,,ii  #aafth ,,congress  #b;d ,session  
,s4 #cfea  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,may #g1       
#bjbj,ms4 ,smith introduced the         
following bill2 which was read twice and
 referred to the ,committee on          
,agriculture1 ,nutrition1 and ,forestry 
,a ,,bill  ,to prohibit school food     
authorities and local educational       
agencies from collecting unpaid school  
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 ,act of
 #bjbj4  #b4 ,school meal debt during   
,,covid-#ai pandemic  7a7 ,definition of
 emergency period ,in this section1 the 
term emergency period means the period  
beginning on the date of enactment of   
this ,act and ending on the date that is
 #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 on ,january #ca1      
#bjbj1 with respect to ,,covid-#ai is   
terminated4  7b7 ,debt collection       
prohibition ,notwithstanding any other  
provision of law1 during the emergency  
period1 a school food authority or a    
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 may not-- 7#a7 collect unpaid    
meal fees 7including late fees          
associated with unpaid meals7 under     
those programs2 or  7#b7 use a debt     
collector 7as defined in section #hjc of
 the ,consumer ,credit ,protection ,act 
7#ae ,u4,s4,c4 #afib;a77 to collect     
those unpaid meal fees4  7c7            
,cancellation of meal debts ,the        
,secretary of ,agriculture shall        
reimburse each school food authority and
 local educational agency participating 

in a program described in subsection 7b7
 for unpaid meal fees 7including late   
fees associated with unpaid meals7 owed 
to that authority or agency as of the   
date of enactment of this ,act4