[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 164 (Thursday, November 18, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Pages S14810-S14811]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. KOHL:
  S. 1958. A bill to amend the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 to authorize 
the Secretary of Agriculture to make grants for startup costs of school 
breakfast programs; to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and 
Forestry.


  LEGISLATION TO IMPROVE PARTICIPATION IN THE SCHOOL BREAKFAST PROGRAM

  Mr. KOHL. Mr. President, I rise to introduce legislation that will go 
far in helping children start their school day ready to learn.
  The relationship between a healthy breakfast and both behavior and 
academic achievement has been documented by a number of studies. 
Fortunately, participation of schools in the School Breakfast program 
has increased steadily since the program was made permanent in 1975. 
According to the School Breakfast Scorecard, a report recently released 
by the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC), a record number of 
schools--70,000--provided breakfast to school children last year. And 
nearly half of our states have 80 percent or more of their schools 
serving both lunch and breakfast under the National School Lunch and 
School Breakfast programs.
  That's good news. The bad news is that the gulf between states with 
the highest rates of school participation in breakfast and those with 
the lowest is wide. 20 percent of our states have fewer than 55 percent 
of their schools participating in both breakfast and lunch; that's a 
full 20 points below the national average. In my home state of 
Wisconsin, only 30 percent of the schools that serve lunch also serve 
breakfast.
  By another measure--participation of low-income children in both 
school lunch and breakfast--the results from the Scorecard are equally 
concerning. Nationally, only 42 percent of the kids receiving a free or 
reduced price lunch are also receiving breakfast; some states have 
fewer than 25 percent of kids receiving a free or reduced price lunch 
also receiving school breakfast.
  The bill I am introducing today would help states provide an 
additional financial incentive for schools to participate in the school 
breakfast program. While there are a number of reasons that schools do 
not offer their children a school breakfast, certainly the barrier most 
difficult to overcome is the cost of the meals throughout the year. In 
short, the cost of the school breakfast program may simply be too high 
for some schools and school districts.
  My bill authorizes, subject to appropriations, grants from the U.S. 
Department of Agriculture (USDA) to allow states to provide schools 
with an additional five cent per meal reimbursement during the first 
year in which they provide the school breakfast program. This 
additional reimbursement may be used to supplement both the existing 
federal per meal reimbursement and any additional per meal 
reimbursement provided by the state. To ensure that the grants are as 
effective as possible they are targeted to those states with poor 
school breakfast participation rates and that also have a program in 
place to promote school breakfast participation. State educational 
agencies will have the discretion to determine, based on participation 
rates, which schools or school districts will receive the supplemental 
assistance.
  Providing a nutritious breakfast is the first step in ensuring that 
kids are ready to learn when they sit down at their desks each morning. 
The legislation I am introducing will go far in helping states and 
schools reach that goal and I encourage my colleagues to support it.

[[Page S14811]]

  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of this 
legislation and letters of support for my bill from Wisconsin State 
Superintendent John Benson and Wisconsin School Food Service 
Association President Renee Slotten-Beauchamp be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                                S. 1958

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

     SECTION 1. FINANCIAL INCENTIVE GRANTS FOR SCHOOL BREAKFAST 
                   PROGRAMS.

       Section 4 of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 
     1773) is amended by adding at the end the following:
       ``(f) Startup Grants for School Breakfast Programs.--
       ``(1) Definition of eligible school.--In this subsection, 
     the term `eligible school' means a school that agrees to 
     operate the school breakfast program established with the 
     assistance provided under this subsection for a period of not 
     less than 3 years.
       ``(2) Grants.--The Secretary may make grants to State 
     educational agencies, from funds made available to the 
     Secretary, for a fiscal year, to assist eligible schools in 
     initiating school breakfast programs.
       ``(3) Payment rates.--A State educational agency shall use 
     grants made available under this subsection during the first 
     fiscal year an eligible school initiates a school breakfast 
     program--
       ``(A) to increase by not more than 5 cents the annually 
     adjusted payment for each breakfast served by the eligible 
     school; or
       ``(B) to assist eligible schools with non-recurring 
     expenses incurred in initiating school breakfast programs.
       ``(4) Funds supplementary.--A grant under this subsection 
     shall supplement any payment to which a State educational 
     agency is entitled under subsection (b).
       ``(5) Plan.--To be eligible to receive a grant under this 
     subsection, a State educational agency shall submit to the 
     Secretary a plan to initiate school breakfast programs 
     conducted in the State, including a description of the manner 
     in which the State educational agency shall provide technical 
     assistance and funding to eligible schools in the State to 
     initiate the programs.
       ``(6) State educational agency preferences.--In making a 
     grant under this subsection for a fiscal year to initiate 
     school breakfast programs, the Secretary shall provide a 
     preference to a State educational agency that--
       ``(A) has in effect a State law that promotes the expansion 
     of State participation in the school breakfast program during 
     the year;
       ``(B) has significant public or private resources that will 
     be used to carry out the expansion of the school breakfast 
     program during the year;
       ``(C)(i) has not more than 55 percent of schools in the 
     State that are participating in the school lunch program also 
     participating in the school breakfast program; or
       ``(ii) has not more than 30 percent of the students in the 
     State receiving free or reduced price lunch also receiving 
     free or reduced price breakfasts; and
       ``(D) serves an unmet need among low-income children, as 
     determined by the Secretary.
       ``(7) Reallocation.--The Secretary shall act in a timely 
     manner to recover and reallocate to other State educational 
     agencies or States any amount made available to a State 
     educational agency or State under this subsection that is not 
     used by the agency or State within a reasonable period (as 
     determined by the Secretary).
       ``(8) Application.--The Secretary shall allow application 
     by State educational agencies on an annual basis for grants 
     under this subsection.
       ``(9) Preferences by state educational agencies and 
     states.--In allocating funds within the State, each State 
     educational agency shall give preference for assistance under 
     this subsection to an eligible school that demonstrates the 
     greatest need for assistance for a school breakfast program, 
     based on the percentage of children not participating in the 
     school breakfast program, as determined by the State 
     educational agency.
       ``(10) Maintenance of effort.--The expenditure of funds 
     from State and local sources for the maintenance of the 
     school breakfast program shall not be diminished as a result 
     of grants made available under this subsection.''.
                                  ____

