[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 12]
[House]
[Pages 16837-16839]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 SUPPORTING THE GOALS AND IDEALS OF THE APPLE CRUNCH AND THE NATION'S 
                        DOMESTIC APPLE INDUSTRY

  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and 
agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1143) supporting the goals and ideals 
of the Apple Crunch and the Nation's domestic apple industry.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 1143

       Whereas October is National Apple Month and is the only 
     national and brand generic apple promotion conducted in the 
     United States;
       Whereas each year the Penn State Hershey Center for 
     Nutrition and Activity Promotion, in its mission to encourage 
     individuals to live a healthy lifestyle, promotes the Apple 
     Crunch nationwide;
       Whereas the Apple Crunch, held on October 29, 2008, is an 
     event that focuses on healthy food choices, particularly 
     apples, for students, schools, and communities;
       Whereas during National Apple Month and the celebration 
     surrounding the Apple Crunch, schools of all levels 
     voluntarily participate in serving apples and apple products 
     as part of cafeteria menus and as snacks in the classroom;
       Whereas schools that participate in the Apple Crunch can 
     integrate apples into classroom lessons, or have a State or 
     local apple representatives visit the school;
       Whereas community businesses voluntarily support the 
     efforts of schools to celebrate the Apple Crunch by providing 
     apples to employees and customers, featuring apples on 
     restaurant menus, and voicing support for healthy food and 
     beverage choices in schools and communities; and

[[Page 16838]]

       Whereas 2008 is the second year that the Apple Crunch will 
     be expanded to include schools throughout the Nation: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the United States House of Representatives 
     supports the goals and ideals of National Apple Month and the 
     Apple Crunch.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Davis) and the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Ms. Foxx) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Illinois.


                             General Leave

  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their 
remarks.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Illinois?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, as a member of the House Committee on Oversight and 
Government Reform, I am pleased to stand in support of H. Res. 1143, 
which recognizes and supports the goals and ideals of the Apple Crunch 
and the Nation's domestic apple industry.

                              {time}  1430

  H. Res. 1143 was introduced by our colleague Representative Todd 
Platts of Pennsylvania on April 23, 2008, and was considered by and 
reported from the Oversight Committee on July 16, 2008. The measure has 
the support of 52 Members of Congress and gives us a chance to 
recognize and celebrate the contributions of the apple and apple 
growers of our country and their impact to our economy. Whether it's 
``as American as apple pie'' or the fact that ``an apple a day keeps 
the doctor away,'' one thing we do know is that the apple is core to 
the American way.
  Therefore, I would urge my colleagues to join me in supporting the 
Nation's apple industry and the annual Apple Crunch event by agreeing 
to H. Res. 1143.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of this resolution supporting 
the goals and ideals of the Apple Crunch and the Nation's domestic 
apple industry.
  In an era that sees food serving sizes skyrocketing and in an America 
that is quickly forgetting the meaning of the phrase ``a la carte,'' it 
is important to continually encourage children to eat healthily. The 
goal of the Apple Crunch is just that, to promote healthier snacking by 
America's youth.
  First established in Pennsylvania, the success of Apple Crunch has 
spread. Apple Crunch, the pinnacle of the celebration of Apple Month in 
October, is now in its 2nd year as a national practice, with schools 
and communities across the country joining in festivities.
  During the 2006-2007 school year, more than 930 schools and 495,000 
citizens in Pennsylvania alone came together to celebrate Apple Crunch. 
Schools, families, local communities, grocery stores, and the domestic 
apple industry all join together to encourage adding more fruits and 
vegetables to our everyday diets. Many schools have gone far past 
simply featuring apples on the dining menu, integrating apples into 
classroom lessons and even scheduling field trips to local farmers' 
markets.
  The focus on promoting healthy eating in our schools is vital to the 
health of our children and society. According to one of the organizers, 
``By making fruits and vegetables fun for kids, our message of healthy 
snacking is going home and influencing the entire family.''
  By joining in the Apple Crunch and bringing more attention to the 
goal of healthier snacking, we can move our country further towards the 
future of a healthier Nation.
  I urge my colleagues to join in support of the Apple Crunch and 
embrace an easy and available step toward healthier living. After all, 
as true now as ever, ``an apple a day keeps the doctor away.''
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance 
of my time.
  Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I need to respond to my colleague from Kansas, who made some comments 
earlier about working across the aisle to do something about drilling 
and providing additional supply.
  It sounded, from her experience of going home this weekend, that the 
message is getting through to some of our Democratic colleagues, and 
I'm very glad to hear that.
  She alluded to some legislation which we have dealt with in committee 
and on the floor in the past couple of weeks. She mentions the myth 
again of all these acres that the oil companies have that they have not 
drilled on and, therefore, we should take away their leases. Well, I 
think we have pretty well debunked that myth here on the floor and in 
committee, and I think the media has done a pretty good job of it too.
  The oil companies have the greatest incentive to drill on land that 
they have leased now if there were oil under the ground there. They 
obviously are smart business people. They know the price of oil is as 
high as it's ever been. And if there were oil there, they'd be 
drilling. Obviously, again, our colleagues who are out of touch with 
how business works don't quite understand that or don't want to accept 
that.
  On the issue of speculators, even in the Agriculture Committee when 
we had hearings, people who came in there who wanted to say that 
speculators were causing the high price of gasoline absolutely could 
provide no proof that that was happening.
  What we have to do is increase the supply of oil to this country. 
Republicans have stood ready to work with the Democrats all year long 
on this issue, in fact, ever since the price of gas started going up, 
again, in direct relationship to the Democrats' being in charge of this 
Congress.
  It's a sham what has been happening in this House in terms of our 
being able to vote on real bills that would increase the supply. These 
bills wouldn't have failed over and over and over again if that's what 
the bills were doing.
  We are hearing increasing comments from Democrats, and we are glad to 
hear it. Again, we hope the American public continues to put the 
pressure on them so that they will bring pressure on their leadership. 
Certainly we want to work with them to increase supply.
  It appears that they think the law of supply and demand can be 
repealed, but it can't. So I urge the leadership of the House to bring 
real bills, bills that would do something to increase the supply of oil 
and gas to this country, and we will vote with you. But we are not 
going to try to pass sham bills that do nothing to help the average 
American citizen.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the resolution we have 
just debated, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. PLATTS. Mr. Speaker, I rise to support House Resolution 1143. 
This resolution is intended to help increase awareness of our nation's 
domestic apple supply and promote healthy food choices for students and 
communities.
  The United States is the second largest producer of apples in the 
world, after China. I am fortunate to have a very large apple industry 
in my District, with many growers and processors. Growers in the states 
of Washington, New York, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and California are the 
largest domestic producers.
  To promote domestic apple production, the U.S. Apple Association 
recognizes October as National Apple Month, which focuses on educating 
consumers about the positive health outcomes associated with apple 
consumption. The Apple Crunch was created to encourage children to 
participate in National Apple Month activities.
  The Apple Crunch was started in my home state of Pennsylvania and 
incentivizes schools to serve apples on their school lunch menus, as 
snacks in the classroom, and for use in classroom activities. Schools 
that create the most original activities integrating apples into the 
class day win monetary prizes to be put toward the school's food 
service operation.

