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H.R. 6187House116th Congress (2019-2021)In Committee

MEALS Act

Sponsored by Ilhan OmarRep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN)
Introduced March 11, 2020

AI-Generated Summary

Updated April 14, 2026 at 11:21 AM UTC

The MEALS Act lets the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture give special waivers of the National School Lunch Act when schools close because of COVID‑19. These waivers let states or approved service providers skip certain program rules so they can keep providing meals to students, even if the waivers raise federal spending.

Key Provisions

  • The Act removes a specific requirement (section 12(l)(1)(A)(iii)) that would normally apply, allowing a “qualified COVID‑19 waiver” during school closures.
  • The Secretary of Agriculture may approve waivers that increase federal costs, overriding the usual cost‑limit rule.
  • Standard termination and periodic‑review rules for waivers (section 12(l)(5)) do not apply to these COVID‑19 waivers.
  • A qualified COVID‑19 waiver can be requested by a state or an eligible service provider and can waive any requirement of the National School Lunch Act, the Child Nutrition Act, or related regulations to keep meals and supplements available during COVID‑related school closures.

Legislative Activity

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HouseIntro Referral Latest Action

Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor.

Education and Workforce Committee

March 11, 2020

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HouseIntro Referral

Introduced in House

March 11, 2020

HouseIntro Referral

Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor.

Education and Workforce Committee

March 11, 2020

Bill Text

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Introduced in HouseIssued March 11, 2020

I

116th CONGRESS

2d Session

H. R. 6187

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

March 11, 2020

Ms. Omar (for herself, Ms. Fudge, Mr. Morelle, Mr. Courtney, Mr. Trone, Mr. Sablan, Ms. Jayapal, Mr. DeSaulnier, Mr. Grijalva, Mr. Takano, Ms. Wild, Mr. Levin of Michigan, Ms. Schrier, Mr. Smith of Washington, Ms. Adams, Mrs. Hayes, Ms. Pressley, and Ms. Ocasio-Cortez) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor

A BILL

To allow the Secretary of Agriculture to grant certain waivers under the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to address school closures due to COVID–19, and for other purposes.

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Maintaining Essential Access to Lunch for Students Act or the MEALS Act.

2.

Waiver exception for school closures due to COVID–19

(a)

In general

The requirements under section 12(l)(1)(A)(iii) of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1760(l)(1)(A)(iii)) shall not apply to a qualified COVID–19 waiver.

(b)

Allowable increase in Federal costs

Notwithstanding paragraph (4) of section 12(l) of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1760(l)), the Secretary of Agriculture may grant a qualified COVID–19 waiver that increases Federal costs.

(c)

Termination after periodic review

The requirements under section 12(l)(5) of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1760(l)(5)) shall not apply to a qualified COVID–19 waiver.

(d)

Qualified COVID–19 waiver

In this section, the term qualified COVID–19 waiver means a waiver—

(1)

requested by a State (as defined in section 12(d)(8) of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1760(d)(8))) or eligible service provider under section 12(l) of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1760(l)); and

(2)

to waive any requirement under such Act (42 U.S.C. 1751 et seq.) or the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1771 et seq.), or any regulation issued under either such Act, for purposes of providing meals and meal supplements under such Acts during a school closure due to COVID–19.