Federal grants help schools keep libraries open in summer for reading.
S. 5318 — Summer Meals and Learning Act of 2026 · Filed by Jeff Merkley (D-OR) · 4 cosponsors · Introduced Aug 6, 2026 · Referred to committee
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What it does
The bill creates a $5 million grant program from 2027 to 2031. Money goes to state library agencies, which pass it to school districts. Districts use the money to keep libraries open during summer. Libraries must run reading activities for at least 6 weeks each summer alongside meals.
Who it affects
Low-income students get access to libraries and reading help in summer. The grants target schools where at least half of early-grade students read below grade level. Working parents benefit because their kids have a safe place during summer.
One thing to notice
The bill does not pay for library staff. School districts must hire and train workers themselves, which costs money beyond the grant.
From the analysis of the bill text, linked under Primary records below.
Where it stands
4 cosponsors: 4 Democrats.
- Aug 6, 2026 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in Senate”
- Aug 6, 2026 — Referred to Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions · Congress.gov: “Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
Words to know
- grant program — Money the government gives to states or schools for a specific purpose.
- state library agencies — Government offices in each state that manage libraries and pass money to local libraries.
- below grade level — Reading skills weaker than what students of that age should know.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the bill text published by Congress.gov (6,154 characters) on Aug 14, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 14,707 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
As of — page rendered 2026-09-23.
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