The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“CHILD NUTRITION PROGRAMS” mentioning the U.S. Dept of Agriculture was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E542 on March 4, 2009.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
CHILD NUTRITION PROGRAMS
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HON. LORETTA SANCHEZ
of california
in the house of representatives
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the California Legislature on the passage of Assembly Joint Resolution No. 69 addressing child nutrition programs.
The high occurrence of malnutrition, obesity and poor fitness in California are frightening.
Currently, only 6 percent of school lunches meet all of the School Meal Initiative (SMI) standards.
Over 30 percent of 7th graders in California are overweight and almost 40 percent cannot pass the state's fitness test.
The Resolution passed by the California Legislature urges Congress and the President of the United States to ensure that child nutrition programs establish comprehensive nutrition and wellness policies in schools.
In addition, this resolution supports the reauthorization of federal child nutrition programs and requests adequate reimbursements to fund the cost of producing a healthy school meal in the region where it is served.
I urge my colleagues to follow California's example and work together to ensure proper nutrition and fitness for American children.
I would now like to insert the following text from the California Assembly Joint Resolution No. 69.
Assembly Joint Resolution No. 69
Whereas, The National School Lunch Program is declared to be the policy of Congress, ``as a measure of national security, to safeguard the health and well-being of the nation's children and to encourage the domestic consumption of nutritious agricultural commodities and other food, by assisting the states, through grants-in-aid and other means, in providing an adequate supply of food and other facilities for the establishment, maintenance, operation, and expansion of nonprofit school lunch programs''; and
Whereas, Federal regulations further state that participating schools shall ensure that children gain a full understanding of the relationship between proper eating and good health; and
Whereas, Child nutrition programs are responsible for collaborating with the school community to implement comprehensive nutrition and wellness policies in school districts; and
Whereas, All of California's more than 6 million pupils deserve access to high-quality, safe, nutritious meals available in the school setting, recognizing the link between adequate nourishment and educational performance; and
Whereas, Children that experience hunger have been shown to be more likely to have lower math scores, decreased attentiveness, increased likelihood of repeating a grade, increased absences and tardiness, and more referrals to special education services; and
Whereas, Child nutrition programs in California provide over 4 million meals to school children daily, and must comply with complex state and federal requirements, provide adequate food preparation and dining facilities, and meet budget requirements despite rapidly escalating food, energy, transportation, labor, and other costs; and
Whereas, Losses in the school meal programs must be offset by other revenue sources that would otherwise support classroom instruction; and
Whereas, For each lunch provided to a child who qualifies for a free meal, the estimated average cost of producing the lunch is $3.10; the reimbursement received for each meal, provided that all state and federal requirements are met, is
$2.6895 (a federal reimbursement of $2.47 and a state reimbursement of $0.2195); and
Whereas, The difference between reimbursement and cost undermines the ability to continue to provide nutritious meals to all pupils; and
Whereas, The United States Department of Agriculture recognizes higher cost as a factor in determining reimbursement rates by allowing a higher federal reimbursement rate in Alaska and Hawaii; and
Whereas, Many families that qualify for reduced-price meals, prescribed by federal law using the federal poverty level, find it difficult to pay the reduced fee, and the fee for a paid meal is an insurmountable barrier to participation for an increasing number of families in California; and
Whereas, The eligibility scale to qualify pupils for free or reduced-price meals is the same scale throughout the country and does not consider regions with higher costs of living; and
Whereas, A self-sufficiency index, which identifies the income levels at which families can meet their most basic needs without public support, is available in all regions to apply to meal eligibility standards; and
Whereas, A single-parent household with two children in San Mateo County, California, needs $67,867 to be self-sufficient, while a similar family in Hardeman County, Tennessee, is self-sufficient with only $21,657; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Assembly and the Senate of the State of California, jointly, That the Legislature supports reauthorization of federal child nutrition programs and urges the President and the Congress of the United States to ensure that reimbursement rates are adequate to fully fund the cost of producing a nutritious school meal relative to the cost of living in a region; and be it further
Resolved, That the eligibility scale used to qualify families for free and reduced-price meals be adjusted according to the self-sufficiency index for the region served; and be it further
Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of this resolution to the President and Vice President of the United States, to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, to the Majority Leader of the Senate, and to each Senator and Representative from California in the Congress of the United States.
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