[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 37 (Wednesday, March 5, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1599-S1600]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    SENATE RESOLUTION 474--EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF THE SENATE THAT 
 PROVIDING BREAKFAST IN SCHOOLS THROUGH THE NATIONAL SCHOOL BREAKFAST 
PROGRAM HAS A POSITIVE IMPACT ON THE LIVES AND CLASSROOM PERFORMANCE OF 
                          LOW-INCOME CHILDREN

  Mr. FEINGOLD (for himself, Mr. Kohl, Mr. Chambliss, Mr. Domenici, Mr. 
Casey, Mr. Kerry, Mr. Sanders, Mr. Durbin, and Mr. Dodd) submitted the 
following resolution; which was considered and agreed to:

                              S. Res. 474

       Whereas participants in the National School Breakfast 
     Program established under section 4 of the Child Nutrition 
     Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1773) include public, private, 
     elementary, middle, and high schools, as well as schools in 
     rural, suburban, and urban areas;
       Whereas access to nutrition programs such as the National 
     School Lunch Program and the National School Breakfast 
     Program helps to create a stronger learning environment for 
     children and improves children's concentration in the 
     classroom;
       Whereas missing breakfast and the resulting hunger has been 
     shown to harm the ability of children to learn and hinders 
     academic performance;
       Whereas students who eat a complete breakfast have been 
     shown to make fewer mistakes and to work faster in math 
     exercises than those who eat a partial breakfast;
       Whereas implementing or improving classroom breakfast 
     programs has been shown to increase breakfast consumption 
     among eligible students dramatically, doubling and in some 
     cases tripling numbers of participants in school breakfast 
     programs, as evidenced by research in Minnesota, New York, 
     and Wisconsin;
       Whereas providing breakfast in the classroom has been shown 
     in several instances to improve attentiveness and academic 
     performance, while reducing absences, tardiness, and 
     disciplinary referrals;
       Whereas studies suggest that eating breakfast closer to the 
     time students arrive in the classroom and take tests improves 
     the students' performance on standardized tests;
       Whereas studies show that students who skip breakfast are 
     more likely to have difficulty distinguishing among similar 
     images, show increased errors, and have slower memory recall;
       Whereas children who live in families that experience 
     hunger are likely to have lower math scores, receive more 
     special education services, and face an increased likelihood 
     of repeating a grade;
       Whereas making breakfast widely available in different 
     venues or in a combination of venues, such as by providing 
     breakfast in the classroom, in the hallways outside 
     classrooms, or to students as they exit their school buses, 
     has been shown to lessen the stigma of receiving free or 
     reduced-price school breakfasts, which sometimes prevents 
     eligible students from obtaining traditional breakfast in the 
     cafeteria;
       Whereas, in fiscal year 2006, 7,700,000 students in the 
     United States consumed free or reduced-price school 
     breakfasts provided under the National School Breakfast 
     Program;

[[Page S1600]]

       Whereas less than half of the low-income students who 
     participate in the National School Lunch Program also 
     participate in the National School Breakfast Program;
       Whereas almost 17,000 schools that participate in the 
     National School Lunch Program do not participate in the 
     National School Breakfast Program;
       Whereas studies suggest that children who eat breakfast 
     take in more nutrients, such as calcium, fiber, protein, and 
     vitamins A, E, D, and B-6;
       Whereas studies show that children who participate in 
     school breakfast programs eat more fruits, drink more milk, 
     and consume less saturated fat than those who do not eat 
     breakfast; and
       Whereas children who do not eat breakfast, either in school 
     or at home, are more likely to be overweight than children 
     who eat a healthy breakfast on a daily basis: Now, therefore, 
     be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) recognizes the importance of the National School 
     Breakfast Program established under section 4 of the Child 
     Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1773) and the positive 
     impact of the Program on the lives of low-income children and 
     families and on children's overall classroom performance;
       (2) expresses strong support for States that have 
     successfully implemented school breakfast programs in order 
     to alleviate hunger and improve the test scores and grades of 
     participating students;
       (3) encourages all States to strengthen their school 
     breakfast programs, provide incentives for the expansion of 
     school breakfast programs, and promote improvements in the 
     nutritional quality of breakfasts served; and
       (4) recognizes the need to provide States with resources to 
     improve the availability of adequate and nutritious 
     breakfasts.

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