,,ii #aafth ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 #beja ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,september #ah1 #bjai ,mr4 ,casey 7for himself1 ,mrs4 ,murray1 ,mr4 ,leahy1 ,mr4 ,wyden1 ,mr4 ,blumenthal1 ,mr4 ,reed1 ,ms4 ,hirono1 ,mr4 ,sanders1 ,mrs4 ,gillibrand1 ,ms4 ,baldwin1 ,mr4 ,merkley1 ,mr4 ,menendez1 ,ms4 ,smith1 and ,mr4 ,murphy7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,agriculture1 ,nutrition1 and ,forestry ,a ,,bill ,to amend the ,richard ,b4 ,russell ,national ,school ,lunch ,act to improve the child and adult care food program4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,access to ,healthy ,food for ,young ,children ,act of #bjai4 #b4 ,reimbursements 7a7 ,child care reimbursements ,section #ag7;c7 of the ,richard ,b4 ,russell ,national ,school ,lunch ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #agff7;c77 is amended-- 7#a7 in paragraph 7#a71 by striking the same as and inserting #aj cents more than2 7#b7 in paragraph 7#b71 by striking the same as and inserting #aj cents more than2 and 7#c7 in paragraph 7#c7-- 7,a7 by striking #cj cents and inserting #a4ja cents2 and 7,b7 by striking #b4ge cents and inserting #j4ah cents4 7b7 ,day care home reimbursements ,section #ag7;f77#c77;,a7 of the ,richard ,b4 ,russell ,national ,school ,lunch ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #agff7;f77#c77;,a77 is amended-- 7#a7 by striking ,consumer ,price ,index for food at home each place it appears and inserting ,consumer ,price ,index for food away from home2 7#b7 in clause 7ii77,,iii7-- 7,a7 by striking ,except as provided in subclause 7,,iv71 and inserting the following3 7aa7 ,in general ,except as provided in item 7bb7 and subclause 7,,iv71 2 and 7,b7 by adding at the end the following3 7bb7 ,additional reimbursement4--,effective beginning ,july #a1 #bjba1 the reimbursement factor for each meal and supplement under this subparagraph shall be increased by #aj cents per child served4 2 and 7#c7 in clause 7iii77,i77aa71 by striking the reimbursement factors shall be and all that follows through supplements and inserting the reimbursement factors shall be #a4eh for meals other than breakfast1 #j4eh cents for breakfasts1 and #j4cj cents for supplements4 #c4 ,streamlining program paperwork in high-poverty areas 7a7 ,in general ,section #ag7;c7 of the ,richard ,b4 ,russell ,national ,school ,lunch ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #agff7;c77 is amended by adding at the end the following3 7#g7 ,streamlining program paperwork in high poverty areas 7,a7 ,definitions ,in this paragraph3 7i7 ,eligible child care center ,the term eligible child care center means a child care center at least #ej percent of children under the care of which qualify for free or reduced price meals or categorical eligibility as described in subsection 7f77#c77;,a77iii77,,iii77bb74 7ii7 ,nonpricing program ,the term nonpricing program means a program under which an eligible child center serves all children under the care of the center meals and supplements under this section without charge4 7,b7 ,election of special payments 7i7 ,in general ,an eligible child care center may elect to receive special payments under this paragraph in lieu of payments otherwise made available under this section based on applications for free and reduced price meals and supplements if-- 7,i7 subject to clause 7ii71 during the #d consecutive fiscal years beginning after the date of the election1 the eligible child care center elects to operate a nonpricing program2 7,,ii7 the eligible child care center pays1 from sources other than funds made available to carry out the program under this section1 the costs of serving the meals and supplements that are in excess of the value of assistance received under this ,act2 and 7,,iii7 during the fiscal year in which the election under this clause is made1 the eligible child care center had a percentage of enrolled children that meets or exceeds the threshold described in subparagraph 7,a77i74 7ii7 ,election to stop receiving payments ,an eligible child care center may elect to stop receiving special payments under this paragraph for the following fiscal year by notifying the ,state agency not later than ,june #cj of the current fiscal year of the intention to stop receiving the special payments4 7,c7 ,first year of option 7i7 ,in general ,for each month of the first fiscal year of the #d-year period during which an eligible child care center elects to receive special