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The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (S. 3307) will dramatically improve children?s access to nutritious meals, enhance the quality of meals children eat both in and out of school and in child care settings, implement new school food safety guidelines and, for the first time, establish nutrition standards for all foods sold in schools. This legislation will answer President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama's call to reduce childhood hunger and support school and community efforts to reduce childhood obesity.
The legislation:
Improves Access
- Increases the number of children enrolled in the school meals programs by using Medicaid data to directly certify eligible children. This provision will connect approximately new 115,000 students to the school meals program.
- Enhances universal meal access for eligible children in high poverty communities by using census data to determine school wide income eligibility.
- Provides more meals for at-risk children nationwide by allowing Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) providers to be reimbursed for meals provided to low-income children after school. This provision will provide an additional 21 million meals annually.
- Provides funding for innovative state and local projects to address childhood hunger and promote food security for low-income children.
Increases Focus on Nutrition Quality and Children's Health
- Improves the nutritional quality of school meals by increasing the federal reimbursement rate for school lunches for districts who comply with federal nutrition standards. This additional 6 cents per meal will be the first real reimbursement rate increase in over 30 years.
- Removes junk food from schools by applying nutrition standards for all foods sold in schools.
- Promotes nutrition and wellness in child care settings by establishing nutrition requirements for CACFP.
- Connects more children to healthy produce from local farms by helping communities establish farm to school networks, create school gardens and use more local foods in cafeterias with $40 million in mandatory funding.
- Strengthens local school wellness policies by updating existing requirements, increasing transparency, providing opportunities for community involvement, and compliance measurements.
- Supports breastfeeding for low-income women by supporting data collection in WIC and permanently authorizing performance bonuses for exemplary breastfeeding practices at WIC clinics and agencies.
Improves Program Management & Program Integrity
- Supports schools' food service budgets by ensuring charges to school foodservice accounts are only for allowable expenses.
- Supports a skilled workforce by establishing professional standards and training opportunities for school food service providers.
- Streamlines program administration by giving CACFP providers greater flexibility with their administrative funds and eliminating duplicative paperwork requirements and wasteful monitoring practices.
- Increases efficiency and modernizes the WIC program by transitioning to an electronic benefit program.
- Improves food safety requirements for school meals by improving recall procedures and extending existing HACCP requirements to all places where school meals are prepared or served.
Fully Paid For -- At No Cost to Taxpayers
- Saves $1 billion over 10 years by extending a provision that allows the Secretary of Agriculture to count commodities purchased for market stabilization toward the required level of federal support (in the form of commodity foods) for the National School Lunch Program.
- Saves approximately $1.3 billion over 10 years by restructuring nutrition education in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) into a new grant program that distributes Federal funds by formula to the States.
- Saves approximately $2.2 billion over 10 years by eliminating a temporary SNAP benefit increase provided by The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).
National
- Abbott
- Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine
- Action for Healthy Kids
- Advocates for Better Children's Diets
- African Methodist Episcopal Church
- AFSCME
- AIB International
- Alliance to End Hunger
- American Academy of Pediatrics
- American Association for Health Education
- American Bakers Association
- American Beverage Association
- American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network
- American Clinical Board of Nutrition
- American Commodity Distribution Association
- American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
- American Council for School Social Work
- American Dental Association
- American Diabetes Association
- American Dietetic Association
- American Federation of Teachers
- American Feed Industry Association
- American Fruit and Vegetable Processors and Growers Coalition
- American Heart Association
- American Medical Student Association
- American Mushroom Institute
- American Public Health Association
- American Pulse Association
- American School Health Association
- American Society of Bariatric Physicians
- Apple Processors Association
- Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum
- Associated Food Stores, Inc.
- Association of State & Territorial Public Health Nutrition Directors
- Association of Teachers of Maternal and Child Health
- Baby-Friendly USA, Inc.
- Barilla America
- Board on Human Sciences, Association of Public and Land-grant Universities
- Bread for the World
- C&S Wholesale Grocers, Inc.
- Camp Fire USA
- Campaign for Better Nutrition
- Campaign to End Obesity Action Fund
- Catholic Charities USA
- Catholic Healthcare West
- Center for Oral Health
- Center for Science in Public Interest
- Child and Family Policy Center
- Child Nutrition Initiative
- Christian Church Disciples of Christ
- Christian Methodist Episcopal Church
- Church of the Brethren
- Church World Service
- CMA Consulting Services, Inc.
