This bill, known as the Kids Need Lunch Act, seeks to establish a universal free school lunch program by amending the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act. Under this legislation, all children enrolled in schools participating in the program would become eligible to receive free lunch, effectively eliminating current eligibility requirements. To support this, the bill sets a new national average payment for each free lunch at $4.86, which will be adjusted annually for inflation based on the Consumer Price Index for food away from home. The legislation also addresses the issue of school meal debt . It mandates the Secretary of Agriculture to establish a program to reimburse schools for all delinquent debt owed by parents or guardians for meals served under the school lunch program as of the bill's effective date. Crucially, the bill prohibits schools from collecting any debt for unpaid lunch charges, with this prohibition taking effect immediately upon enactment. Schools will continue to accrue debt for a year to facilitate the reimbursement process, ensuring that existing financial burdens on both schools and families are alleviated.