payments under this paragraph1 special payments at the rate for free meals and supplements shall be made under this subparagraph for all reimbursable meals and supplements served at the eligible child care center4 7ii7 ,calculation ,special payments under clause 7i7 shall be calculated using a blended per-meal rate based on a formula that multiplies national average payment rates by the percentage of children at the eligible child care center that receive free1 reduced price1 and paid meals and supplements4 7,d7 ,second1 third1 and fourth years of option 7i7 ,in general ,for each month of the second1 third1 and fourth fiscal years of the #d-year period during which an eligible child care center elects to receive special payments under this paragraph1 special payments at the blended rate established for the first year of the option under subparagraph 7,c7 shall be made under this subparagraph for all reimbursable meals and supplements served at the eligible child care center4 7ii7 ,calculation ,special payments under clause 7i7 shall be equal to the product obtained by multiplying-- 7,i7 the applicable blended per-meal rate2 by 7,,ii7 the number of meals and supplements served by the eligible child care center during the period beginning on ,april #a of the prior fiscal year and ending on the last day of that fiscal year4 4 7b7 ,community eligibility pilot projects ,section #ag7;c7 of the ,richard ,b4 ,russell ,national ,school ,lunch ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #agff7;c77 7as amended by subsection 7a77 is amended by adding at the end the following3 7#h7 ,community eligibility pilot projects 7,a7 ,definitions ,in this paragraph3 7i7 ,covered child ,the term covered child means a child certified for free or reduced price meals by means of-- 7,i7 direct certification under paragraph 7#d7 or 7#e7 of section #i7;b72 or 7,,ii7 categorical eligibility1 as described in subsection 7f77#c77;,a77iii77,,iii77bb74 7ii7 ,eligible child care center ,the term eligible child care center means a child care center that-- 7,i7 has a percentage of enrolled children who are covered children that meets or exceeds the threshold described in section #aa7;a77#a77;,f77viii72 and 7,,ii7 has met or exceeded that threshold for a period of not less than #a month in the fiscal year prior to the fiscal year in which the child care center would participate in a pilot project4 7iii7 ,eligible sponsoring organization ,the term eligible sponsoring organization means an organization that is a public or private nonprofit organization acting as a sponsoring organization for #a or more child care centers participating in the program authorized under this section4 7iv7 ,nonpricing program ,the term nonpricing program means a program under which an eligible child care center serves all children under the care of the center meals and supplements under a pilot project without charge4 7v7 ,pilot project ,the term pilot project means a pilot project carried out under subparagraph 7,b77i74 7vi7 ,selected child care center ,the term selected child care center means an eligible child care center selected under subparagraph 7,e7 by a selected ,state and a selected sponsoring organization to implement the pilot project at that child care center4 7vii7 ,selected sponsoring organization ,the term selected sponsoring organization means an eligible sponsoring organization selected under subparagraph 7,d77iv7 by a selected ,state to coordinate implementation of the pilot project in that ,state4 7viii7 ,selected ,state ,the term selected ,state means a ,state selected to carry out a pilot project under subparagraph 7,c77i74 7,b7 ,establishment 7i7 ,in general ,not later than #a year after the date of enactment of this paragraph1 the ,secretary shall establish a program to carry out pilot projects in selected ,states under which meals and supplements are provided at no charge to every child in a selected child care center4 7ii7 ,start date ,each pilot project shall begin in a selected ,state not later than #a year after the date of enactment of this paragraph4 7,c7 ,state selection 7i7 ,in general ,the ,secretary shall select not more than #f ,states to each carry out a pilot project in coordination with a selected sponsoring organization4 7ii7 ,applications ,a ,state seeking to carry out a pilot project shall submit to the ,secretary an application at such time1 in such manner1 and containing such information as the ,secretary may require1 including information about