H.R. 9877
Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026
Sponsor: Raul Ruiz
26 cosponsors
- Adelita S. Grijalva
- Adriano Espaillat
- Analilia Mejia
- Andrea Salinas
- Ayanna Pressley
- Christian D. Menefee
- Delia C. Ramirez
- Eleanor Holmes Norton
- Emily Randall
- Frederica S. Wilson
- Grace Meng
- Gwen Moore
- Jahana Hayes
- Jesús G. "Chuy" García
- Jill N. Tokuda
- Jonathan L. Jackson
- Judy Chu
- Maxwell Frost
- Nydia M. Velázquez
- Pablo José Hernández
- Pete Aguilar
- Robin L. Kelly
- Shri Thanedar
- Suzanne Bonamici
- Ted Lieu
- Troy A. Carter
Official summary
No official summary yet.
Text of the bill
I Data collection and reporting
II Culturally and linguistically appropriate health and health care
III Health workforce diversity
A Diversifying the health care workplace
B Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Behavioral and Mental Health Workforce
C ACCESS in Mental Health Act
D Developing the Community Health Workforce Act
IV Improving Health Care Access and Quality
A Reducing Barriers to Accessing Care
B Improvement of Coverage
C Expansion of Access
1 General Provisions
2 Rural
3 Indian Communities
4 Providers
5 Dental
D Advancing Health Equity Through Payment and Delivery Reform
E Health Empowerment Zones
F Equitable Health Care for All
G Investing in Equity
H Miscellaneous
I Territories Health Equity
1 Medicare
A Part A
B Part B
C Medicare Advantage (Part C)
D Part D
2 Miscellaneous
V Improving health outcomes for women, gender-diverse people, children, and families
A Underserved communities
B Pregnancy screening
C Pregnancy-Related care
D Federal agency coordination on maternal health
E Reproductive and Sexual Health
F Children’s Health
G Elder Care
H Miscellaneous provisions
VI Mental health and substance use disorders
A Access to care and funding streams
B Interprofessional care
C Workforce development
D Children’s mental health
E Community-Based care
F Reports
G Miscellaneous provisions
VII Addressing high-impact minority diseases
A Cancer
B Viral hepatitis and liver cancer control and prevention
C Acquired bone marrow failure diseases
D Cardiovascular disease, chronic disease, obesity, and other disease issues
E HIV/AIDS
F Diabetes
G Lung disease
H Tuberculosis
I Osteoarthritis and Musculoskeletal Diseases
J Sleep and circadian rhythm disorders
K Kidney disease research, surveillance, prevention, and treatment
L Diversity in clinical trials
M Additional provisions addressing high-impact minority diseases
N Health Equity and Rare Disease Act
O Asunción Valdivia Heat Illness, Injury, and Fatality Prevention
P New Era of Preventing End-Stage Kidney Disease
VIII Health Information Technology
A Reducing Health Disparities Through Health IT
B Modifications To Achieve Parity in Existing Programs
C Additional Research and Studies
D Closing Gaps in Funding To Adopt Certified EHRs
E Expanding Access to Telehealth Services
IX Accountability and Evaluation
X Addressing Social Determinants and Improving Environmental Justice
A In General
B Gun Violence
C Nutrition for women, children, families
1 Senior hunger prevention
2 Closing the meal gap
D Universal school meals
1 School breakfast program
2 School lunch program
(a) Elimination of free lunch eligibility requirements
(1) In general. Section 9 of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1758) is amended by striking subsection (b) and inserting the following:
(b) Eligibility. All children enrolled in a school that participates in the school lunch program under this Act shall be eligible to receive free lunch under this Act.
(2) Conforming amendments
(A) Section 9 of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1758) is amended—
(i) in subsection (c), in the third sentence, by striking or at a reduced cost; and
(ii) in subsection (e), by striking , reduced price,.
(B) Section 18 of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1769) is amended—
(i) in subsection (b), by striking (b)(1) Upon and inserting the following:
(a) Extension of eligibility of certain school districts To receive cash or commodity letters of credit assistance for school lunch programs
(1) In general. On
(ii) in subsection (c), by striking (c)(1) The and inserting the following:
(b) Alternative counting and claiming procedures
(1) In general. The
(iii) in subsection (g), by striking the subsection designation and heading and inserting the following:
(c) Access to local foods: Patrick Leahy Farm to School Program
(iv) by striking subsection (j); and
(v) by redesignating subsections (h), (i), and (k) as subsections (d), (e), and (f), respectively.
(C) Section 17(r)(5) of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1766(r)(5)) is amended by striking 18(h) and inserting 18(d).
(D) Section 19(i)(2) of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1769a(i)(2)) is amended by striking State that received funding under section 18(f) on the day before the date of enactment of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 and inserting State that, on the day before the date of enactment of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (Public Law 110–246; 122 Stat. 1651), received funding under section 18(f) (as in effect on the day before that date of enactment).
(E) Section 413(b)(2) of the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998 (7 U.S.C. 7633(b)(2)) is amended by striking section 18(g) of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1769(g)) and inserting subsection (c) of section 18 of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1769).
(F) Section 28 of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1769i) is amended—
(i) by striking subsection (b); and
(ii) by redesignating subsection (c) as subsection (b).
(G) Section 1154(a)(2)(A)(i) of title 10, United States Code, is amended by striking in accordance with section 9(b)(1) of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1758(b)(1).
(H) Section 1902(a) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1396a(a)) is amended by striking paragraph (7) and inserting the following:
(7) provide safeguards that restrict the use or disclosure of information concerning applicants and recipients to purposes directly connected with the administration of the plan;
(I) Section 4301 of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (42 U.S.C. 1758a) is repealed.
(J) Section 17 of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1786) is amended—
(i) in subsection (d)—
(I) in paragraph (2)(A)—
(aa) by striking clause (i); and
(bb) by redesignating clauses (ii) and (iii) as clauses (i) and (ii), respectively; and
(II) in paragraph (3)—
(aa) by striking subparagraph (D);
(bb) by redesignating subparagraphs (E) and (F) as subparagraphs (D) and (E), respectively; and
(cc) in subparagraph (D) (as so redesignated), by striking clause (ii) or (iii) and inserting clause (i) or (ii); and
(ii) in subsection (f)(17), by striking Notwithstanding subsection (d)(2)(A)(i), not later and inserting Not later.
(b) No collection of debt
(1) In general. Notwithstanding any other provision of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1751 et seq.) or any other provision of law, effective beginning on the date of enactment of this Act, as a condition of participation in the school lunch program under that Act, a school—
(A) shall not collect any debt owed to the school for unpaid meal charges; and
(B) shall continue to accrue debt for unpaid meal charges—
(i) for the purpose of receiving reimbursement under section 10332; and
(ii) until the effective date specified in section 10302.
(2) National School Lunch Act. Section 9 of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1758) is amended by striking subsection (d) and inserting the following:
(d) No collection of debt. A school participating in the school lunch program under this Act shall not collect any debt owed to the school for unpaid meal charges.
3 Elementary and secondary education data
4 Amendments to other programs and laws
XI Protections to combat regulatory harm to health equity