grade level or at risk of falling behind.
How it affects you
If you're a student in a school with struggling readers, or a parent at such a school, this could bring free summer reading help to your community. The program specifically targets schools where reading struggles are common, so kids in those areas would have access to early reading support during summer break when school lunch programs are running.
Read the official summary (Introduced in Senate, Aug 6, 2026)
Summer Meals and Learning Act of 2026
This bill establishes a grant program to support summer early reading programs held at schools with a summer lunch site.
Specifically, the Department of Education must use funds provided for the program to award competitive grants to state library administrative agencies to enable them to award subgrants to eligible local educational agencies for summer early reading programs held at schools with a summer lunch site.
The program is open to local educational agencies that include schools where at least 50% of the students in prekindergarten through grade 3 are (1) reading below grade level at grade 3, or (2) at risk of reading below grade level at grade 3.
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.
2nd SessionS. 5318
A BILL
Summer Meals and Learning Act of 2026
Sponsor: Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) · Introduced Aug 6, 2026 · Agriculture and Food · 1 version of the text
Sources: Congress.gov actions and votes · bill text from GovInfo · latest official action Aug 6, 2026: “Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.”