H.R. 7259 — Military Dependents School Meal Eligibility Act of 2026

This section (1) directs the Secretary of Agriculture, in consultation with the Secretary of Defense, to submit to Congress by October 1, 2026, a report on the feasibility and cost of directly certifying—without further application—children in households of uniformed service members as eligible for free or reduced-price lunches under the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act and free or reduced-price breakfasts under the Child Nutrition Act of 1966, evaluating options such as using and sharing data from the Basic Needs Allowance under 37 U.S.C. 402b (i.e., monthly payments to low-income active-duty members whose household income does not exceed 200% of federal poverty guidelines) and other programs and excluding non-service member income from household income calculations; and (2) revises the exclusion of basic allowance for housing from income eligibility calculations under the National School Lunch Act by striking language limiting the exclusion to amounts received on behalf of a member's dependent child for duty at a location without a dining facility.