S. 993 · Where this bill is now
In committee
Introduced in the Senate, Mar 12, 2025
What this bill does
In plain words · AI-written from the official summaryCancels school meal debts nationwide
This bill would require the Department of Agriculture to cancel all outstanding school meal debts that families owe for breakfast and lunch programs. The government would then reimburse local schools for the cancelled debt. The bill also expands how federal programs for seniors and people facing food shortages can spend money to buy and distribute food.
How it affects you
If you're a parent or guardian with unpaid school meal bills, this would wipe out that debt. Schools would get paid back for the money families owe them. Seniors on low incomes and people relying on emergency food assistance could also see expanded access to nutritious food through expanded federal programs.
Read the official summary (Introduced in Senate, Mar 12, 2025)
School Lunch Debt Cancellation Act of 2025
This bill (1) requires the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to cancel school meal debts, and (2) expands USDA's authority to use Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) funds for the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) and the Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP).
Specifically, USDA must cancel and eliminate all household school meal debts (as of the date of the bill's enactment) under the school breakfast and lunch programs. USDA must also pay the amount of the cancelled debt to each local educational authority using CCC funds.
The bill also reauthorizes the CSFP through FY2030 and allows USDA to use CCC funds for the program. As background, CSFP works to improve the health of low-income persons at least 60 years of age by supplementing their diets with nutritious USDA foods.
In addition, the bill specifies that USDA may use CCC funds for all aspects of TEFAP. In recent years, USDA has used CCC funds for specific TEFAP activities. As background, through TEFAP, USDA purchases a variety of food commodities. TEFAP provides those food commodities (and cash support for storage and distribution costs) to state agencies that distribute the food to local emergency feeding organizations (e.g., food banks).
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. 993
A BILL
School Lunch Debt Cancellation Act of 2025
Sponsor: Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) · Introduced Mar 12, 2025 · Agriculture and Food · 1 version of the text
Sources: Congress.gov actions and votes · bill text from GovInfo · latest official action Mar 12, 2025: “Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.”