Congress Honors Historic Women, Commends School Breakfast Program

House Passes Margaret Truman Daniel Resolution

On March 5, the House approved, by voice vote, H. Con. Res. 292, a resolution honoring Margaret Truman Daniel. The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee approved the measure on February 26 (see The Source, 02/29/08).

Rep. Ike Skelton (D-MO) said, “Margaret was a loving daughter, wife, mother, an accomplished vocalist, journalist, and author…The qualities that defined Margaret as a person were instilled by her parents, President Harry S. Truman and his wife, Bess. Throughout her life, Harry and Bess provided a steady hand and unfailing support and love, which allowed Margaret to flourish. Through the years, I had the great pleasure of working with Margaret on several occasions that honored her father’s life. Her efforts gave added meaning to President Truman’s legacy. Margaret was gracious, intelligent, wise, witty, and spirited. Truly her father’s daughter. I was pleased that our paths crossed, as they did, during her lifetime. She will long be remembered as an inspiration to those who knew her and to all Missourians. I was honored to call Margaret Truman Daniel my friend.”

House Passes Resolution Honoring Marjory Stoneman Douglas

On March 4, the House passed, by voice vote, a resolution (H. Res. 807) honoring Marjory Stoneman Douglas, an environmental activist who passed away in 1998.

Sponsored by Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), the resolution contains a number of findings, including:

after moving to Miami in 1915, she became a reporter and writer at the Miami Herald, where she wrote about progressive issues such as the fight for women’s rights, racial justice, and environmental conservation;
her 1947 book, The Everglades: River of Grass, helped to draw national attention to a vast and little-known area that South Florida developers had deemed a worthless swamp;
the book mustered public support to guard this subtropical marshland through a declaration from President Harry Truman, officially protecting the Everglades as a national park;
at the age of 78, she founded the Friends of the Everglades, an educational and advocacy group dedicated to the protection and restoration of this ecosystem that continues to be at forefront of Florida conservation; and
President Bill Clinton awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest honor given to a civilian. House, Senate Approve Resolutions Commending School Breakfast Program
On March 5, the Senate passed, by unanimous consent, a resolution (S. Res. 474), sponsored by Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI), expressing the sense of the Senate that providing breakfast in schools through the National School Breakfast Program has a positive impact on classroom performance. On March 4, the House approved, by voice vote, a similar resolution (H. Res. 1013), sponsored by Rep. Gwen Moore (D-WI).

The resolutions contain a number of findings, including:
breakfast program participants under the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 [P.L. 89-642] include public, private, elementary, middle, and high schools, as well as rural, suburban, and urban schools;
making breakfast widely available through different venues or a combination thereof, such as in the classroom, obtained as students exit their school bus, or outside the classroom, has been shown to lessen the stigma of receiving free or reduced-price breakfast, which often prevents eligible students from obtaining traditional breakfast in the cafeteria;
providing free universal breakfast, especially in the classroom, has been shown to significantly increase school breakfast participation rates and [decrease] absences and tardiness;
children who live in families that experience hunger have been shown to be more likely to have lower math scores, face an increased likelihood of repeating a grade, and receive more special education services; and
studies suggest that children who eat breakfast have more adequate nutrition and intake of nutrients, such as calcium, fiber, protein, and vitamins A, E, D, and B-6.