National School Lunch Act and Child Nutrition Act Amendments

passedUnited States· United States Congress· EN

Introduced

28 April 1977

Last action

30 June 1977 · Floor

Status

Measure indefinitely postponed in Senate, H. R. 1139 passed in lieu.

Summary

National School Lunch Act and Child Nutrition Act of 1966 Amendments - Amends the National School Lunch Act to authorize the appropriation of such sums as are necessary for fiscal years 1977 through 1982 to enable the Secretary of Agriculture to maintain the program of assistance to States in providing nonprofit food service programs for children in day care and recreation centers during the summer months. Directs the Secretary to assist States in the development of information and technical assistance to encourage greater utilization of meals prepared at the facilities of sponsors or schools. Establishes a fund to aid sponsoring institutions offering federally subsidized food service year round in the purchase of equipment to enable such institutions to create or expand onsite meal preparation. Entitles institutions demonstrating adequate administrative and financial responsibility and meeting appropriate eligibility criteria to participate in the program. Permits the Secretary to develop guidelines for site size limitations to promote quality food service programs. Sets forth priority criteria to be utilized in determining sponsorship where more than one institution seeks to serve the same area. Stipulates that residential camps can only be reimbursed for meals served to children eligible for free or reduced price meals under the National School Lunch Act and Child Nutrition Act. Specifies the amounts of Federal assistance that can be made available to sponsors for food service operations. Directs every sponsor when applying for the program to submit a complete budget for administrative costs related to the program. Directs the Secretary to conduct a study of the food service operations carried out under the National School Lunch Act. Specifies various factors that must be taken into consideration in such study. Requires the Secretary to make any necessary changes in the reimbursement levels for operations costs pursuant to such study. Directs the Secretary to analyze the administrative expenditures to sponsors participating in the program and prescribe maximum levels of reimbursement of such expenditures. Requires the Secretary to report his findings and recommendations to Congress. Makes financial assistance available to sponsors only for meals served during the months of May through September with certain exceptions made for sponsors developing programs to cover children on school vacations. Directs the Secretary to forward advance payments to each State. Sets forth a formula for determination of the amounts of such advance payments. Requires sponsors receiving funds under such Act to serve meals containing a combination of foods and meeting prescribed nutritional standards. Requires each State to promote meal quality for prescribing model meal specifications and including such specifications in contracts between sponsors and food service management companies. Directs the States to develop a standard form contract for use by sponsors and food service management companies. Requires sponsors to use competitive bidding on any contract worth more than $10,000. Stipulates that a food service management company must register with the administering State agency in order to participate in the program. Sets forth items which such registration statement must include. Requires the Secretary to maintain records on all registered food service management companies for use by State agencies. Directs each sponsor to make positive efforts to utilize small and minority owned businesses as supply sources. Requires each sponsor receiving program payments in excess of $50,000 to have an independent certified public accountant audit its program claims and documentation. Specifies the time limits for composing proposed and final regulations under this Act. Directs participating service institutions to utilize, insofar as practicable, foods designated as in abundance by the Secretary. Permits the Secretary to fund sponsors directly if he is unable to utilize State agencies. Stipulates that Federal assistance under such Act may not be used to replace expenditures by State and local agencies. Directs the Secretary to pay to each State a varying percentage of its administrative costs incurred under such Act. Prohibits a food service management company from subcontracting with a single company for the total meal or its assembly. Requires the keeping of such records and accounts as may be necessary to enable the Secretary to determine whether the States, State agencies, and sponsors are in compliance with such Act. Directs each State desiring to participate in the program to submit a management and administrative plan including specified material. Imposes fines and/or imprisonment for specified violations of such Act. Directs the Secretary to purchase agricultural commodities for the school lunch program and authorizes the appropriation from the general funds of the Treasury of such sums as are necessary