Renaming the National School Lunch Program Act of 2025
This bill would rename the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act, the foundational law governing the National School Lunch Program, to the Jean E. Fairfax National School Lunch Act. It includes findings that celebrate Jean E. Fairfax as a civil rights advocate who worked to expand equitable educational access and reform the program, and it explicitly characterizes Richard B. Russell’s record on civil rights and school integration in a negative light. The core statutory change is in the act’s short title, and the bill then requires numerous conforming amendments across a wide range of related laws and sections to reflect the new name. There are no provisions in the bill to alter program funding, eligibility, or policy beyond the renaming.
Key Points
- 1The act’s short title is changed from the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to the Jean E. Fairfax National School Lunch Act.
- 2The bill includes findings praising Jean E. Fairfax’s civil rights work and highlighting how her efforts contributed to making the National School Lunch Program more inclusive.
- 3The bill alleges negative historical positions and actions attributed to Richard B. Russell regarding segregation and civil rights, presenting the renaming as a corrective historical acknowledgment.
- 4Conforming amendments: The renaming is to be applied throughout a long list of related laws and sections across multiple federal programs and statutes, ensuring that all references to the act use the new name in the cited provisions.
- 5Administrative nature: The bill does not propose changes to program policy, funding, or operations; its primary effect is changing the act’s name and updating cross-references.