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Congressman Valadao Expands Access to No-Cost Meals for Central Valley Students
Lowering the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) participation threshold has given thousands of Central Valley students access to free breakfast and lunch, and it’s time to make this change permanent.
WASHINGTON – Congressman David Valadao (CA-22) joined Congresswoman Laura Gillen (NY-04) to introduce H.R. 5128. The Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) is a program that makes it easier for schools in lower-income areas to offer free breakfast and lunch to all students, and in 2023, the U.S. Department of Agriculture updated the rules so more schools could qualify. That change was never made permanent, and this bipartisan bill would codify this improvement into law. “Every child deserves consistent, healthy meals—no matter their family’s financial circumstances,” said Congressman Valadao. “Lowering the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) participation threshold has given thousands of Central Valley students access to free breakfast and lunch, and it’s time to make this change permanent. Kids should be focused on learning, not worrying about when they’ll get their next meal, and I’m happy to join this bipartisan effort to support our students.” "As a mother, the thought of any child going hungry in school is devastating,” said Congresswoman Gillen. "That’s why I am introducing the bipartisan Feed Hungry Kids Act with my Republican colleague, David Valadao from California, a commonsense, bipartisan bill to protect the 2023 expansion of the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), a federal program which has helped Valley Stream and more than 17,000 other schools across America ensure that they can provide meals at no cost to all of their students.” Background: The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 amended the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to establish the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), an alternative to household applications for free and reduced-price meals. CEP allows schools in high-poverty areas to provide breakfast and lunch at no cost to all students, provided the school meets a minimum percentage of “identified students” who are directly certified for free meals through programs such as SNAP, TANF, the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations, or Medicaid. In 2023, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) lowered the participation threshold from 40% to 25% identified students, making more schools eligible to adopt CEP. As a result, more than 3.6 million children in California had access to no-cost meals during the 2023–2024 school year.
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