School Lunch and Child Nutrition Amendments of 1984

(Measure passed House, amended, roll call #109 (343-72))

School Lunch and Child Nutrition Amendments of 1984 - Amends the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 and the National School Lunch Act to authorize FY 1985 through 1988 appropriations for: (1) the special supplemental food program for women, infants, and children (WIC); (2) State administrative expenses; (3) the nutrition education training (NET) program; (4) the childrens' summer food service program; and (5) the commodity distribution program.

Increases NET authorizations.

Reduces the student cost of a reduced price lunch from 40 cents to 25 cents, and of a reduced price breakfast from 30 cents to 15 cents.

Increases reduced meal income eligibility limits from 185 percent to 195 percent of the poverty level.

Provides an additional six cents per breakfast to increase the nutritional quality of such program. Requires the Secretary of Agriculture to promulgate related nutritional improvement regulations.

Extends the lunch program "offer versus serve" provision to the breakfast program. Permits a child to refuse one breakfast item if such refusal option is permitted by the local school food authority.

Raises the program tuition limit under such Act for private schools from $1,500 to $2,500. Requires annual inflation adjustments.

Increases the number of reimbursable meals and snacks under the child care food program.

Excludes certain medical expenses from household income for program eligibility purposes.

Eliminates the requirement that free meal eligibility be the same as that required for food stamp eligibility.

Prohibits the Secretary from requiring school lunch program income verification unless the direct cost of such verification is appropriated.

Makes kindergartens in specified schools eligible for the special milk program.

Establishes a tiered-payment system for the child care food program.

Obligates specified food service equipment appropriations for low-income area schools.

States that school food facilities and personnel may be used for nonprofit nutrition programs for the elderly.

Prohibits the Secretary, through FY 1986, from reducing child nutrition benefit eligibility unless legislatively directed.

Qualifies children participating in the food stamp or aid to families with dependent children (AFDC) programs for free breakfasts and lunches.

Makes specified nonprofit private sponsors eligible for the summer feeding program.

Increases FY 1984 WIC authorizations. Extends administrative fund allocation provisions through 1988.

Directs the Secretary to apportion funds so as to insure that at least 70 percent of each fiscal year's amounts have been obligated or used by the beginning of such year's fourth quarter. Stipulates that such requirement shall not apply to supplemental appropriations enacted after January 1 of a fiscal year or to any reallocated funds.

Prohibits States from using more than two and one-half percent of a current fiscal year's WIC appropriations for a preceding year's expenditures.

Permits administrative funds to be used for technical assistance to improve State administrative systems.

Includes AFDC among the programs to be coordinated with the child nutrition programs.

Provides for a reduction in program paperwork.

Requires the Secretary to: (1) conduct a study of the feasibility of a universal school lunch program; and (2) report to Congress by January 1, 1987.

Extends, subject to fund availability, the alternative (cash) assistance school lunch pilot study through the school year ending June 30, 1985. Requires the Secretary, subject to fund availability and upon request, to provide financial assistance to participating school districts that sustained losses due to the methodology change for the school year ending June 30, 1983. Authorizes appropriations for such purposes.

Requires the Secretary to: (1) conduct a study of the State administrative expense allocation formula and procedures, including the merits of a State matching requirement; and (2) report to Congress by January 31, 1985.

Requires the Secretary to: (1) conduct a study of the effect on families of the child nutrition programs authorized under the Child Nutrition Act of 1966; and (2) report to Congress by January 1, 1987.

Prohibits a contract between a school food authority and a food service company to provide a la carte food service unless such company provides free and reduced price meals to eligible children.