- Colorpoint - Low Temp Industries, Inc.
- Communications Workers of America
- Community Action Partnership
- Community Food Security Coalition
- ConAgra Foods, Inc.
- Defeat Diabetes Foundation
- Diocese of the Armenian Church in America
- Domino's Pizza
- E S Foods
- Earth Day Network
- Ecotrust
- End Hunger Network
- European Congress PTA
- Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
- Family Farm Defenders
- Feeding America
- FGE Food & Nutrition Team
- First Focus Campaign for Children
- Florida Dietetic Association
- Food and Water Watch
- Food Chain Workers Alliance
- Food Lion, LLC
- Food Marketing Institute
- FWE/Food Warming Equipment
- Generations United
- Grain Foods Foundation
- Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America
- Grocery Manufacturers Association
- Hannaford Supermarkets
- Healthy Food Coalition
- Healthy Schools Campaign
- Healthy Schools Network
- Healthy Solutions
- Heartland Flavors, Ltd.
- Heifer International
- Independent Bakers Association
- Institute of Shortening and Edible Oils
- International Bottled Water Association
- International Center for Traditional Childbearing
- International Council of Community Churches
- International Dairy Foods Association
- International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE), AFL-CIO
- International Formula Council
- International Ice Cream Association
- J.T.M. Food Group
- Jewish Council for Public Affairs
- Jewish Federations of North America
- Jewish Reconstructionist Federation
- Johnson & Johnson
- Jones Valley Urban Farm
- Juice Products Association
- LaLeche League
- Lamaze International
- Land O'Lakes, Inc.
- Leadership Conference of Women Religious
- League of United Latin American Citizens
- Learning Disabilities Association of America
- Mars, Inc.
- Mead Johnson Nutrition
- Medela, Inc.
- MEND Foundation
- Metropolitan Community Churches
- Milk Industry Foundation
- Milkin' Mamas Breast Milk Donations
- Moravian Church in America
- National Action Against Obesity
- National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd
- National Alliance for Breastfeeding Advocacy
- National Assembly on School-Based Health Care
- National Association for Sport and Physical Education
- National Association of Chronic Disease Directors
- National Association of County & City Health Officials
- National Association of Local Boards of Health
- National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners
- National Association of School Nurses
- National Association of State Boards of Education
- National Black Church Initiative
- National Cheese Institute
- National Coalition of 100 Black Women
- National Congress of Black Women, Inc.
- National Consumers League
- National Corn Growers Association
- National Council for Community and Education Partnerships
- National Council of Churches, USA
- National Council of Jewish Women
- National Directors of Health Promotion and Education
- National Education Association
- National Farmers Union
- National Indian Health Board
- National Latina Health Network
- National Latino Children's Institute
- National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty
- National Meat Association
- National Milk Producers Federation
- National Native Council on Breastfeeding
- National Network of Public Health Institutes
- National Organization of Social Workers
- National Physicians Alliance
- National PTA
- National Research Center for Women & Families
- National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition
- National Watermelon Association
- National WIC Association
- National Women's Health Network
- Nemours
- Nestlé USA
- NETWORK: A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby
- Obesity Action Coalition
- Oral Health America
- Organic Trade Association
- Partnership for Prevention
- Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of the Society of Friends
- Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Office of Public Witness
- Prevention Institute
- Preventive Cardiovascular Nurses Association
- Produce for Better Health Foundation
- Produce Marketing Association
- Progressive National Baptist Convention
- Public Health Institute
- Reformed Church in America
- Revolution Foods
- Salvation Army National Headquarters
- Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law
- Save the Children
- School Nutrition Association
- School Social Work Association of America
- Service Employees International Union
- Shape Up America
- Share Our Strength
- Slow Food USA
- Society for Nutrition Education
- Society of State Directors of Health, Physical Education and Recreation
- Sodexo
- Sojourners
- Southern Peanut Farmers Association
