[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 40 (Friday, March 26, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E458-E459]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             CHILD NUTRITION IMPROVEMENT AND INTEGRITY ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. SANDER M. LEVIN

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 24, 2004

  Mr. LEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to voice my strong support for the 
Child Nutrition Reauthorization bill, H.R. 3873, which the House 
approved yesterday. This reauthorization, which only happens every 5 
years, provides Congress the opportunity to examine the program, fix 
problems, and build on past successes. I am greatly disappointed that 
this year, my colleagues needed to waste valuable energy protecting 
existing programs from damaging Administration proposals, rather than 
using what our schools have learned to move forward.
  When we started this debate a year ago, President Bush declared that 
the problem with the nutrition programs was too many children getting 
lunch. The President imposed burdensome new eligibility verification 
rules on our local school districts, despite research from his own 
Department of Agriculture showing his proposal would likely result in a 
reduction of eligible children participating in the program. I commend 
my colleagues on the Committee for ensuring that H.R. 3873 does not 
harm the School Lunch & Breakfast Program, or take food away from 
children who need it.
  I am also pleased that the bill expands pilot programs such as the 
Lugar Summer Food Pilot Program and the Fruit and Vegetable Pilot 
Program. In the State of Michigan, 11 percent of our children are 
considered overweight. Children participating in the Fruit and 
Vegetable Pilot Program not only ate more fruits and vegetables, but 
actually purchased less high fat vending machine options, had better 
attention spans in class, and experienced fewer disciplinary problems. 
This pilot program has shown that, given the resources, schools can 
create an environment where healthy snack options can be a reality 
without

[[Page E459]]

limiting choice, and I am pleased that more children will be able to 
participate.
  While H.R. 3873 does not damage the very successful National School 
Lunch & Breakfast Program, WIC, the Summer Food Service Program, and 
the Child and Adult Food Program, I believe we missed an important 
opportunity to help our schools expand their efforts to fight child 
obesity, which leads to adult diabetes and heart disease. We call on 
our schools to provide a model of healthy eating habits, but often do 
not give them the full resources necessary to meet this challenge. 
Right now, the federal government reimburses schools $2.14 per free 
lunch served, $1.17 per reduced priced lunch, and $.20 per paid lunch. 
Our schools struggle to create any meal for only $2.14, let alone a 
nutritious one with more expensive fruits and vegetables. If we are to 
ask our schools to provide healthier lunches, we must provide them with 
the money to match such a request.
  We also missed an opportunity to reduce paperwork and administrative 
burdens for schools already laden with burdens from No Child Left 
Behind, by eliminating the reduced price lunch category, and providing 
all children 185 percent of the poverty line with a free lunch. We 
should listen to school administrators when they describe the cost of 
this extra category in staff hours, and children not fed because they 
can't afford even the low cost of a reduced lunch.
  Again, I commend the members of the Committee for protecting the 
successful child nutrition programs, and I am hopeful that in the 
future we can listen to our schools needs as they implement these 
important programs.

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