[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 25 (Wednesday, February 8, 1995)]
[House]
[Page H1439]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


  POSSIBLE EFFECTS OF THE PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY ACT ON THE STATE OF 
                                 TEXAS

  The Speaker pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Texas [Mr. Gene Green] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I take the floor to discuss 
again the possible effects of the Personal Responsibility Act, the PRA, 
on the State of Texas. This measure reforms welfare in many ways. 
Unfortunately, it also repeals a number of nutrition programs such as 
the school nutrition program and also the senior citizens lunches 
which, for Texas, would be disastrous.
  A recent USDA study says this PRA reveals Texas would lose over a 
billion dollars in fiscal year 1996 alone. The reduction in funding for 
Texas represents a 30-percent reduction in funding for school lunches 
and senior citizens lunches.
  Under the block grant arrangement, Federal funds would first be 
awarded to the State and then allocated to the programs throughout the 
State. However, many nutrition programs, such as the school lunch, 
already go directly to the school districts.
  Adding an additional bureaucracy to funnel funds appears 
contradictory to the premise of the block grants, when everyone agrees 
we need to cut the layer of bureaucracy not increase, but this Personal 
Responsibility Act is another layer to take away funding directly to 
the school children and seniors.
  Local school districts could take deep cuts in funding. The Aldine 
Independent School District, where my children went to school, will 
have their food budget reduced by over $2 million and require a lunch 
costing $1.35 now to be increased to $1.75 and maybe even more. This 
could mean thousands of students in the Aldine area might not to be 
able to afford a nutritious lunch.
  The Pasadena School District in Harris County that I also represent 
part of, 50 percent of their meals are served this year by a free or 
reduced price of lunches. The number of free meals have tripled in the 
past 6 years.
  The Houston Independent School District provides 118,797 free or 
reduced meals every year, and they would be reduced.
  Tufts University Center for Hunger states that iron deficiency anemia 
affects nearly 25 percent of the poor children in the United States and 
impairs their cognitive development.
  The Tufts study further states that the longer a child's nutritional 
and emotional and educational needs go unmet there is a greater overall 
cognitive deficit.
  While I think we can all agree that reforming welfare is needed, the 
needs of the school children are of paramount importance. This may not 
be how the people of Texas thought how welfare reform would begin, but 
it currently is written into this Personal Responsibility Act and will 
increase the hunger for Texas children and senior citizens.
  I would like to paraphrase a letter from the Aldine Independent 
School District from our executive director of Food Services that says, 
``We are proud of what we do. Last year we received $7,900,000 from the 
Federal Government for reimbursement for free and reduced, prepaid 
mails and food commodity programs.''

                             {time}   2110

  They serve an average of 12,000 breakfasts a day and 24,000 lunches a 
day to Aldine children. They are proud of what they do, and many 
students in Aldine get their nutrition from the school cafeteria which 
enables them to perform better academically in the classroom. The food 
served at the schools goes directly to that child. It does not go to 
their parent. It goes to that child, and a hungry child cannot learn. 
These children are already here, so we need to nurture them and educate 
them so they can become healthy and productive members of society. We 
do not need to turn our backs on society's most least fortunate, our 
children, our senior citizens. Mr. Speaker, I ask that the House change 
this Personal Responsibility Act to reflect the needs that are 
reflected in our children.

                                                 February 8, 1995.
     The Hon. Gene Green,
     House of Representatives,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Congressman Green: Aldine ISD provides an excellent 
     education to children in middle to lower income families. 
     There are 46,000 students enrolled in Aldine ISD. The Aldine 
     Food Service department received $7,947,557.71 from the 
     federal government in reimbursements for free, reduced-price, 
     and paid meals and food commodity value in the 1993-94 school 
     year. We serve an average of 12,000 breakfasts a day, and 
     24,000 lunches a day to Aldine children.
       If the block grant proposal is passed as is, with a 30% 
     reduction in the funds provided to Texas, impact on the 
     Aldine Food Service department would be a loss of 
     $2,384,267.30. This reduction in funds would mean a large 
     increase in breakfast and lunch prices, reduction in labor, 
     and reduction in spending to businesses in this area. Many 
     children in Aldine would not be able to afford the increase 
     in price for lunch and breakfast. Our department has always 
     operated in the black with all excess funds being reinvested 
     into the Child Nutrition Program to benefit students. These 
     cuts would most likely throw us into the red.
       We are proud of what we do. Many of the students in Aldine 
     get their best nutrition in the school cafeteria which 
     enables them to perform their best academically in the 
     classroom. The food served at schools goes directly to the 
     child, not through a parent or guardian. A hungry child 
     cannot learn!
       These children are already here, so we need to nurture and 
     educate them so that they become healthy, productive members 
     of society. Your support in our endeavor will benefit us all.
       Thank you!
           Sincerely,
     Joyce H. Lyons,
       Executive Director of Food Services Aldine ISD.
     Melanie B. Konarik,
       Assistant Director of Food Services Aldine ISD.
       

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