On July 15, the House Education and Labor Committee approved, 32-13, the Improving Nutrition for America’s Children Act (H.R. 5504), after adopting, 32-14, a substitute amendment by Chair George Miller (D-CA) that would, among other provisions, review ingredients in foods purchased for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). The committee held a hearing on the legislation on July 1; the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee approved its version of the bill on March 24 (see The Source, 3/26/10).
Sponsored by Rep. Miller (D-CA), the measure would reauthorize funding over the next ten years for the National School Lunch, Summer Food Service, Child and Adult Care Food, and WIC programs.
The bill would increase the support and promotion of breastfeeding and would require the secretary of Health and Human Services to compile and publish breastfeeding performance measurements based on data on the number of partially and fully breast-fed infants.
The bill would increase access to the School Lunch Program by providing for direct certification for children in the Medicaid or State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). H.R. 5504 also would allow the use of Census data to determine school-wide eligibility for the program.
The bill also would establish year-round access to school meals for children in school- and community-based, summer, and afterschool programs, as well as those living in low-income communities. Children in home-based child care also would have expanded access.
The measure also would implement new food safety guidelines for school meals, improve meal quality, and set standards for food served outside of the cafeteria, including food in vending machines.
During consideration of the bill, the committee adopted the following amendments by voice vote:
