S. 1431 expands access to free and reduced-price school meals by automatically enrolling more low-income children without requiring separate applications, including foster children, children living with grandparents, Native American children receiving housing assistance, and children on Medicaid or supplemental security income. The bill protects meal eligibility when students change schools and allows retroactive reimbursement for families whose eligibility status improved mid-year. It provides $28 million in grants to states to improve their automatic enrollment systems and creates up to five state-level pilot programs beginning by July 2026 where all students receive meals free of charge, with the federal government and states each covering portions of the costs. The Department of Agriculture will evaluate these pilots' impacts on academic achievement, food insecurity, and school finances, with a comprehensive report due by September 2030 and $3 million allocated for the evaluation through that date.
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