[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 38 (Wednesday, March 4, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E542]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        CHILD NUTRITION PROGRAMS

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. LORETTA SANCHEZ

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, March 4, 2009

  Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Madam Speaker, I rise today to 
congratulate the California Legislature on the passage of Assembly 
Joint Resolution No. 69 addressing child nutrition programs.
  The high occurrence of malnutrition, obesity and poor fitness in 
California are frightening.
  Currently, only 6 percent of school lunches meet all of the School 
Meal Initiative (SMI) standards.
  Over 30 percent of 7th graders in California are overweight and 
almost 40 percent cannot pass the state's fitness test.
  The Resolution passed by the California Legislature urges Congress 
and the President of the United States to ensure that child nutrition 
programs establish comprehensive nutrition and wellness policies in 
schools.
  In addition, this resolution supports the reauthorization of federal 
child nutrition programs and requests adequate reimbursements to fund 
the cost of producing a healthy school meal in the region where it is 
served.
  I urge my colleagues to follow California's example and work together 
to ensure proper nutrition and fitness for American children.
  I would now like to insert the following text from the California 
Assembly Joint Resolution No. 69.

                    Assembly Joint Resolution No. 69

       Whereas, The National School Lunch Program is declared to 
     be the policy of Congress, ``as a measure of national 
     security, to safeguard the health and well-being of the 
     nation's children and to encourage the domestic consumption 
     of nutritious agricultural commodities and other food, by 
     assisting the states, through grants-in-aid and other means, 
     in providing an adequate supply of food and other facilities 
     for the establishment, maintenance, operation, and expansion 
     of nonprofit school lunch programs''; and
       Whereas, Federal regulations further state that 
     participating schools shall ensure that children gain a full 
     understanding of the relationship between proper eating and 
     good health; and
       Whereas, Child nutrition programs are responsible for 
     collaborating with the school community to implement 
     comprehensive nutrition and wellness policies in school 
     districts; and
       Whereas, All of California's more than 6 million pupils 
     deserve access to high-quality, safe, nutritious meals 
     available in the school setting, recognizing the link between 
     adequate nourishment and educational performance; and
       Whereas, Children that experience hunger have been shown to 
     be more likely to have lower math scores, decreased 
     attentiveness, increased likelihood of repeating a grade, 
     increased absences and tardiness, and more referrals to 
     special education services; and
       Whereas, Child nutrition programs in California provide 
     over 4 million meals to school children daily, and must 
     comply with complex state and federal requirements, provide 
     adequate food preparation and dining facilities, and meet 
     budget requirements despite rapidly escalating food, energy, 
     transportation, labor, and other costs; and
       Whereas, Losses in the school meal programs must be offset 
     by other revenue sources that would otherwise support 
     classroom instruction; and
       Whereas, For each lunch provided to a child who qualifies 
     for a free meal, the estimated average cost of producing the 
     lunch is $3.10; the reimbursement received for each meal, 
     provided that all state and federal requirements are met, is 
     $2.6895 (a federal reimbursement of $2.47 and a state 
     reimbursement of $0.2195); and
       Whereas, The difference between reimbursement and cost 
     undermines the ability to continue to provide nutritious 
     meals to all pupils; and
       Whereas, The United States Department of Agriculture 
     recognizes higher cost as a factor in determining 
     reimbursement rates by allowing a higher federal 
     reimbursement rate in Alaska and Hawaii; and
       Whereas, Many families that qualify for reduced-price 
     meals, prescribed by federal law using the federal poverty 
     level, find it difficult to pay the reduced fee, and the fee 
     for a paid meal is an insurmountable barrier to participation 
     for an increasing number of families in California; and
       Whereas, The eligibility scale to qualify pupils for free 
     or reduced-price meals is the same scale throughout the 
     country and does not consider regions with higher costs of 
     living; and
       Whereas, A self-sufficiency index, which identifies the 
     income levels at which families can meet their most basic 
     needs without public support, is available in all regions to 
     apply to meal eligibility standards; and
       Whereas, A single-parent household with two children in San 
     Mateo County, California, needs $67,867 to be self-
     sufficient, while a similar family in Hardeman County, 
     Tennessee, is self-sufficient with only $21,657; now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Assembly and the Senate of the State of 
     California, jointly, That the Legislature supports 
     reauthorization of federal child nutrition programs and urges 
     the President and the Congress of the United States to ensure 
     that reimbursement rates are adequate to fully fund the cost 
     of producing a nutritious school meal relative to the cost of 
     living in a region; and be it further
       Resolved, That the eligibility scale used to qualify 
     families for free and reduced-price meals be adjusted 
     according to the self-sufficiency index for the region 
     served; and be it further
       Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit 
     copies of this resolution to the President and Vice President 
     of the United States, to the Speaker of the House of 
     Representatives, to the Majority Leader of the Senate, and to 
     each Senator and Representative from California in the 
     Congress of the United States.

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