To provide for the expanded use of technology and information management systems in the administration of the school lunch and breakfast programs.

March 2, 2004

Mr. KELLER introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce

To provide for the expanded use of technology and information management systems in the administration of the school lunch and breakfast programs.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the `Pride in the Lunch Line Act of 2004'.

SEC. 2. STATE TECHNOLOGY IMPROVEMENTS.

(a) Technology Infrastructure Improvement- Section 7(e) of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1776) is amended--

(1) by striking `Each State' and inserting `(1) Each State'; and

(2) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:

`(2) Each State plan shall at a minimum include a description of how technology and information management systems will be used to improve program integrity by--

`(A) monitoring the nutrient content of meals served;

`(B) training schools and school food authorities how to utilize technology and information management systems for activities such as menu planning, collecting point of sale data, and processing applications for free and reduced price meals;

`(C) using electronic data to establish benchmarks to compare and monitor program integrity, program participation, and financial data across schools and school food authorities; and

`(D) employing methods to ensure that there shall not be any overt identification of any such child by special tokens or tickets, announced or published lists of names, or by any other means.'.

(b) Priority for Reallocated Funds- Section 7(a)(5)(B)(ii) of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1776(a)(5)(B)(ii)) is amended by inserting after `need for the amounts' the following: `and shall give priority consideration to States that will use the funds for improvements in technology and information management systems described in the amendment required under subsection (e)(2).'.

(c) Conforming Amendment- Section 7(b) of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1776(b)) is amended by striking `and for staff development' and inserting `for staff development; and technology and information management systems'.

SEC. 3. START UP AND EXPANSION ASSISTANCE FOR SCHOOLS.

Section 21(a) of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1796b-1(a)) is amended--

(1) in paragraph (1)(C), by striking `; and' and inserting a semicolon;

(2) by redesignating paragraph (2) as paragraph (3); and

(3) by inserting after paragraph (1) the following:

`(2) shall provide assistance, on a competitive basis, to State agencies for the purpose of aiding schools and school food authorities with at least 50 percent of enrolled children certified to receive free or reduced price meals, in meeting the cost of acquiring or upgrading technology and information management systems for use in food service programs carried out under this Act and section 4 of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1773) if the school or school food authority submits to the State agency an infrastructure development plan that addresses the cost savings and improvements in program integrity and operations that would result from the use of new or upgraded technology in--

`(A) methods to ensure that there shall not be any overt identification of any such child by special tokens or tickets, announced or published list of names, or by any other means;

`(B) processing and verifying applications for free and reduced price school meals;

`(C) integrating menu planning, production, and serving data to monitor compliance with section 9(f)(1); and

`(D) establishing compatibility with statewide reporting systems; and'.

END