- Soyfoods Association of North America
- Spoons Across America
- Sunkist Growers
- The Coca-Cola Company
- The Episcopal Church
- The Kroger Company
- The Praxis Project
- The Rabbinical Assembly
- Trust for America's Health
- Tyson Foods
- U.S. Apple Association
- U.S. Dry Bean Council
- U.S. Water Fitness Association
- UAW, International Union
- Union for Reform Judaism
- United Church of Christ, Justice and Witness Ministries
- United Egg Producers
- United Egg Association
- United Fresh Produce Association
- United Food & Commercial Workers International Union, CLC
- United Methodist Church - General Board of Church and Society
- United States Breastfeeding Committee
- Upstream Public Health
- Veritable Vegetable
- Voices for America's Children
- Walmart
- Waste Free World
- Western Growers Association
- Western Organization of Resource Councils
- Wheat Foods Council
- Women of Reform Judaism
- Youth Leadership Institute
- Alabama PTA
- Alabama School Nutrition Association
- Alabama WIC Program
- Bay Area Food Bank
- Food Bank of North Alabama
- Health Action Partnership
- Jefferson County Department of Health
- Jefferson County WIC Program
- Jones Valley Urban Farm
- Morris Health Center
- St. Clair County WIC Program
- Trussville WIC Program
- Alaska Dietetic Association
- Alaska PTA
- Alaska School Nurses Association
- Alaska School Nutrition Association
- Food Bank of Alaska
- Maniilaq WIC Program
- Arizona Dietetic Association
- Grand Canyon Synod - ELCA
- Hualapai WIC Department
- Inter Tribal Council of Arizona
- Jewish Community Relations Council of the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona
- Navajo Nation WIC Program
- Planned Parenthood Arizona
- School Nurses Organization of Arizona
- School Nutrition Association of Arizona
- United Food Bank
- White Mountain Apache WIC Program
- 5 A Day Coalition
- Arkansas Action For Healthy Kids
- Arkansas Advocates for Children & Families
- Arkansas Community Action Agencies Association, Inc.
- Arkansas Food Policy Council
- Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance
- Arkansas PTA
- Arkansas School Nurses Association
- Bull Shoals Food Pantry
- Carroll County Community Foundation
- Choctaw Food Bank
- Community Services Office, Inc.
- Economic Opportunity Agency of Washington County, Inc.
- Franklin County Learning Center
- Helping Hands of Winchester
- Hope in Action
- Hughes Christian Outreach Ministries
- Kids for Health
- Mountain Home Food Basket
- No Kid Hungry Arkansas
- Oak Forest United Methodist Church
- Ozark Opportunities, Inc.
- Seven Harvest, Inc.
- Sustainable Alternatives
- The Manna House
- Wildflowers Christian Ministry
- A Family Helping Agency Inc.
- A World Fit For Kids!
- Agriculture & Land-Based Training Association
- Alameda County WIC Program
- Alameda Point Collaborative
- Alliance Medical Center WIC Program
- Antelope Valley Hospital WIC Program
- Apricot Producers of California
- Baby Sips
- Bay Area Lactation Associates (BALA)
- Bay Area WIC Association
- Breastfeeding Coalition of Solano County
- Breastfeeding Task Force of Greater Los Angeles
- Breastfeeding Task Force of Santa Clara Valley
- California Association of Nutrition and Activity Programs (CAN-Act)
- California Center for Public Health Advocacy
- California Conference of Local Health Department Nutritionists (CCLHDN)
- California Department of Education
- California Dietetic Association
- California District Council Health Professional Auxiliary
- California Grape & Tree Fruit League
- California Public Health Association-North
- California School Health Centers Association
- California State PTA
- California State University, Fresno
- California WIC Association
- CANFIT
- Center for Health Leadership
- Center for Nutrition and Activity Promotion
- Central California Regional Obesity Prevention Program
- Central Valley Indian Health WIC Program
- Chico Eat Learn Grow
- City of Long Beach WIC Program
- Collaboratively Creating Health Access, Opportunities, & Services (cChaos)
- Community Action Partnership of Kern WIC Program
- Community Alliance with Family Farmers
- Community Bridges WIC Program
- Community Medical Center WIC Program
- Community Relations Council of the Jewish Federation of Silicon Valley
- County of Napa WIC Program
- County of Sonoma DHS WIC Program
- Cover My Heart
- CWA
- Delta Health Care
- East Los Angeles Doctors Hospital
- E-Center
- Family YMCA of the Desert
- Farm to Table Food Services
- Feeding America San Diego
- First 5 Los Angeles
- First 5 Santa Clara County
- First 5 Solano Children and Families Commission
- Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano
- Food for People, Inc.
- FOOD Share
- FoodLink for Tulare County, Inc.
