[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2183 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







108th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2183

   To amend the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 to create team nutrition 
     networks to promote the nutritional health of school children.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 9, 2004

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To amend the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 to create team nutrition 
     networks to promote the nutritional health of 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 ``Early Attention To Nutrition (EATN) 
Act of 2004''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds that--
            (1) heart disease, cancer, stroke, and diabetes are 
        responsible for \2/3\ of deaths in the United States;
            (2) the major risk factors for those diseases and 
        conditions are established in childhood through unhealthy 
        eating habits, physical inactivity, obesity, and tobacco use;
            (3) obesity rates have doubled in children and tripled in 
        adolescents over the last 2 decades;
            (4) today, 1 in 7 young people are obese, and 1 in 3 are 
        overweight;
            (5) obese children are twice as likely as nonobese children 
        to become obese adults;
            (6) an overweight condition and obesity can result in 
        physical, psychological, and social consequences, including 
        heart disease, diabetes, cancer, depression, decreased self-
        esteem, and discrimination;
            (7) only 2 percent of children consume a diet that meets 
        the 5 main recommendations for a healthy diet from the Food 
        Guide Pyramid published by the Secretary of Agriculture;
            (8) 3 out of 4 high school students in the United States do 
        not eat the recommended 5 or more servings of fruits and 
        vegetables each day; and
            (9) 3 out of 4 children in the United States consume more 
        saturated fat than is recommended in the Dietary Guidelines for 
        Americans published by the Secretary of Agriculture.

SEC. 3. TEAM NUTRITION NETWORK GRANTS.

    Section 19 of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1788) is 
amended to read as follows:

``SEC. 19. TEAM NUTRITION NETWORK GRANTS.

    ``(a) Purposes.--The purposes of this section are--
            ``(1) to promote the nutritional health of school children 
        through nutrition education and other activities that support 
        healthy lifestyles for children;
            ``(2) to provide grants to States for the development of 
        statewide, comprehensive, and integrated nutrition education 
        programs; and
            ``(3) to provide training and technical assistance to 
        States, school and community nutrition programs, and child 
        nutrition food service professionals.
    ``(b) Definition of Team Nutrition Network.--In this section, the 
term `team nutrition network' means a multidisciplinary program to 
promote healthy eating to children based on scientifically valid 
information and sound educational, social, and marketing principles.
    ``(c) Grants.--The Secretary is authorized to make grants to State 
educational agencies to promote the nutritional health of school 
children through the establishment of team nutrition networks.
    ``(d) Allocation.--
            ``(1) In general.--Subject to paragraph (2) and subsections 
        (g) and (h), the Secretary shall allocate funds made available 
        for a fiscal year under subsection (i) to make grants to 
        eligible State educational agencies for a fiscal year in an 
        amount determined by the Secretary, based on the ratio that--
                    ``(A) the number of lunches reimbursed through food 
                service programs under the Richard B. Russell National 
                School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1751 et seq.) in schools, 
                institutions, and service institutions in the State 
                that participate in the food service programs; bears to
                    ``(B) the number of lunches reimbursed through the 
                food service programs in schools, institutions, and 
                service institutions in all States that participate in 
                the food service programs.
            ``(2) Minimum grant.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The amount of a grant made to a 
                State educational agency for a fiscal year under this 
                section shall not be less than $500,000.
                    ``(B) Insufficient funds.--If the amount made 
                available for any fiscal year is insufficient to pay 
                the amount to which each eligible State educational 
                agency is entitled under subparagraph (A), the 
                Secretary shall select, on a competitive basis, 
                eligible State educational agencies that will receive, 
                at least, the minimum amount of grants required under 
                subparagraph (A).
    ``(e) Eligibility.--To be eligible to receive a grant under this 
section, a State educational agency shall submit a State plan to the 
Secretary for approval, in such manner and at such time as the 
Secretary determines, that includes information regarding how the grant 
will be used in accordance with this section.
    ``(f) Uses of Grant.--Subject to subsection (g), a grant made under 
this section may be used to--
            ``(1) instruct students with regard to the nutritional 
        value of foods and the relationship between food and human 
        health;
            ``(2) promote healthy eating by children;
            ``(3) provide assistance to schools in the adoption and 
        implementation of school policies that promote healthy eating;
            ``(4) foster community environments that support healthy 
        eating and physical activities;
            ``(5) provide training and technical assistance to teachers 
        and school food service professionals consistent with this 
        section;
            ``(6) evaluate State and local nutrition education 
        programs;
            ``(7) disseminate educational materials statewide through 
        the use of the Internet, mailings, conferences, and other 
        communication channels;
            ``(8) provide subgrants to school and school food 
        authorities for carrying out nutrition education activities at 
        the local level; and
            ``(9) conduct programs and education for parents and 
        caregivers regarding healthy eating for children.
    ``(g) State Coordinators.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall ensure that at least 
        10 percent of a grant made to a State educational agency for 
        each fiscal year is used by the State educational agency to 
        appoint a team nutrition network coordinator for the State.
            ``(2) Role of state coordinators.--A team nutrition network 
        coordinator for a State shall--
                    ``(A) develop and administer the team nutrition 
                network in the State; and
                    ``(B) coordinate the team nutrition network of the 
                State with--
                            ``(i) the Secretary (acting through the 
                        Food and Nutrition Service);
                            ``(ii) State agencies responsible for 
                        children's health programs (including school-
                        based children's health programs); and
                            ``(iii) other appropriate Federal, State, 
                        and local agencies.
    ``(h) National Activities.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall reserve 20 percent 
        of the amount of funds made available for each fiscal year 
        under subsection (i) to promote team nutrition networks 
        nationally in accordance with this subsection.
            ``(2) Activities.--Of the amount of funds that are reserved 
        for a fiscal year under this section, the Secretary shall use--
                    ``(A) 50 percent of the reserved funds for--
                            ``(i) evaluation of activities funded under 
                        this section; and
                            ``(ii) development of a clearinghouse for 
                        collecting and disseminating information on 
                        best practices for promoting healthy eating in 
                        school and community child nutrition programs; 
                        and
                    ``(B) 50 percent of the reserved funds to carry out 
                national activities to support team nutrition networks 
                through the Secretary, acting through the 
                Undersecretary of Food and Nutrition Services.
    ``(i) Funding.--
            ``(1) In general.--On October 1, 2004, and on each October 
        1 thereafter through October 1, 2007, out of any funds in the 
        Treasury not otherwise appropriated, the Secretary of the 
        Treasury shall transfer to the Secretary of Agriculture to 
        carry out this section $50,000,000, to remain available until 
        expended.
            ``(2) Receipt and acceptance.--The Secretary shall be 
        entitled to receive, shall accept, and shall use to carry out 
        this section the funds transferred under paragraph (1), without 
        further appropriation.''.
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