US Code

Public Law 119-73 (01/23/2026)

42 U.S.C. § 1772

Special program to encourage the consumption of fluid milk by children; authorization of appropriations; eligibility for special milk program; minimum rate of reimbursement; ineligibility of commodity only schools

(a)
(1)
42 U.S.C. 1751 There is hereby authorized to be appropriated for the fiscal year ending , and for each succeeding fiscal year, such sums as may be necessary to enable the Secretary of Agriculture, under such rules and regulations as the Secretary may deem in the public interest, to encourage consumption of fluid milk by children in the United States in (A) nonprofit schools of high school grade and under, except as provided in paragraph (2), which do not participate in a meal service program authorized under this chapter or the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act [ et seq.], and (B) nonprofit nursery schools, child-care centers, settlement houses, summer camps, and similar nonprofit institutions devoted to the care and training of children, which do not participate in a meal service program authorized under this chapter or the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act.
(2)
The limitation imposed under paragraph (1)(A) for participation of nonprofit schools in the special milk program shall not apply to split-session kindergarten programs conducted in schools in which children do not have access to the meal service program operating in schools the children attend as authorized under this chapter or the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act.
(3)
For the purposes of this section “United States” means the fifty States, Guam, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the District of Columbia.
(4)
The Secretary shall administer the special milk program provided for by this section to the maximum extent practicable in the same manner as the Secretary administered the special milk program provided for by this chapter during the fiscal year ending .
(5)
Any school or nonprofit child care institution which does not participate in a meal service program authorized under this chapter or the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act shall receive the special milk program upon its request.
(6)
Children who qualify for free lunches under guidelines set forth by the Secretary shall, at the option of the school involved (or of the local educational agency involved in the case of a public school) be eligible for free milk upon their request.
(7)
For the fiscal year ending , and for subsequent school years, the minimum rate of reimbursement for a half-pint of milk served in schools and other eligible institutions shall not be less than 5 cents per half-pint served to eligible children, and such minimum rate of reimbursement shall be adjusted on an annual basis each school year to reflect changes in the Producer Price Index for Fresh Processed Milk published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the Department of Labor.
(8)
Such adjustment shall be computed to the nearest one-fourth cent.
(9)
Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, in no event shall the minimum rate of reimbursement exceed the cost to the school or institution of milk served to children.
(10)
The State educational agency shall disburse funds paid to the State during any fiscal year for purposes of carrying out the program under this section in accordance with such agreements approved by the Secretary as may be entered into by such State agency and the schools in the State. The agreements described in the preceding sentence shall be permanent agreements that may be amended as necessary. Nothing in the preceding sentence shall be construed to limit the ability of the State educational agency to suspend or terminate any such agreement in accordance with regulations prescribed by the Secretary.
(b)
42 U.S.C. 1751 Commodity only schools shall not be eligible to participate in the special milk program under this section. For the purposes of the preceding sentence, the term “commodity only schools” means schools that do not participate in the school lunch program under the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act [ et seq.], but which receive commodities made available by the Secretary for use by such schools in nonprofit lunch programs.

Pub. L. 89–642, § 380 Stat. 885Pub. L. 91–29584 Stat. 336Pub. L. 93–150, § 787 Stat. 563Pub. L. 93–347, § 388 Stat. 341Pub. L. 94–105, § 15(a)89 Stat. 522Pub. L. 95–16691 Stat. 1337Pub. L. 95–627, § 5(a)92 Stat. 3619Pub. L. 96–499, title II, § 20994 Stat. 2602Pub. L. 97–35, title VIII95 Stat. 527Pub. L. 99–500, title III, § 329100 Stat. 1783–362Pub. L. 99–591, title III, § 329100 Stat. 3341–365Pub. L. 99–661, div. D, title II, § 4209100 Stat. 4073Pub. L. 101–147, title II, § 211103 Stat. 911Pub. L. 104–193, title VII, § 721110 Stat. 2301Pub. L. 106–78, title VII, § 752(b)(16)113 Stat. 1170(, , ; , , ; , , ; , , ; , , ; , §§ 11, 20(1), (2), , , 1346; , , ; , , ; , §§ 807, 813(c), , , 530; , , , and , , ; , , ; , title III, § 321, , , 916; , , ; , , .)

Editorial Notes

References in Text

act June 4, 1946, ch. 28160 Stat. 230section 1751 of this titleThe Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act, referred to in subsecs. (a)(1), (2), (5) and (b), is , , which is classified generally to chapter 13 (§ 1751 et seq.) of this title. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see Short Title note set out under and Tables.

Codification

Pub. L. 99–591Pub. L. 99–500 is a corrected version of .

Amendments

Pub. L. 106–781999— substituted “Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act” for “National School Lunch Act” wherever appearing.

Pub. L. 104–1931996—Subsec. (a)(3). substituted “the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands” for “the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands”.