- Fresh Produce & Floral Council
- Fresno County WIC Program
- Fresno Metro Ministry
- Gardner Family Care Corporation WIC Program
- Glenn County Health Services
- Greater Los Angeles Breastfeeding Task Force
- Grower-Shipper Association of Central California
- Help Choose Your Life
- HER Consulting
- Hill Country Health and Wellness Center
- Humanist Association of Orange County
- Indian Health Center of Santa Clara Valley WIC Program
- Inland Congregations United for Change
- Inland Empire Veterans Stand Down
- Jewish Family Service of Los Angeles
- Kalusugan Community Services
- Kernville Union School District
- Kings County Breastfeeding Coalition
- Kings County Health Department WIC Program
- La Leche League of Ukiah
- La Luna Perinatal Services
- Lactation Advocates of Northern California
- Lake County Community Action Agency
- LEAPS Action Center
- Long Beach Grows
- Los Angeles Best Babies Network
- Los Angeles County Department of Public Health
- Los Angeles County Office of Education
- Los Angeles Unified School District
- Lotus Tribe
- Lutheran Office of Public Policy - California
- Marin County WIC Program
- Maternal and Child Health Access
- Mendocino County Breastfeeding Coalition
- Mendocino County WIC Program
- Mono County WIC Program
- Monterey County WIC Program
- Native American Health Center
- Native Breastfeeding Council
- Network for a Healthy California-ABC USD
- Newport Mesa Unified School District - Network for a Healthy California
- North Coast Opportunities, Community Action
- North County Health Services WIC Program
- Northeast Valley Health Corporation
- Northeastern Rural Health WIC Program
- Oakland Based Urban Gardens
- Oakland Leaf
- Oakland Unified School District
- Orange County Planned Parenthood WIC Program
- Outrider Ministries
- Palomar Pomerado Home Health
- Pasture Pictures
- People's Grocery
- Placer Food Bank
- Planting Justice
- Plumas Rural Services WIC Program
- Private Lactation Consulting, Contra Costa
- Psi Chi, San Jose State University
- Public Health Foundation WIC Program
- Riverside County Community Health Agency Lactation Services
- Sacramento ACHIEVE
- San Benito Health Foundation
- San Diego American Red Cross WIC Program
- San Diego County Breastfeeding Coalition
- San Diego State University Research Foundation WIC
- San Francisco Breastfeeding promotion Coalition
- San Francisco Department of Public Health
- San Francisco WIC Program
- San Mateo County WIC Program
- San Ysidro Health Center WIC Program Imperial Beach Office
- Santa Clara County Public Health Department WIC Program
- Santa Clara County WIC Program
- Santa Clara County WIC Program
- Save Mart Supermarkets
- Second Harvest Food Bank Santa Cruz County
- Shasta County Health and Human Services Agency
- Siskiyou County Public Health
- Siskiyou County WIC Program
- Slow Food Urban San Diego
- Solano County WIC Program
- South Los Angeles Health Projects
- Southern California Public Health Association (SCPHA)
- St. Joseph Health System
- Sustainable Economic Enterprises of Los Angeles (SEE-LA)
- Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento
- The Childbirth Connection, LLC
- The Peace and Justice Community of St. Cross Episcopal Church, Hermosa Beach
- The Resource Connection - Amador
- The Sisters of the Holy Family, Fremont
- Tiburcio Vasquez Health Center, Inc. WIC Program
- Tulare County WIC Program
- Ubuntu Green
- UCLA High Risk Infant Follow-up Program
- United Way Silicon Valley
- Urban and Environmental Policy Institute
- Valley Presbyterian Hospital
- Ventura County Public Health WIC Program
- WalkSanDiego
- Watts Healthcare Corporation WIC Program
- Well-Being Center of Novato
- Yolo County Health Department
- Care and Share Food Bank of Southern Colorado
- Colorado Children's Campaign
- Colorado PTA
- Colorado School Nutrition Association
- Food Bank for Larimer County
- LiveWell Colorado
- Lutheran Advocacy Ministry - Colorado
- Mesa County WIC Agency
- Moms for Kids
- Pueblo City-County Health Department
- Rocky Mountain Farmers Union
- Summit Prevention Alliance
- Weld Food Bank
- Women of Reform Judaism – Colorado
- Connecticut Association for Human Services
- Connecticut Dietetic Association
- Connecticut Food Association
- Connecticut Food Bank
- Connecticut Parent Teacher Student Association
- Fairfield County WIC Program
- Foodshare, Inc.
