Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act Of 2010

Floor Speech

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Mr. FEINGOLD. Mr. President, I am pleased that the Senate just passed the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act. This legislation makes historic investments in the health and nutrition of our Nation's children. In addition to increasing funding for a number of programs, without adding a penny to the deficit, it requires a long overdue update of the nutrition standards for the food in our schools. I commend the chairwoman of the Agriculture Committee, Senator Lincoln, and its ranking member, Senator Chambliss, and their staffs for their hard work on this important legislation. I also thank our leadership for working to ensure this bill passed.

I am particularly glad the bill includes provisions based on legislation, the Student Breakfast and Education Improvement Act, Senator Kohl and I introduced last year to improve school breakfast programs. The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act will help schools invest in their breakfast programs. Many of my colleagues know that school breakfast programs face hurdles that reduce participation. This bill will help schools start new breakfast programs, as well as expand or improve existing programs.

As I mentioned, this legislation also includes a provision to update school nutrition standards based on legislation introduced for the past several Congresses by Senator Harkin that I have cosponsored. I am pleased that these standards will be updated and expanded to foods sold outside of the cafeteria.

I have long advocated programs and policies that ensure schools have access to fresh, local food. I worked with other Senators to ensure the 2008 farm bill removed barriers to local procurement and preference for our country's schools. Along those lines, I am glad that the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act provides funding for farm-to-school programs which help connect farmers to schools and provide children with a new perspective on nutrition and food. Many Americans are now generations removed from the farm, and these programs can provide valuable knowledge of where food comes from and how it is grown. They can also provide farmers with a new marketing opportunity and allow them to collaborate directly with local schools.

The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act also reauthorizes a number of important programs outside of schools, including the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, WIC, the Child and Adult Care Food Program, afterschool feeding programs and Summer Meals. These programs are all critical to ensuring that our children do not go hungry outside of the school environment as well.

I am also glad that the bill includes provisions to streamline our nutrition programs, such as direct certification, categorical eligibility, and community eligibility. It also includes funding for pilot programs to improve methods of providing healthy food to our children, which will allow local schools to try programs that work for them and will likely generate creative new ideas to national problems.

I commend Senators LINCOLN and CHAMBLISS for ensuring the full cost of this legislation is offset. Though I might have preferred different offsets, I am pleased that we are able to improve our child nutrition programs without passing the cost onto the very children these programs will help.

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