[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 44 (Thursday, March 12, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Page S3076]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. BENNET (for himself, Mr. Casey, Mr. Johanns, and Mr. 
        Sanders):
  S. 581. A bill to amend the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch 
Act and the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 to require the exclusion of 
combat pay from income for purposes of determining eligibility for 
child nutrition programs and the special supplemental nutrition program 
for women, infants, and children; to the Committee on Agriculture. 
Nutrition, and Forestry.
  Mr. JOHANNS. Mr. President, I rise today to offer my support for the 
Military Family Nutrition Protection Act, which we introduced today to 
protect the eligibility of military families for nutrition assistance 
programs. This bill will do a great service to the families of our men 
and women serving in uniform in combat zones overseas.
  When a soldier is deployed to a combat zone such as Iraq or 
Afghanistan, he or she receives a temporary increase in pay called 
``combat pay.'' Too often, combat pay increases the soldier's salary to 
a level that makes his family ineligible for essential nutrition 
assistance programs like the School Lunch and School Breakfast 
programs; the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, 
Infants, and Children; and other programs. The family can no longer 
receive government assistance for food, despite the fact that the 
soldier's increase in pay is only temporary.
  Our bill will remove this burden from our military families and stop 
punishing them for the sacrifices their loved ones make overseas. The 
bill stipulates that combat zone pay be excluded from consideration 
when determining a family's eligibility for all child nutrition 
programs. That way, when a soldier deploys to a combat zone, his or her 
family can continue to receive the nutrition assistance it needs, and 
our soldiers have one less thing to worry about in the combat zone.
  As Secretary of Agriculture, I proposed a similar combat pay 
exemption for Food Stamp eligibility, a proposal that was included in 
the final version of the Farm Bill passed by Congress last year. The 
Military Family Nutrition Protection Act is the logical next step to 
ensuring our military families get the assistance they need while their 
loved ones are away at war.
  As a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, I am proud to 
cosponsor this important piece of legislation. I look forward to 
working on the upcoming reauthorization of the child nutrition 
programs, and I will urge my colleagues on the Committee and in the 
Senate to include the Military Family Nutrition Protection Act as part 
of that reauthorization.
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