[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 12 (Thursday, February 10, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Page S617]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. JOHNSON (for himself and Mr. Craig):
  S. 2056. A bill to amend the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch 
Act to ensure an adequate level of commodity purchases under the school 
lunch program; to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and 
Forestry.


                  EMERGENCY COMMODITY DISTRIBUTION ACT

  Mr. CRAIG. Mr. President, I rise today to join my colleague Senator 
Johnson in introducing the Emergency Commodity Distribution Act of 
2000.
  Children are our future. I strongly believe each child deserves at 
least one warm, nutritious meal every day. I stand before you today 
with a new bill that will restore $500 million to the School Lunch 
Program. The positive impacts of this program are endless. Children 
should not have to pay the price of not having enough money for food.
  Originally enacted in 1946, the school lunch program set goals to 
improve children's nutrition, increase low-income children's access to 
nutritious meals, and to help support the agricultural industry. A 
family of four has to have an income at or below 130 percent of the 
federal poverty level to qualify for a free lunch. The income for these 
families is tragically low. Congress has a role in providing these 
children with assistance their families cannot provide.
  Last year, Congress enacted the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives 
Improvement Act. This legislation amended the School Lunch Act to 
require the United States Department of Agriculture to count the value 
of bonus commodities when it determines the total amount of commodity 
assistance provided to schools. This change will result in a $500 
million budget cut for the school lunch program over a nine-year 
period.
  In FY1998, the school lunch program comprised over 90 percent of 
schools, with some 90,000 schools enrolling 46.5 million children. 
Children receiving free lunches averaged 13 million a day, and those 
receiving reduced price lunches averaged 2.2 million a day. Each state 
and millions of children are affected. This program provides a basic 
requirement of food for needy children.
  No child should be without food. The Emergency Commodity Distribution 
Act of 2000 would ensure that schools receive the full value of 
entitlement commodity assistance, and allow the School Lunch Program to 
continue to meet its dual purpose of supporting American agriculture 
while providing nutritious food to schools across the country. I urge 
members to support this bill, support children, and support our future.
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