the selected sponsoring organization4 7iii7 ,priority ,in carrying out clause 7i71 the ,secretary shall give priority to a ,state based on-- 7,i7 the level of childhood poverty in the service area of the selected sponsoring organization2 and 7,,ii7 the extent to which that sponsoring organization demonstrates expertise and capacity in1 and commitment to1 implementing the pilot project4 7,d7 ,sponsoring organization selection by ,states ,prior to submitting an application under subparagraph 7,c77ii71 each ,state seeking to carry out a pilot project shall-- 7i7 identify each eligible sponsoring organization in the ,state2 7ii7 inform each eligible sponsoring organization identified under clause 7i7 of the proposed pilot project of the ,state2 7iii7 solicit applications from eligible sponsoring organizations that demonstrate the expertise1 capacity1 and commitment of the sponsoring organization in implementing the pilot project2 and 7iv7 select an eligible sponsoring organization to coordinate implementation of the pilot project4 7,e7 ,child care center selection ,each selected ,state and selected sponsoring organization shall select #a or more eligible child care centers to voluntarily participate in the pilot project in the selected ,state4 7,f7 ,nonpricing program 7i7 ,in general ,under a pilot project1 a selected child care center shall operate a nonpricing program by-- 7,i7 receiving special assistance payments under this subparagraph in lieu of any other special assistance payment made under this section2 and 7,,ii7 using non-,federal funds to pay for the cost of meals and supplements served at the selected child care center that are not reimbursed under the pilot project or the program authorized under this section4 7ii7 ,election to stop participation ,a selected child care center that elects to stop participating in a pilot project under clause 7i7 shall notify the selected ,state and the selected sponsoring organization not later than #c months before the date on which the center intends to stop participation4 7iii7 ,first year ,for each month of the first fiscal year during which a pilot project is carried out in a selected ,state1 each selected child care center shall receive special assistance payments at the rate for free meals and supplements for a percentage of all reimbursable meals and supplements served in selected child care centers during that month in an amount equal to the product obtained by multiplying-- 7,i7 the multiplier described in section #aa7;a77#a77;,f77vii72 and 7,,ii7 the percentage of covered children enrolled in the selected child care centers as of ,april #a of the prior fiscal year1 up to a maximum of #ajj percent4 7iv7 ,second and subsequent years ,for each month of the second fiscal year and each subsequent fiscal year during which a pilot project is carried out in a selected ,state1 each selected child care center shall receive special assistance payments at the rate for free meals and supplements for a percentage of all reimbursable meals and supplements served in selected child care centers during that month in an amount equal to the product obtained by multiplying-- 7,i7 the multiplier described in section #aa7;a77#a77;,f77vii72 and 7,,ii7 the higher of-- 7aa7 the percentage of covered children enrolled in the selected child care centers as of ,april #a of the prior fiscal year1 up to a maximum of #ajj percent2 and 7bb7 the percentage of covered children enrolled in the selected child care centers as of ,april #a of the fiscal year prior to the first fiscal year in which the selected child care center participates in the pilot project1 up to a maximum of #ajj percent4 7v7 ,payment for other meals ,any meal or supplement served under the program authorized under this section that is not part of a pilot project shall be reimbursed at the rates established under subsection 7c74 7,g7 ,implementation 7i7 ,no applications ,in participating in a pilot project1 a selected sponsoring organization or selected child care center shall not collect enrollment forms or applications for free and reduced price meals and supplements under this ,act or section #d of the ,child ,nutrition ,act of #aiff 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #aggc74 7ii7 ,administration ,the selected sponsoring organization in a selected ,state shall be responsible for administering the pilot project1 including-- 7,i7 distributing special assistance payments to selected child care centers2 and 7,,ii7 conducting oversight