[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 80 Introduced in House (IH)]

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114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. CON. RES. 80

   Expressing the sense of the Congress on Hunger in our Communities.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 30, 2015

 Ms. Adams (for herself, Ms. Fudge, Ms. Michelle Lujan Grisham of New 
Mexico, Ms. Jackson Lee, Ms. Norton, Mr. Ryan of Ohio, Mr. Nadler, and 
Mr. McGovern) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was 
   referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, and in 
  addition to the Committees on Agriculture and Ways and Means, for a 
 period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for 
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the 
                          committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
   Expressing the sense of the Congress on Hunger in our Communities.

Whereas, according to the United States Department of Agriculture, nationally 14 
        percent of households reported being food insecure, which equates to 1 
        in 7 households struggling to put safe and nutritious food on the table;
Whereas, according to the United States Department of Agriculture, the States of 
        Mississippi, Louisiana, West Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama, 
        Arkansas, Montana, Maine, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, and Texas have 
        food insecurity rates over 16 percent;
Whereas, according to Feeding America, 21.4 percent of children in the United 
        States did not have sufficient access to food at some point during the 
        previous year;
Whereas many families simply do not have adequate resources (from wages, Social 
        Security and other retirement benefits, income supports, the 
        supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP), and the special 
        supplemental nutrition program for women, infants, and children (WIC)) 
        to purchase enough food;
Whereas income support programs such as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families 
        (TANF), Unemployment Insurance, and Worker's Compensation are inadequate 
        and increasingly difficult to apply for and maintain benefits;
Whereas, while the supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP) is critical 
        in providing nutrition assistance to both working and non-working 
        households by supplementing wages, Social Security benefits, or other 
        sources of income, SNAP benefits just are not enough for most families 
        to make it through the month;
Whereas 1 of the factors contributing to food hardship is an individual living 
        too far away from a grocery store or an affordable healthy-food retail 
        outlet;
Whereas community based organizations such as food banks and other nonprofit 
        organizations have to operate the Child and Adult Care Food Program 
        (CACFP) after school and the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) during 
        the summer, even though they are serving the same kids, often at the 
        same sites, thereby compelling community-based organizations to use a 
        duplicative administrative process to receive funding for both programs 
        to serve the same group of children, increasing administrative costs on 
        organizations with already limited resources;
Whereas many low-income children struggle with hunger over the summer, but 
        communities have limited ability to support them because of rigid 
        program requirements that require kids to consume meals on-site; and
Whereas food hardship rates are too high across the Nation: Now, therefore, be 
        it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That--
            (1) the Congress should increase support for programs that 
        will strengthen wages and move the Nation toward full 
        employment, including in underserved areas;
            (2) Congressional funding for programs such as Unemployment 
        Insurance, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), 
        refundable tax credits, and the supplemental nutrition 
        assistance program (SNAP), should be increased;
            (3) the Congress should appropriate funds for the 
        Department of Agriculture to operate and manage programs that 
        are authorized as part of the Healthy Food Financing Initiative 
        under Public Law 113-79, the Agricultural Act of 2014;
            (4) the Congress should permit nonprofit organizations that 
        serve children through the Child and Adult Care Food Program 
        and the Summer Food Service Program to operate 1 program year-
        round, eliminating duplicative administrative processes and 
        aligning inconsistent program requirements; and
            (5) the on-site requirement for after-school and summer 
        meals programs should be waived to allow communities to develop 
        more effective ways to serve children outside of the school 
        day, including by expanding current United States Department of 
        Agriculture programs such as the Summer Electronic Benefits 
        Transfer for Children demonstration.
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