Pub. L. 101–147, § 211(a)Pub. L. 99–591, § 329Pub. L. 99–661, § 4209Pub. L. 99–6611989—Subsec. (a). , amended subsec. (a) as identically amended by , and , to read as if only the amendment by was enacted, resulting in no change in text, see 1986 Amendment note below.

Pub. L. 101–147, § 321(1)Subsec. (a)(1). , substituted “the Secretary” for “he” before “may deem”.

Pub. L. 101–147, § 321(2)42 U.S.C. 1751Subsec. (a)(2). , struck out “( et seq.)” after “National School Lunch Act”.

Pub. L. 101–147, § 321(3)Subsec. (a)(4). , substituted “the Secretary” for “he”.

Pub. L. 101–147, § 321(4)Subsec. (a)(5). , substituted “its” for “their” before “request”.

Pub. L. 101–147, § 211(b)Subsec. (a)(10). , added par. (10).

Pub. L. 99–500Pub. L. 99–591Pub. L. 99–6611986—Subsec. (a). , , and amended subsec. (a) identically, designating existing provisions as pars. (1) and (3) to (9), in par. (1), redesignating former cls. (1) and (2) as subpars. (A) and (B) and inserting “except as provided in paragraph (2),” in subpar. (A), and adding par. (2).

Pub. L. 97–35, § 813(c)(1)1981—Subsec. (a). , designated existing provisions as subsec. (a).

Pub. L. 97–35, § 807, inserted provisions respecting nonparticipation in a meal service program, and struck out provisions relating to rate of reimbursement per half-pint of milk served to children not eligible for free milk in schools, child care institutions, and summer camps participating in meal service programs under the National School Lunch Act.

Pub. L. 97–35, § 813(c)(2)Subsec. (b). , added subsec. (b).

Pub. L. 96–4991980— provided that rate of reimbursement per half-pint of milk, served to children not eligible for free milk in schools, child care institutions, and summer camps participating in meal service programs under the National School Lunch Act and this chapter was to be five cents.

Pub. L. 95–6271978— substituted “Producer Price Index for Fresh Processed Milk” for “series of food away from home of the Consumer Price Index”, and inserted provision relating to eligibility for free milk.

Pub. L. 95–1661977— provided free milk for children when milk is made available at times other than the periods of meal service in outlets that operate a food service program under sections 1753, 1766, and 1773 of this title, and substituted “school years” and “annual basis each school year” for “fiscal years” and “annual basis each fiscal year” and deleted “thereafter, beginning with the fiscal year ending ,” before “to reflect changes”.

Pub. L. 94–1051975— added the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands to definition of “United States”, and inserted provision relating to minimum rate of reimbursement to schools and institutions of the cost of milk served to children.

Pub. L. 93–3471974— substituted “such sums as may be necessary” for “, not to exceed $120,000,000,” in provision limiting the size of appropriations authorized and inserted provisions setting a minimum rate of reimbursement for a half-pint of milk served in schools and other eligible institutions and allowing for an annual adjustment of the minimum rate.

Pub. L. 93–1501973— inserted provisions making any school or nonprofit child care institution eligible to receive the special milk program upon their request and any children that qualify for free lunches under guidelines set forth by the Secretary also eligible for free milk.

Pub. L. 91–295Pub. L. 85–4781970— substituted provisions authorizing appropriations of not to exceed $120,000,000 for fiscal year ending , and for each succeeding fiscal year, for provisions authorizing appropriations of not to exceed $110,000,000 for fiscal year ending , not to exceed $115,000,000 for fiscal year ending , and not to exceed $120,000,000 for each of two succeeding fiscal years, and provisions requiring Secretary to administer the special milk program provided for by this section in same manner as he administered the special milk program provided for by this chapter during fiscal year ending , for provisions requiring the Secretary to administer such program in the same manner as he administered the special milk program provided for by , as amended, during fiscal year ending , and provided that Guam be subject to provisions of this section.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date of 1986 Amendments

Pub. L. 99–661, div. D, title II, § 4209100 Stat. 4073, , , provided that the amendment made by that section is effective .

Pub. L. 99–500, title III, § 329100 Stat. 1783–362Pub. L. 99–591, title III, § 329100 Stat. 3341–365, , , and , , , provided that the amendment made by each such section is effective .

Effective Date of 1981 Amendment

section 807 of Pub. L. 97–35section 813 of Pub. L. 97–35Pub. L. 97–35section 1753 of this titleAmendment by effective , and amendment by effective 90 days after , see section 820(a)(3), (5) of , set out as a note under .

Effective Date of 1978 Amendment

Pub. L. 95–627section 14 of Pub. L. 95–627section 1755 of this titleAmendment by effective , except as specifically provided, see , set out as a note under .

Effective Date of 1977 Amendment

Pub. L. 95–166, § 2091 Stat. 1346, , , provided that the amendment made by that section is effective .