of and reporting on the pilot project4 7iii7 ,information dissemination ,a selected ,state and selected sponsoring organization shall-- 7,i7 notify each eligible child care center in the ,state about the pilot project1 including the reimbursement rates1 timeline1 and procedures under the pilot project2 and 7,,ii7 provide information about the pilot project to parents or guardians of children attending eligible child care centers4 7,h7 ,report ,not later than #a year after the start date of the last pilot project commenced during the first year of the program established under subparagraph 7,b77i71 and annually thereafter1 the ,secretary shall submit to the ,committee on ,agriculture1 ,nutrition1 and ,forestry of the ,senate and the ,committee on ,education and ,labor of the ,house of ,representatives a report describing-- 7i7 the status of each active pilot project2 and 7ii7 the manner in which the funds authorized under subparagraph 7,i7 are used to carry out this paragraph4 7,i7 ,authorization of appropriations ,there is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this paragraph #bj1jjj1jjj for the period of fiscal years #bjbj through #bjbd4 4 #d4 ,fourth meal service option ,section #ag7;f77#b7 of the ,richard ,b4 ,russell ,national ,school ,lunch ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #agff7;f77#b77 is amended-- 7#a7 by striking 7#b77;,a7 ,subject to subparagraph 7,b7 of this paragraph and inserting the following3 7#b7 ,disbursements 7,a7 ,in general ,subject to subparagraph 7,b7 2 and 7#b7 by striking subparagraph 7,b7 and inserting the following3 7,b7 ,limitation ,no reimbursement may be made to any institution under this paragraph1 or to any family or group day care home sponsoring organization under paragraph 7#c71 for more than-- 7i7 7,i7 #b meals and #a supplement per day per child2 or 7,,ii7 #a meal and #b supplements per day per child2 or 7ii7 in the case of child care during which there are #h or more hours between the beginning of the first meal service period and the beginning of the fourth meal service period-- 7,i7 #c meals and #a supplement per day per child2 7,,ii7 #b meals and #b supplements per day per child2 or 7,,iii7 #a meal and #c supplements per day per child4 4 #e4 ,expanding area eligibility ,section #ag7;f77#c77;,a77ii77,i7 of the ,richard ,b4 ,russell ,national ,school ,lunch ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #agff7;f77#c77;,a77ii77,i77 is amended by striking #ej percent each place it appears and inserting #dj percent4 #f4 ,reducing paperwork and improving program administration 7a7 ,eligibility certification criteria for proprietary child care centers ,section #ag7;a77#f7 of the ,richard ,b4 ,russell ,national ,school ,lunch ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #agff7;a77#f77 is amended-- 7#a7 in the matter preceding subparagraph 7,a71 by striking unless it satisfies the following criteria3 and inserting unless--2 7#b7 in each of subparagraphs 7,a7 and 7,b71 by inserting the institution after the subparagraph designation2 7#c7 in subparagraph 7,c77i71 by inserting the institution before will provide2 7#d7 in subparagraph 7,e71 by striking and at the end2 7#e7 in subparagraph 7,f71 by striking the period at the end and inserting 2 and2 and 7#f7 by adding at the end the following3 7,g7 in the case of an institution described in paragraph 7#b77;,b71 eligibility is determined annually4 4 7b7 ,advisory committee on paperwork reduction ,section #ag of the ,richard ,b4 ,russell ,national ,school ,lunch ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #agff7 is amended by adding at the end the following3 7v7 ,advisory committee on paperwork reduction 7#a7 ,establishment ,not later than #ahj days after the date of enactment of this subsection1 the ,secretary shall establish an advisory committee 7referred to in this subsection as the ,advisory ,committee7 to carry out the duties described in paragraph 7#b74 7#b7 ,duties ,the duties of the ,advisory ,committee shall be-- 7,a7 to examine the feasibility of reducing unnecessary or duplicative paperwork resulting from regulations and recordkeeping requirements1 including paperwork resulting from additional ,state requirements1 for entities participating or seeking to participate in the program under this section1 including ,state agencies1 family child care homes1 child care centers1 and sponsoring organizations2 and 7,b7 to provide recommendations to reduce paperwork for participants in the program under