[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 156 (Thursday, December 2, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2041-E2042]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 HEALTHY, HUNGER-FREE KIDS ACT OF 2010

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                         HON. LAURA RICHARDSON

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 1, 2010

  Ms. RICHARDSON. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of S. 3307, 
``the Healthy, Hunger-free Kids Act of 2010.'' This bill will improve 
childhood nutrition and also women, infant, and children programs.
  I thank Chairman Lincoln of the Senate Committee on Agriculture for 
her leadership in shepherding this bill through the Senate and applaud 
Chairman George Miller's continued commitment as well.
  Nearly one quarter of children live in households that are struggling 
to put enough food on the table and approximately one third of children 
are overweight or obese. Both of these statistics represent serious 
threats to the future of our Nation's public health and security.
  Specifically, S. 3307 will increase school lunch funding to help 
schools offer healthier meals, limit the availability of junk food at 
schools, and leverage public-private partnerships to identify 
successful community-wide strategies to improve child nutrition. It 
will help struggling families by modernizing the WIC benefit programs 
in transitioning from paper vouchers to an electronic program. This 
legislation also provides mandatory funding for innovative state and 
local projects that address childhood hunger and promote food security 
for low-income children.
  The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act gives 115,000 new students access 
to school meals by using Medicaid data to certify eligibility and 
provides an additional 21 million meals annually for at-risk children 
by reimbursing providers for meals served after school. This 
legislation improves the nutritional quality of

[[Page E2042]]

school meals by increasing reimbursement rates to school districts that 
meet federal nutritional standards and it eliminates junk foods in 
schools by applying nutritional standards for all food products sold in 
schools.
  In California 3.1 million children get help from the national school 
lunch program. Now is the time to make these changes by passing the 
Healthy, Hunger-free Kids Act tomorrow.
  Madam Speaker, for these reasons, I urge my colleagues to join me in 
supporting S. 3307.

                          ____________________