[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3279 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







106th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 3279

To amend the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to authorize 
 the Secretary of Agriculture to carry out pilot projects to increase 
milk consumption and reduce the cost of milk served to school children.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

           December 14 (legislative day, September 22), 2000

Mr. Feingold (for himself, Mr. Jeffords, and Mr. Leahy) introduced the 
 following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on 
                  Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to authorize 
 the Secretary of Agriculture to carry out pilot projects to increase 
milk consumption and reduce the cost of milk served to school children.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Milk in Lunches for Kids Act of 
2000''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
            (1) increased flexibility in the distribution system for 
        milk made available to children participating in the school 
        lunch program under the Richard B. Russell National School 
        Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1751 et seq.), the school breakfast 
        program under section 4 of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 
        U.S.C. 1773), and the special milk program under section 3 of 
        that Act (42 U.S.C. 1772) would facilitate the partnerships 
        between producers of fluid milk products and school food 
        service authorities; and
            (2) higher consumption of milk results in better 
        nutritional habits among school children and improves the 
        health of the children participating in those programs.
    (b) Purposes.--The purposes of this Act are--
            (1) to increase milk consumption among school children; and
            (2) to reduce the cost of the milk provided under the 
        school lunch and school breakfast programs.

SEC. 3. SCHOOL MILK SERVICE IMPROVEMENT PILOT PROJECTS.

    Section 18 of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 
U.S.C. 1769) is amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(f) School Milk Service Improvement Pilot Projects.--
            ``(1) Establishment.--The Secretary shall establish pilot 
        projects in schools under the jurisdiction of not more than 20 
        school food service authorities to modernize the methods 
        through which milk is served to children under this Act and 
        sections 3 and 4 of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 
        1772, 1773).
            ``(2) Use of funds.--Funds made available under this 
        subsection may be used by a school food service authority--
                    ``(A) to improve methods of serving milk to 
                children by modernizing--
                            ``(i) packaging;
                            ``(ii) storage facilities; and
                            ``(iii) displays;
                    ``(B) to expand the variety of milk offered; and
                    ``(C) for other purposes relating to improving 
                methods through which milk is served to children.
            ``(3) Exemption.--A school food service authority 
        participating in a pilot project under this subsection shall be 
        exempt from the requirements of section 9(a)(2)(B).
            ``(4) Evaluation.--In approving the pilot projects, the 
        Secretary shall evaluate the partnerships between school food 
        service authorities and producers of milk products.
            ``(5) Report.--Not later than 18 months after the date of 
        enactment of this subsection, the Secretary shall submit to 
        Congress a report evaluating the impacts of the pilot projects 
        on--
                    ``(A) increasing milk consumption; and
                    ``(B) reducing the cost of milk provided under the 
                school lunch and school breakfast programs.
            ``(6) Termination.--Each pilot project established under 
        this subsection shall terminate not later than 2 full school 
        years after the date of enactment of this subsection.
            ``(7) Funding.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The Secretary shall use for 
                fiscal year 2001, $2,000,000 of funds made available 
                under section 3 to carry out this subsection.
                    ``(B) Offset.--The Secretary shall derive the funds 
                referred to in subparagraph (A), in an equal 
                percentage, from each other activity funded under 
                section 3.''.
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