this section while ensuring that proper accountability and program integrity are maintained4 7#c7 ,membership ,the ,advisory ,committee shall be composed of-- 7,a7 not less than #a member representing each of-- 7i7 a public nonprofit center2 7ii7 a private nonprofit center2 7iii7 a family or group day care home2 7iv7 a ,head ,start center2 7v7 a for-profit center2 7vi7 an emergency shelter2 7vii7 an adult day care center2 7viii7 a ,state agency2 7ix7 a sponsoring organization for child care centers2 7x7 a sponsoring organization of family or group day care homes2 7xi7 an anti-hunger advocacy organization2 7xii7 an after school program for at-risk youth2 and 7xiii7 a child care advocacy organization2 and 7,b7 any other members1 as the ,secretary determines to be appropriate4 7#d7 ,considerations ,in developing recommendations under paragraph 7#b77;,b71 the ,advisory ,committee shall consider-- 7,a7 information1 recommendations1 and reports from the ,child and ,adult ,care ,food ,program ,paperwork ,reduction ,work ,group established pursuant to section #ccf of the ,healthy1 ,hunger-,free ,kids ,act of #bjaj 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #agff note2 ,public ,law #aaa-bif72 and 7,b7 the use of electronic systems and recordkeeping technologies to reduce paperwork for program participants and program operators4 7#e7 ,guidance and regulations ,not later than #a year after the date of enactment of this subsection1 the ,secretary shall issue guidance and1 as appropriate1 regulations1 based on the recommendations made under paragraph 7#b77;,b71 for streamlined and consolidated paperwork and recordkeeping requirements for the program1 including-- 7,a7 streamlining and modernizing applications1 monitoring1 and auditing2 7,b7 eliminating the use of an enrollment form2 7,c7 allowing the use of direct certification in all ,states2 7,d7 requiring ,states to accept digital forms1 digitized and electronic signatures1 and electronic records as documentation2 7,e7 allowing the use of electronic data collection systems1 in accordance with ,federal standards2 7,f7 streamlining duplicative ,state-specific requirements2 and 7,g7 encouraging the adoption in the program of generally accepted technologies from other domains4 7#f7 ,report 7,a7 ,in general ,not later than #ahj days after issuing guidance and regulations under paragraph 7#e71 the ,secretary shall submit to the ,committee on ,agriculture1 ,nutrition1 and ,forestry of the ,senate and the ,committee on ,education and ,labor of the ,house of ,representatives a report containing the information described in subparagraph 7,b74 7,b7 ,contents ,the report under subparagraph 7,a7 shall contain the following3 7i7 ,in each case in which the ,secretary did not implement a recommendation of the ,advisory ,committee1 an explanation for why the recommendation was not implemented4 7ii7 ,recommendations for legislative action that may strengthen and streamline the program application and monitoring processes and reduce administrative burdens on grantees1 program participants1 the ,federal ,government1 and local and ,state governments4 4 #g4 ,funding to support nutrition access for young children ,section #ag7n7 of the ,richard ,b4 ,russell ,national ,school ,lunch ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #agff7n77 is amended-- 7#a7 by striking 7n7 ,there are hereby and inserting the following3 7n7 ,funding 7#a7 ,in general ,there are 2 and 7#b7 by adding at the end the following3 7#b7 ,funding to support nutrition access for children 7,a7 ,in general ,on ,october #a1 #bjbj1 and ,october #a1 #bjba1 out of any funds in the ,treasury not otherwise appropriated1 the ,secretary of the ,treasury shall transfer to the ,secretary #e1jjj1jjj1 to remain available until expended-- 7i7 to provide training and technical assistance under the program-- 7,i7 to support healthy meal patterns of children2 and 7,,ii7 with respect to best practices for-- 7aa7 increasing consumption by children of vegetables1 fruits1 whole grains1 and healthy beverages2 7bb7 reducing consumption by children of added sugars and saturated fats2 and 7cc7 eliminating consumption by children of beverages sweetened with sugar2 and 7ii7 to increase participation in the program of children from underserved communities4 7,b7 ,receipt and acceptance ,the ,secretary shall be entitled to receive1 shall accept1 and shall use to carry out this paragraph the funds transferred under subparagraph 7,a71 without further appropriation4 4