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Version 00 · Introduced in House · Aug 6, 2026
Summer Meals and Learning Act of 2026
This bill establishes a grant program to support summer early reading programs held at schools with a summer lunch site.
Specifically, the Department of Education must use funds provided for the program to award competitive grants to state library administrative agencies to enable them to award subgrants to eligible local educational agencies for summer early reading programs held at schools with a summer lunch site.
The program is open to local educational agencies that include schools where at least 50% of the students in prekindergarten through grade 3 are (1) reading below grade level at grade 3, or (2) at risk of reading below grade level at grade 3.
People & committees
Rep. Morelle, Joseph D. [D-NY-25] · D–NY
Legislative record
A procedural vote is different from passage. Passage in one chamber does not establish enactment. Explore the glossary.
Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We also preserved the text version used in the PlainBill explanation below.
Source last updated: Aug 24, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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PlainBill explanation
Based on the full Introduced in House · 2026-08-06 text. This explanation has not received human editorial review. This overview describes the proposal’s major provisions; it does not establish what its real-world effects would be.
The proposed Summer Meals and Learning Act of 2026 would support summer reading programs at schools serving summer lunches. Competitive grants would flow through state library agencies to eligible local education agencies serving schools with substantial early-reading needs. Programs would give lunch participants library access and literacy activities or expanded learning opportunities for at least six weeks. The bill would authorize funding, rather than itself provide the money.
This Act may be cited as the Summer Meals and Learning Act of 2026.
where at least 50 percent of the students in grades prekindergarten through grade 3 at such school— (i) are reading below grade level at grade 3; or (ii) are at risk of reading below grade level at grade 3.
a program held in the summer, and not less than 6 weeks in duration, that— (A) is held at a school with a summer lunch site described in paragraph (1)(A); and (B) provides students participating in the lunch program— (i) access to the school library; and (ii) literacy activities or expanded learning opportunities at the school.
the Secretary shall award grants, on a competitive basis, to State library administrative agencies to enable the State library administrative agencies to award subgrants to eligible local educational agencies for summer early reading programs.
There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act $5,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2027 through 2031.
A local education agency would qualify only if it serves summer lunch at a school through one of two specified federal meal programs, and at least half of that school's students from prekindergarten through third grade are reading below third-grade level or are at risk of doing so.
The term eligible local educational agency means a local educational agency, as defined in section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801)— (A) that serves lunch at a school served by the local educational agency during the summer as part of— (i) the summer food service program for children established under section 13 of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1761); or (ii) the seamless summer option authorized by section 13(a)(8) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 1761(a)(8)); and (B) where at least 50 percent of the students in grades prekindergarten through grade 3 at such school— (i) are reading below grade level at grade 3; or (ii) are at risk of reading below grade level at grade 3.
A qualifying reading program would last at least six weeks during the summer at a school with a qualifying lunch site. It would provide participating lunch students access to the school library and literacy activities or expanded learning opportunities at the school.
The term summer early reading program means a program held in the summer, and not less than 6 weeks in duration, that— (A) is held at a school with a summer lunch site described in paragraph (1)(A); and (B) provides students participating in the lunch program— (i) access to the school library; and (ii) literacy activities or expanded learning opportunities at the school.
The bill's definition of a state would include all U.S. states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The term State means each of the several States of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, and the United States Virgin Islands.
Using funds made available for the program, the Secretary of Education would award competitive grants to state library agencies. Those agencies would use the money for competitive subgrants—grants passed on to eligible local education agencies—to provide summer reading programs.
The term Secretary means the Secretary of Education.
From amounts made available under subsection (f) for a fiscal year, the Secretary shall award grants, on a competitive basis, to State library administrative agencies
A State library administrative agency receiving a grant under this section shall use grant funds to award subgrants to eligible local educational agencies under subsection (d).
Each State library administrative agency receiving a grant under this section shall award subgrants, on a competitive basis, to eligible local educational agencies to enable the eligible local educational agencies to provide summer early reading programs.
State library agencies would apply under requirements set by the Secretary. Their applications would explain how they would award subgrants, emphasizing local agencies with disproportionately many students per summer lunch site, and how they would promptly tell eligible agencies about the funding and application process.
A State library administrative agency desiring a grant under this section shall submit an application at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require.
