Mark Pocan (D-WI)
Improving Training for School Food Service Workers Act of 2025
A Democratic bill with 3 Republican cosponsors · See all 32 cosponsors
Last activity — Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.
In committee
Introduced and handed to a committee in the chamber it started in.
The committee holds it, and most bills are never heard from again. A hearing or a committee vote would be news; silence is the usual outcome, and it kills the bill without anyone voting against it.
Its path through Congress
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
This bill, known as the "Improving Training for School Food Service Workers Act of 2025," seeks to amend the Child Nutrition Act of 1966. It focuses on clarifying how training is provided to local food service personnel. The legislation establishes specific requirements for the availability and appropriateness of training programs. It aims to ensure training is conducted during paid working hours or provides specific protections if it is not.
Yes· 3 of 9
- Scored +3
Would union members be better off under this?
The bill strengthens worker protections by mandating compensation and preventing discrimination regarding training.
- Scored +3
Does this raise the lowest wage an employer may pay?
The bill mandates that training outside regular hours must be compensated at the employee's regular rate, including overtime.
- Scored +2
Would households on low incomes be better off under this?
The bill protects the income of food service workers by requiring compensation for training time.
The opposite
No question was scored the opposite.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Training Requirements: Training programs would be scheduled during regular, paid working hours, offered in-person if appropriate, and include experiential learning (Section 2).
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Cost Protections: Training must be provided at no cost to the food service personnel (Section 2).
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Compensation for Off-Hour Training: If a program is scheduled outside of regular, paid working hours, personnel must be compensated at their regular rate of pay, including any applicable overtime rate (Section 2).
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Work-Life Protections: The bill requires efforts to inform personnel why training must be outside regular hours and mandates consultation with personnel to ensure the schedule is minimally disruptive (Section 2).
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Non-Discrimination Protections: Food service personnel cannot be penalized or discriminated against for being unable to attend a training program (Section 2).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
- No Negative Impacts Identified: The provided text does not list specific negative consequences or burdens for individuals or groups; it only outlines requirements for training and compensation.
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Tap or hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Would union members be better off under this? — The bill strengthens worker protections by mandating compensation and preventing discrimination regarding training. Would households on low incomes be better off under this? — The bill protects the income of food service workers by requiring compensation for training time. Would middle-income households be better off under this? — The bill provides job stability and wage protections for workers in the food service industry. Would people with disabilities be better off under this? — The requirement for in-person and experiential learning can be adapted to various learning needs through consultation. Would women be better off under this? — The bill's emphasis on minimizing disruption to personal schedules provides better work-life balance protections. Would people in their twenties and thirties be better off under this? — The bill ensures predictable working hours and compensation for training which benefits early-career workers.
- Economy And Finance
- Does this raise the lowest wage an employer may pay? — The bill mandates that training outside regular hours must be compensated at the employee's regular rate, including overtime.
- Education And Technology
- Does this put more money into public schools? — The bill provides structured training requirements for personnel within the school nutrition system.
- Social Issues And Justice
- Is this likely to lift people out of poverty? — The bill protects the wages of food service workers by ensuring training is paid or compensated at regular rates.
- 9/2/2026
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 6/29/2026
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 5/14/2026
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 2/4/2026
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 1/7/2026
- 2 Cosponsors added.
- 12/16/2025
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 11/17/2025
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 11/7/2025
- 5 Cosponsors added.
- 10/28/2025
- 6 Cosponsors added.
- 10/21/2025
- 6 Cosponsors added.
- 10/14/2025
- 6 Cosponsors added.
- 5/13/2025
- Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- Introduced in House
One bill Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.
Yassamin AnsariDemocrat · Arizona
Sanford BishopDemocrat · Georgia
Nikki BudzinskiDemocrat · Illinois
Becca BalintDemocrat · Vermont
Wesley BellDemocrat · Missouri
Judy ChuDemocrat · California
Sean CastenDemocrat · Illinois
Angie CraigDemocrat · Minnesota
Danny DavisDemocrat · Illinois
Lloyd DoggettDemocrat · Texas
Sarah ElfrethDemocrat · Maryland
Brian FitzpatrickRepublican · Pennsylvania
John GaramendiDemocrat · California
Maggie GoodlanderDemocrat · New Hampshire
Chrissy HoulahanDemocrat · Pennsylvania
Julie JohnsonDemocrat · Texas
Raja KrishnamoorthiDemocrat · Illinois
Michael LawlerRepublican · New York
Morgan McGarveyDemocrat · Kentucky
Seth MagazinerDemocrat · Rhode Island
Kevin MullinDemocrat · California
Robert MenendezDemocrat · New Jersey
Sarah McBrideDemocrat · Delaware
Eleanor NortonDemocrat · District of Columbia
Alexandria Ocasio-CortezDemocrat · New York
Frank PalloneDemocrat · New Jersey
Elise StefanikRepublican · New York
Eric SorensenDemocrat · Illinois
Andrea SalinasDemocrat · Oregon
Shri ThanedarDemocrat · Michigan
Nikema WilliamsDemocrat · Georgia
Bonnie Watson ColemanDemocrat · New Jersey