WASHINGTON DC – Today, Congressman Dave Loebsack supported passage of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, S.3307 to expand access and improve the nutritional quality of meals in schools and child care. The bill included Loebsack’s Healthy Food for Healthy Schools Act and provisions from his Hunger Free Schools Act.
"I grew up in poverty and know how hard it is to access healthy foods when your family is struggling to make ends meet,” said Loebsack. “This historic legislation will make it easier for schools to provide healthy meals for our children, and is a critical step forward to fulfilling our commitment to ending childhood hunger and addressing childhood obesity.”
Specifically, because of the inclusion of Loebsack’s Hunger Free Schools Act, the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act will expand access to child nutrition programs to over 110,000 children nationwide by improving automatic enrollment or direct certification for schools meals through the use of Medicaid data. It will also allow schools or school districts that are serving a high proportion of low-income children to serve free meals to all students, while reducing costs and improving overall efficiency. The bill also improves automatic enrollment or direct certification by rewarding states that are already directly certifying a high number of their children and continue to make improvements.
Throughout the past year, Loebsack has toured schools across the Second District, to get input from teachers, administrators and students, including Polk Elementary, Grant Wood Elementary, James Elementary, Lakeview Elementary, Wells-Carey Elementary, North Hill Elementary, Jefferson Elementary, and Stewart Elementary. Loebsack credits Iowans for helping him craft a bill that will help students across the nation. Click here for photos of Loebsack’s tours.
“The input from Iowa teachers, administrators, and students about what we can do to improve child nutrition was very helpful,” said Loebsack. “With their insights we have passed legislation that will greatly reduce the number of children who go hungry each day, help reduce childhood obesity rates, and improve learning and concentration during the school day; all of which will help ensure a brighter future for our nation’s children.”
The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act makes significant improvements to our nation’s child nutrition programs by helping schools access healthy foods and streamlining programs to make them more efficient for schools to administer and for children to take part. The bill also increases the per-meal reimbursement rates for schools for the first time in over 30 years and includes key provisions Loebsack supported for local foods through the Farm to School Program. The bill will also reduce the availability of junk foods and sugary beverages on school campuses, strengthen local wellness policies, improve public and private partnerships to reduce childhood hunger and obesity, and also improve nutrition and wellness for children in child care
The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act was supported by the Food Bank of Iowa, Iowa Dietetic Association, Iowa Food Bank Association, and the Iowa PTA, among thousands of other organizations and schools nationwide. The bill will now be sent to the President for his signature.
To view video of Loebsack, click here.
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