[[Page 16839]]

  Communities are also encouraged to participate in the Apple Crunch to 
support their local participating schools. Many local businesses 
voluntarily serve apples and apple products to their employees and to 
customers.
  Mr. Speaker, this October will mark the second year in which the 
Apple Crunch has been celebrated nationally. I think that we can all 
agree that supporting our nation's domestic agriculture production is 
not only important to our economy, but also the health of our citizens. 
I urge your support of this resolution, which promotes the goals and 
ideals of National Apple Week, and specifically the Apple Crunch.
  Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today as a proud cosponsor of H. Res. 
1143, which expresses support for the goals and ideals of the Apple 
Crunch and National Apple Month, which will be celebrated in October. 
Additionally, this measure promotes the importance of making healthy 
food choices, which apples certainly are, particularly when choosing 
snacks. As my constituents know, there is no better snack on a 
beautiful fall day in Upstate New York than a McIntosh apple.
  We have all heard the old adage of `an apple a day keeps the doctor 
away.' In fact, recent studies have reinforced the nutritional and 
health benefits of apples. These studies have indicated that eating 
apples may help to prevent Alzheimer's disease as well as certain types 
of cancer and heart disease. Additional studies have found that apple 
consumption may help to reduce coughing and perhaps even childhood 
asthma.
  In addition to promoting good health, this resolution also recognizes 
the importance of our Nation's apple industry. The apple has long 
played an integral part in New York State's economy and history, 
particularly in Clinton County which I have the privilege of 
representing. Specifically, by 1850, over 500 varieties of apples had 
already originated in New York State, and of particular pride, the 
world famous McIntosh apple was first propagated and planted in the 
Champlain Valley in 1835. Additionally, in 1969 the Acey Mac apple 
variety, known for being sweet, tart, and juicy, evolved in Peru, New 
York, which is located in Clinton County.
  Today, New York State is home to roughly 694 commercial apple growers 
and produces about 25 million bushels each year, which makes it our 
nation's second leading producer. Moreover, Clinton County is one of 
the State's most productive counties.
  Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the importance of apples to our health and 
economy. Accordingly, I am proud to be a cosponsor of H. Res. 1143.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of H. Res. 1143, 
and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) that the House suspend the rules 
and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 1143.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a 
quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not 
present.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.
  The point of no quorum is considered withdrawn.

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