[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 160 (Tuesday, December 7, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2069-E2070]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 HEALTHY, HUNGER-FREE KIDS ACT OF 2010

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                        HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 1, 2010

  Mrs. MALONEY. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of S. 3307, the 
Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, a bill that provides a historic 
investment in the health of our nation's children. This bill will help 
address the severe concerns of both obesity and hunger that severely 
impact them.
  In my home state of New York alone, the statistics are staggering:
  32.9 percent of children in New York are overweight or obese and New 
York taxpayers spend an estimated $6.1 billion on Medicaid and Medicare 
each year to treat obesity-related chronic diseases.
  16.7 percent of children under 18 in New York are at-risk of being 
hungry. This bill will expand access to the child nutrition programs 
and fill nutrition gaps when family resources are tight.
  1,813,000 of New York's children participate in the National School 
Lunch Program, NSLP, each year and will receive healthier school meals 
provided by the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act. 1,147,000 of those kids 
are low-income children, who will benefit from better access to free 
school meals through promotion of and improvements to direct 
certification.
  New York will receive up to $17.5 million to improve the nutrition 
quality of school lunches because of this bill.
  281,500 children in New York participate in the Child and Adult Food 
Care Program and will benefit from increased resources, more training 
to childcare providers to serve healthier meals and snacks and 
increased physical activity.

[[Page E2070]]

  The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act will streamline certification 
periods in the WIC program and provide New York's 514,500 participants 
with better nutrition services coordination, increased opportunities 
for nutrition intervention, and more support and counseling time.
  New York has 110 Farm to School programs. The Healthy, Hunger-Free 
Kids Act provides dedicated funding to help schools to support local 
agriculture and provide children with more health and nutrition 
education opportunities.
  The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act goes a long way toward improving 
the nutrition of our school meals and strengthening accountability to 
produce healthier results for our children. Finally, S. 3307 is fully 
paid for and will not add to the deficit.

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