(1) how the State library administrative agency will award subgrants described in subsection (d), including any priorities or considerations that the State library administrative agency will apply in making such awards, with an emphasis toward supporting eligible local educational agencies with a disproportionately high ratio of students served at school lunch sites described in section 2(1)(A) to such school lunch sites; (2) how the State library administrative agency will disseminate, in a timely manner, information regarding the subgrants described in subsection (d) and the application process for such subgrants to eligible local educational agencies
State applications would specify program requirements, including minimum library access hours and activity criteria. They would also assure that every local agency receiving a subgrant would provide a summer reading program at each school lunch site it serves.
(3) the criteria that the State library administrative agency will require for the summer early reading programs, including the minimum number of hours that the school library shall remain accessible and any other criteria regarding the activities to be offered; and (4) an assurance from the State library administrative agency that each eligible local educational agency that receives a subgrant will provide a summer early reading program at each school lunch site served by the local educational agency.
Local applicants would follow state library agency application requirements. They would identify participating lunch sites, report their student-to-site ratio as of the application date, prove eligibility, describe the program at each site, and explain community partners' involvement.
An eligible local educational agency desiring a subgrant under this section shall submit an application at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the State library administrative agency may require. Each application shall include— (A) a description of the school lunch sites described in section 2(1)(A) that will be participating in the summer early reading program, and the ratio, as of the date of application, of the number of students served to the number of such school lunch sites; (B) proof that the eligible local educational agency meets the requirements of section 2(1); (C) a description of the summer early reading program that the eligible local educational agency will provide at each school lunch site to be served; and (D) a description of how community partners will be involved in the summer early reading program.
State library agencies would award subgrants based on the proposed numbers of lunch sites and students served, along with any additional criteria established in their federal grant applications.
A State library administrative agency receiving a grant under this section shall award subgrants based on— (A) the proposed number of school lunch sites and the number of students that will be served under the summer early reading program; and (B) any other criteria established by the State library administrative agency in the application submitted under subsection (b).
Local recipients would use subgrant money to work with community partners to develop and run the proposed reading programs and related activities. The text also requires hiring and training appropriate state library agency personnel to teach the summer programs.
An eligible local educational agency receiving a subgrant under this subsection shall use the subgrant funds to work with community partners to— (A) develop and implement the summer early reading programs proposed in the application submitted under paragraph (2); (B) develop and carry out other activities and strategies related to such summer early reading programs; and (C) hire and train appropriate State library administrative agency personnel to teach the summer early reading programs during the summer.
For every year of an award, state library agencies receiving grants and local education agencies receiving subgrants would report to the Secretary on progress toward their awards' purposes.
For each year of a grant or subgrant awarded under this section, a State library administrative agency receiving such grant, or an eligible local educational agency receiving such subgrant, shall submit a report regarding the progress made in achieving the purposes of the grant or subgrant, respectively, to the Secretary.
The bill would authorize Congress to provide $5 million for each fiscal year from 2027 through 2031. This is permission for future funding, not an appropriation that itself supplies money.
There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act $5,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2027 through 2031.
The supplied actions snapshot, updated August 24, 2026, records introduction in the House and referral to the House Committee on Education and Workforce on August 6, 2026.
Source snapshot updated 2026-08-24T18:02:22Z. 2026-08-06: Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce. 2026-08-06: Introduced in House
A closer look
Reviewed version: Introduced in House · 2026-08-06. These findings describe provisions and who may benefit; they are not judgments of waste, corruption, or motive.
This review covers the supplied bill text. “None identified” does not rule out provisions in later versions or accompanying reports and disclosures.
Provisions outside the bill’s main subject, or policy changes attached to appropriations.
None identified in the reviewed text
No unrelated provision or policy rider was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials.
Spending directed to particular recipients or places outside ordinary competitive or formula-based allocation.
None identified in the reviewed text
No earmark was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This text-only conclusion does not establish formal earmark status or absence in other versions or accompanying materials.
Narrow exceptions, exemptions, or preferential treatment that warrant a closer look.
None identified in the reviewed text
No materially narrow special exemption, carve-out, or preferential benefit beyond the program's ordinary intended coverage was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion does not extend to other versions or accompanying materials.
Full text preserved for this analysis. Legislative record snapshot: Aug 24, 2026. How PlainBill uses AI