,i  #aafth ,,congress  #b;d ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #fdcj  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,april #c1 #bjbj,ms4 
,omar 7for herself1 ,ms4 ,haaland1 ,ms4 
,moore1 ,mrs4 ,napolitano1 ,mr4         
,mc,govern1 ,ms4 ,ocasio-,cortez1 ,mrs4 
,hayes1 ,ms4 ,schakowsky1 ,mr4 ,nadler1 
,mr4 ,vargas1 ,ms4 ,norton1 ,ms4 ,wilson
 of ,florida1 ,mr4 ,espaillat1 ,mr4     
,levin of ,michigan1 ,mr4 ,pocan1 ,ms4  
,tlaib1 ,mr4 ,lowenthal1 ,mr4 ,soto1    
,ms4 ,lee of ,california1 ,ms4          
,pressley1 ,ms4 ,pingree1 ,mr4 ,thompson
 of ,mississippi1 ,ms4 ,jayapal1 ,mr4   
,johnson of ,georgia1 ,ms4 ,velzquez1   
,ms4 ,snchez1 ,mr4 ,danny ,k4 ,davis of 
,illinois1 and ,ms4 ,mc,collum7         
introduced the following bill2 which was
 referred to the ,committee on          
,education and ,labor  ,a ,,bill  ,to   
require that school food authorities and
 local educational agencies not collect 
unpaid meal fees during the ,,covid-#ai 
pandemic1 and for other purposes4  #a4  
,short title ,this ,act may be cited as 

the ,suspend ,school ,meal ,debt ,act4  
#b4 ,school meal debt during ,,covid-#ai
 pandemic  7a7 ,cancellation of meal    
debts owed as of date of enactment ,the 
,secretary shall reimburse each school  
food authority and local educational    
agency participating in the school lunch
 program under the ,richard ,b4 ,russell
 ,national ,school ,lunch ,act 7#db     
,u4,s4,c4 #agea et seq47 or the school  
breakfast program under section #d of   
the ,child ,nutrition ,act of #aiff 7#db
 ,u4,s4,c4 #aggc7 for the unpaid meal   
fees owed to such authority or agency as
 of the date of the enactment of this   
,act4  7b7 ,debt collection prohibition 
during emergency period ,notwithstanding
 any other provision of law1 the        
,secretary shall require that during the
 emergency period each school food      
authority and local educational agency  
described in subsection 7a7 may not     
collect unpaid meal fees or use a debt  
collector 7as such term is defined in   
section #hjc of the ,consumer ,credit   

,protection ,act 7#ae ,u4,s4,c4         
#afib;a77 to collect such unpaid meal   
fees4  7c7 ,definitions ,in this        
section3 7#a7 ,emergency period ,the    
term emergency period means the period--
 7,a7 beginning on the date of the      
enactment of this section2 and  7,b7    
ending #cj days after the date on which 
the public health emergency declared by 
the ,secretary of ,health and ,human    
,services under section #cai of the     
,public ,health ,service ,act 7#db      
,u4,s4,c4 #bdg;d7 with respect to       
,,covid-#ai is terminated under such    
section4  7#b7 ,secretary ,the term     
,secretary means the ,secretary of      
,agriculture4  7#c7 ,unpaid meal fees   
,the term unpaid meal fees-- 7,a7 means 
outstanding fees owed by a household to 
a local educational agency or school    
food authority for lunches under the    
,richard ,b4 ,russell ,national ,school 
,lunch ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #agea et     
seq47 or breakfasts under section #d of 
the ,child ,nutrition ,act of #aiff 7#db

 ,u4,s4,c4 #aggc72 and  7,b7 includes   
late fees associated with the           
outstanding fees described in           
subparagraph 7,a74