- Justice and Peace Committee of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Chambery/West Hartford
- The Collaborative Center for Justice, Hartford
- Uncas Health District
- Delaware Dietetic Association
- Delaware PTA
- Delaware School Nurse Association
- Delaware School Nutrition Association
- D.C. Farm to School Network
- D.C. WIC State Agency
- United Way National Capital Area
- All Faiths Food Bank
- Bay Area Food Bank
- Better School Food Sarasota
- Charity Express Inc.
- Christ Fellowship Church
- City of North Miami ACHIEVE
- CROS Ministries
- Damayan Garden Project
- Evangelical Christian Bible Ministries International, Inc.
- Feeding South Florida
- First Baptist Church of Lantana
- Florida Association of Food Banks
- Florida Association of School Nurses
- Florida Dietetic Association
- Florida PTA
- Florida Public Health Foundation
- Florida Tomato Exchange
- Harry Chapin Food Bank
- Miami Dietetic Association
- OSAY Child Development Center
- Palm Beach County Community Food Alliance
- Palm Beach Harvest Inc.
- Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida
- Second Harvest North Florida
- The Peace & Justice Committee of the Florida Benedictine Sisters
- Treasure Coast Food Bank
- America Second Harvest of Coastal Georgia
- Cobb & Douglas Public Health
- Cotillion of the South
- Feeding the Valley, Inc.
- Georgia Dietetic Association
- Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association
- Georgia Organics
- Georgia PTA
- Georgia Public Health Association
- Georgia School Nutrition Association
- Health Matters
- Jewish Community Relations Council of Atlanta
- Lithonia WIC Program
- Piedmont Park Conservancy
- Queen of Hearts Foundation
- Second Harvest of South Georgia, Inc.
- Southside Medical Center WIC/Nutrition Department
- The Holistic Chamber of Commerce Atlanta
- The Youth Becoming Healthy Project, Inc.
- Voices for Georgia's Children
- Department of Public Health & Social Services, Bureau of Nutrition Services, WIC Program
- Bay Clinic Inc.
- Bay Clinic WIC Program
- Blueprint for Change
- Good Beginnings Alliance
- Hawaii Dietetic Association
- Hawaii Farmers Union
- Hawaii Island Rural Health Association
- Kau Rural Health Community Association Inc.
- Lanai Community Health Center
- Malama I Ke Ola Health Center WIC Program
- Rural Maui
- Wahiawa WIC Program
- Waimanalo Health Center
- Waimanalo Market
- Columbia High School
- Eastern Idaho Public Health District
- Idaho PTA
- Idaho Public Health Association
- Idaho Rural Council
- Idaho School Nutrition Association
- Monastery of St. Gertrude
- School Nurse Organization of Idaho
- The Idaho Foodbank
- Active Transportation Alliance
- AIDS Foundation of Chicago
- Center of Higher Development
- Central Illinois Foodbank
- Chicago Dietetic Association
- Chicago Run
- Consortium to Lower Obesity in Chicago Children
- Coordinated Youth
- DePaul University
- East Side Health District
- Eastern Illinois Dietetic Association
- Eastern Illinois Foodbank
- El Valor
- Feeding Illinois
- Greater Chicago Food Depository
- Hillsboro WIC/Maternal Child Health Program
- Illinois Association of School Nurses
- Illinois Dietetic Association
- Illinois Farm to School
- Illinois Maternal and Child Health Coalition
- Illinois PTA
- Illinois Retail Merchants Association
- Justice, Peace & Integrity of Creation Office of the Wheaton Franciscans
- King Lab School
- Lee County Health Department
- Lutheran Advocacy--Illinois
- Mississippi Valley Dietetic Association
- New Season Women's Transitional Housing Facility
- New Vision of Hope Foundation
- North Suburban Dietetic Association
- Northern Illinois Food Bank
- Oak Park River Forest Food Pantry
- Pediatric AIDS Chicago Prevention Initiative
- Peoria Area Food Bank
- Purple Asparagus
- River Bend Foodbank
- South Suburban Dietetic Association
- The Digital Strategy Group
- Voices for Illinois Children
- West Suburban Dietetic Association
- A.U.M.C. Shepherd's Pantry
- Catholic Charities Terre Haute
- Community Harvest Food Bank
- Devington Community Development Corporation
- Earth Charter Indiana
- East Central Indiana Dietetic Association
- Feeding Indiana's Hungry, Inc.
