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H.R. 5177: SPARK Act

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H.R. 5177: SPARK Act

117th Congress · introduced 2021-09-03 · Agriculture and Food · Latest: Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

  1. Where it came from: introduced 2021-09-03 · official record
  2. Who proposed it: Rep. Wild, Susan [D-PA-7] · what a sponsor is
  3. What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
  4. Where it stands now: Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
  5. If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

SPARK Act

Plain summary

Schools Preventing Hunger in At-Risk Kids Act or the SPARK Act This bill expands automatic eligibility for free school lunches and breakfasts to include children who have been placed in kinship care with a relative or family friend with the involvement of the state child welfare agency. To enroll in the program, a family must document the child's status to the appropriate local educational agency.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

SPARK Act

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

AI explanation – may be wrong, check the official text

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The strongest published arguments

Arguments for (supporters)

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Arguments against (opponents)

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Alternatives

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Wild, Susan [D-PA-7] · 14 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Don Bacon (R-NE), Brian K. Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Debbie Dingell (D-MI), Jahana Hayes (D-CT), Gwen Moore (D-WI), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Chellie Pingree (D-ME), Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA), Josh Harder (D-CA), Adam Smith (D-WA), Melanie A. Stansbury (D-NM)

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (2)
Appropriation
Money a legislature sets aside by law for a specific purpose. Government agencies may spend public money only as it has been appropriated.
Bill
A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Record fed-us-cong117-hr5177 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong117 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong117