A bill to create a new Federal grant program that provides grants to State libraries to allow schools with summer lunch programs to keep their libraries open for student use during the summer months.
About This Bill
Committee
Latest Action · August 6, 2026
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
The Summer Meals and Learning Act of 2026 creates a federal grant program to help keep school libraries open during summer months at schools that operate lunch programs. The bill directs the Secretary of Education to award grants to state library agencies, which then distribute subgrants to school districts that serve summer meals to students and have at least fifty percent of their early elementary students reading below grade level. Schools receiving funding must operate summer early reading programs lasting at least six weeks that provide library access and literacy activities to students participating in the summer meal program, often in partnership with community organizations. The legislation authorizes five million dollars annually for fiscal years 2027 through 2031 to support these programs. Grant recipients must submit annual reports to the Secretary of Education documenting their progress in achieving the program's goals.
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