for such purchases. Amends the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 to authorize the appropriation of such sums as are necessary to enable the Secretary to carry out a special milk program to encourage fluid milk consumption by children in nonprofit schools and child care institutions in the United States by reimbursing schools and institutions for part of the cost of the milk they serve. Makes children who are eligible for free lunches eligible for free milk when milk is made available at times other than meal times. Stipulates that the reimbursement for milk shall not be less than 5 cents per half-pint but in no event may such reimbursement exceed the actual cost of the milk. Requires the Secretary to make an additional payment of up to 45 cents with semi-annual cost-of-living adjustments, for breakfasts served under the School Breakfast Program to children in especially needy schools. Authorizes appropriations under the Nonfood Assistance Program for equipment to enable schools to prepare and serve food of amounts not to exceed $40,000,000. Makes funds available to the States for use in Nonfood Assistance Programs operating in areas in which poor economic conditions exist. Specifies that the amount of such funds shall be a percentage of the funds expended by the States in the previous year's School lunch Program. Requires States to give priority to schools without either food service programs or facilities to prepare and cook hot meals when apportioning funds received under the Nonfood Assistance Program. Reserves a specified percentage of the funds appropriated for Nonfood Assistance Programs for disbursement by the Secretary to assist schools without facilities in preparing and cooking hot meals. Requires any such funds appropriated for the purpose of enabling schools to produce their own hot meals to be used only for facilities at the school or a kitchen operated by the local school district except in certain specified situations. Requires the Secretary to pay to each State agency a percentage of its administrative costs incurred pursuant to the administration of the Child Nutrition Act and National School Lunch Act. Specifies what administrative costs such funds may be used to pay. Permits an adjustment to the percentage allowed for administrative costs in the event a State agrees to assume certain administrative responsibilities previously performed by the Department of Agriculture. Requires each State agency to submit a plan for the utilization of administration expense funds. Permits payment of administration expense funds only if a State agrees to maintain its level of funding prior to enactment of this Act. Authorizes the Secretary to create a program to provide for nutritional training of educational and food service personnel and to disseminate sound nutrition information to children. Directs the Secretary to make grants to implement such a program. Permits the Secretary to make grants to schools and educational agencies to pay the costs of pilot demonstration projects with respect to nutrition education. Authorizes the appropriation of such sums as may be necessary to carry out such program. Specifies the uses to which funds available under such program may be utilized. Requires State educational agencies participating in such a program to keep such accounts and records as may be necessary to enable the Secretary to determine whether they are in compliance with the program requirements. Requires each participating State to appoint a State coordinator on nutrition education. Directs the State coordinator to develop and furnish to the Secretary a comprehensive plan for nutrition education. Establishes within the National Agricultural Library of the United States a Food and Nutrition Information and Education Resources Center. Delineates the responsibilities of such Center.

This text is taken from the official record. PoliticalRepo does not editorialize.

Timeline

28 April 1977
Introduced
Referred to Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry.
Source: IntroReferral
28 April 1977
Introduced
Introduced in Senate
Source: IntroReferral
16 June 1977
Reported
Reported to Senate from the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry with amendment, S. Rept. 95-277.
Source: Committee
16 June 1977
Reported
Reported to Senate from the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry with amendment, S. Rept. 95-277.
Source: Committee
30 June 1977
Floor
Measure called up by unanimous consent in Senate.
Source: Floor

Votes

No vote records are attached yet.

Versions

No version snapshots stored. Document URLs remain at the source.

Documents

2 official files

Indefinitely postponed in Senate
summary · EN · 30 June 1977
Open at official source
Introduced in Senate
summary · EN · 28 April 1977
Open at official source

Related records

related to → National School Lunch Act and Child Nutrition Amendments of 1977

Sources

PoliticalRepo is an index and interpretation layer, not the authoritative legal source.

Official source: https://www.congress.gov/bill/95th-congress/senate-bill/1420
Open data entity: https://api.congress.gov/v3/bill/95/s/1420
us · 95-s-1420 · source updated 2 September 2025