[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 27 (Wednesday, March 9, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Page S2381]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page S2381]]
                     NATIONAL SCHOOL BREAKFAST WEEK

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I rise today to commemorate National 
School Breakfast Week. For the past 30 years, the School Breakfast 
Program has provided nutritious morning meals to our Nation's neediest 
youth. Today, over 1 million children across the United States are 
malnourished, and the School Breakfast Program is a first line of 
defense against this growing epidemic.
  The School Breakfast Program was established through the Child 
Nutrition Act of 1966. Despite this law, many low-income children still 
go without breakfast each day. Every student eligible for a free or 
reduced-price school lunch is also eligible for a free or reduced-price 
breakfast.
  In my home State of Illinois, during the 2003-2004 school year, over 
1 million children from lower-income families participated in the 
National School Lunch Program, yet only about 200,000 children received 
a school breakfast on an average day through the National School 
Breakfast Program.
  This disparity is not unique to Illinois. Nationally, 43 students 
receive a free or reduced-price school breakfast for every 100 students 
that receive a school lunch. To receive a free school breakfast or 
lunch, a family's income must be at or below 130 percent of the poverty 
line, and to receive a reduced-price school breakfast or lunch, the 
family income must be at or below 185 percent of the poverty line.
  Students who are unable to eat breakfast experience negative 
physical, emotional and educational effects. Children who do not eat 
breakfast tend to produce low math and reading scores, have trouble 
recalling information, and are more likely to have disciplinary and 
psychological problems.
  On the other hand, when children eat a nutritious breakfast, like the 
meals provided through the National School Breakfast Program, their 
standardized test scores tend to increase and their memory skills 
improve. They are less inclined to visit the school nurse complaining 
of headaches and stomach pangs throughout the school day. They are also 
less likely to become obese later in life and are more likely to eat 
more fruit, drink more milk, and consume less saturated fat than 
students who do not eat meals provided by the school.
  From 1989 to today, the number of children participating in the 
School Breakfast Program has doubled from around 3 million to over 6 
million, and if the breakfasts were available to more children, the 
numbers would likely increase.
  In Illinois, the State legislature and the Governor recognized the 
need for this vital program. On February 15, 2005, Governor Rod 
Blagojevich signed the Childhood Hunger Relief Act, stipulating that 
all schools in which at least 40 percent of the students are eligible 
for free or reduced-price lunches must also provide a breakfast 
program. This action will hopefully increase the academic as well as 
physical and psychological well-being of Illinois school children.
  Today, I ask that we recognize States like Illinois--States that are 
providing school breakfasts to their neediest children. I ask that we 
continue to push toward higher nutritional standards throughout the 
United States to ensure the well-being of our Nation's youth.

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