                                               State of Wisconsin,


                             Department of Public Instruction,

                                    Madison, WI, November 5, 1999.
     Hon. Herb Kohl,
     US Senate, Washington, DC.
       Dear Senator Kohl:
       This letter is in support of your proposed amendment for 
     Startup Grants for School Breakfast Programs. I believe this 
     legislation will provide an essential incentive for schools 
     to implement a School Breakfast Program (SBP). Understanding 
     that breakfast is an important component for academic 
     achievement as well as the health of our nation's children, I 
     am very concerned with Wisconsin's low participation in the 
     SBP.
       The federal startup grants for SBP will enhance the many 
     public and private efforts within our state to increase the 
     number of schools offering breakfast. Our state legislature 
     has supported my budget initiative for a ten cents per 
     breakfast reimbursement, effective in fiscal year 2001. 
     Statewide public and nonpublic collaborative initiatives to 
     promote the importance of breakfast include the Good 
     Breakfast for Good Learning Breakfast Awareness Campaign, now 
     in its third year. Public and private hunger prevention 
     coalitions are actively promoting school breakfast. 
     Professional organizations, such the Wisconsin School Food 
     Service Association and the Wisconsin Dietetic Association 
     have taken a lead in school breakfast promotion efforts.
       However, the bottom line is that schools cannot absorb 
     financial loss in the Child Nutrition Programs. Fear that the 
     SBP will have a negative impact on the school district's 
     general fund has been detrimental to the promotional efforts 
     identified above. The startup grants for SBP will help 
     alleviate those fears and allow the children in this state to 
     have access to a nourishing breakfast at the start of the 
     school day.
       I would like to commend your efforts to help the children 
     in this state and the nation reach their full potential 
     through promotion of School Breakfast Program.
           Sincerely,
                                                   John T. Benson,
     State Superintendent.
                                  ____

                                                  Wisconsin School


                                     Food Service Association,

                                                November 17, 1999.
     Hon. Herb Kohl,
     U.S. Senate, Washington DC.
       Dear Senator Kohl:
       This letter is in support of your proposed amendment for 
     Startup Grants for School Breakfast Programs.
       The Wisconsin School Food Service Association with its 1700 
     members, along with other allied associations have been 
     working to increase the number of schools in Wisconsin 
     offering breakfast. We understand the connection between good 
     nutrition at breakfast and academic achievement. We see 
     first-hand how difficult it is for a hungry child to 
     concentrate on learning.
       The federal startup grants for School Breakfast Programs 
     will help our efforts to expand school breakfast 
     participation. A real concern for many school districts is 
     the cost of implementing and maintaining the program. During 
     the 1997-98 school year Wisconsin schools lost an average of 
     $0.23 per breakfast served. Our association believes school 
     food and nutrition programs deserve adequate funding and 
     reasonable regulations to help maintain financial integrity 
     and nutritional quality of meals. As a commitment to the 
     children of Wisconsin we made state funding for school 
     Breakfast Programs a high legislative priority this year. Our 
     state legislature recently supported a ten-cent per breakfast 
     reimbursement, which will be in effect for the fiscal year 
     2001. Federal Startup Grants would help districts implement 
     school Breakfast Programs.
       The Wisconsin School Food Service Association feels the 
     children of Wisconsin and the nation deserve every 
     educational opportunity to reach their full potential. School 
     breakfast is one of those opportunities.
       Our association commends you for your efforts to expand 
     School Breakfast.
           Sincerely,
                                Renee Slotten-Beauchamp R.D., D.C.
                                                        President.
                                 ______