H.R. 9877

Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026

Sponsor: Raul Ruiz

26 cosponsors
Follow this bill

Official summary

No official summary yet.

Text of the bill

Expand all

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

Sec. 10325. Summer food service program for children

Section 13 of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1761) is amended—

(1) in subsection (a)—

(A) in paragraph (1)(A)(i)—

(i) in subclause (I), by striking have been determined eligible for free or reduced price school meals under this Act and the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1771 et seq.) and inserting are economically disadvantaged students (as identified under a measure described in section 1113(a)(5) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6313(a)(5)));

(ii) in subclause (II), by striking are eligible for free or reduced price school meals under this Act and the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1771 et seq.) and inserting are economically disadvantaged students (as identified under a measure described in section 1113(a)(5) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6313(a)(5)));

(iii) in subclause (III)(bb), by striking meet the income standards for free or reduced price school meals under this Act and the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1771 et seq.) and inserting are economically disadvantaged students (as identified under a measure described in section 1113(a)(5) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6313(a)(5)));

(iv) in subclause (IV), by striking are eligible for free or reduced price school meals under this Act and the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1771 et seq.) and inserting are economically disadvantaged students (as identified under a measure described in section 1113(a)(5) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6313(a)(5))); and

(v) in subclause (V), by striking are eligible for free or reduced price school meals under this Act and the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1771 et seq.) and inserting are economically disadvantaged students (as identified under a measure described in section 1113(a)(5) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6313(a)(5)));

(B) in paragraph (2), by adding at the end the following:

Text this section adds to the law

(C) Waiver. If the Secretary determines that a program requirement under this section limits the access of children to meals served under this section, the Secretary may waive that program requirement.

(D) Eligibility. All children shall be eligible to participate in the program under this section.

(C) in paragraph (5), by striking only for and all that follows through the period at the end and inserting for meals served to all children.; and

(D) in paragraph (13)—

(i) in subparagraph (C)(ii), by striking eligible for a free or reduced price lunch under this Act or a free or reduced price breakfast under section 4 of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1773) and inserting an economically disadvantaged student (as identified under a measure described in section 1113(a)(5) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6313(a)(5))); and

(ii) in subparagraph (D)(ii), by striking eligible for free or reduced price lunch under this Act or free or reduced price breakfast under section 4 of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1773) and inserting economically disadvantaged students (as identified under a measure described in section 1113(a)(5) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6313(a)(5)));

(2) in subsection (b)(2), by striking may only serve and all that follows through migrant children;

(3) by striking subsection (c) and inserting the following:

Text this section adds to the law

(c) Payments

(1) In general. Payments shall be made to service institutions for meals served—

(A) during the months of May through September;

(B) during school vacation at any time during an academic school year;

(C) during a teacher in-service day; and

(D) on days that school is closed due to a natural disaster, building repair, court order, or similar cause, as determined by the Secretary.

(2) Limitation on payments. A service institution shall receive payments under this section for not more than 3 meals and 1 supplement per child per day.

; and

(4) in subsection (f)(3), by striking , except that and all that follows through of this section.

3 Elementary and secondary education data

4 Amendments to other programs and laws

XI Protections to combat regulatory harm to health equity