- Food Bank of Northwest Indiana
- Fort Wayne Community Schools
- Garrett Keyser Butler School Corporation
- Healthy Habits Institute
- Heartland Center
- Indiana Dietetic Association
- Indiana PTA
- Indiana Rural Health Association
- Indiana WIC
- Johnson County WIC Program
- Lafayette Urban Ministry
- Leadership Team, Our Lady of Victory Missionary Sisters
- Memorial Hospital and Health System WIC Program
- Northern Indiana Dietetic Association
- Portage Township Schools
- Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center - Mishawaka
- Scott Memorial Hospital
- Second Harvest Food Bank of East Central Indiana, Inc.
- Southeast Indiana Dietetic Association
- St. Joseph County WIC Program
- St. Mary's Warrick WIC Program
- Whitley County WIC Program
- Food Bank of Iowa
- Iowa Dietetic Association
- Iowa Food Bank Association
- Iowa PTA
- Iowa Public Health Association
- Iowa State University
- Leadership Team, Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
- Lutheran Services in Iowa
- Mid-Sioux Opportunity, Inc.
- Northeast Iowa Food Bank
- Webster County Health Department
- Kansas Breastfeeding Coalition
- Kansas Food Bank
- Kansas PTA
- Kansas Public Health Association
- Kaw Area Breastfeeding Coalition
- Lawrence Douglas County Health Department
- Lyon County WIC Program
- School Nutrition Association of Kansas
- Sisters of St. Joseph, CSJ Justice and Peace Center
- Social Justice Committee, Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth
- Unified Government Public Health Department WIC Program
- Campbell County WIC Program
- Community Coordinated Child Care, Inc.
- Dare to Care Food Bank
- Family & Children's Place
- Family Connections Resource Center
- Feeding America, Kentucky's Heartland
- For Kids Only Child Care
- God's Pantry Food Bank
- Kentucky Dietetic Association
- Kentucky Division For Early Childhood
- Kentucky PTA
- Kentucky River District Health Department
- Kentucky School Nurses Association
- Kentucky School Nutrition Association
- Kentucky Youth Advocates
- Lake Cumberland Community Action Agency
- Park DuValle Community Health Center WIC Program
- Pathways Family Resource/Youth Services Center
- St. Joseph Children's Home
- The Family Point, Family Resource & Youth Services Centers
- Health Centers in Schools
- Louisiana Food Bank Association
- Louisiana PTA
- Louisiana Public Health Institute
- New Orleans Food and Farm Network
- Riverside Elementary PTA
- School Nutrition Association of Louisiana
- Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans and Acadiana
- The Food Bank of Northeast Louisiana
- Woodlawn Leadership Academy
- Choose To Be Healthy Partnership
- Focus on Agriculture in Rural Maine Schools
- Good Shepherd Food Bank
- Maine Children's Alliance
- Maine Dietetic Association
- Maine PTA
- Maine Public Health Association
- Maine School Nutrition Association
- MSAD 6 School Garden Network
- Northern Maine Medical Center
- Nutrition Associates
- Nutrition Works, LLC
- Pam Stuppy Nutrition
- The Maine Dietetic Association
- Advocates for Children and Youth, Maryland
- Benedictine Sisters of Baltimore
- Co-Operative Housing at the University of Maryland
- Disciples Justice Action Network
- Maryland Association of School Health Nurses, Inc.
- Maryland Dietetic Association
- Maryland Foster Parent Association
- Maryland PTA
- Maryland WIC Program
- Mission Helpers of the Sacred Heart
- The Capital Area Food Bank
- Week of Compassion, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
- Boston Public Health Commission
- Cape Cod WIC Program
- Community Action! of the Franklin, Hampshire, and North Quabbin Regions WIC Program
- Concord 146 LLC
- Curley K-8 School Jamaica Plain
- Department of Pediatrics at Boston Medical Center
- Easthampton City Council
- Edward M. Kennedy Community Health Center
- Energize Everett
- Franklin County Community Meals Program
- Greater New Bedford WIC Program
- Health Imperatives, Inc.
- Judah Art Studio
- Marist Missionary Sisters
- Martha's Vineyard Regional High School
- Massachusetts Association of WIC Directors
- Massachusetts Citizens for Children
- Massachusetts Dietetic Association
- Massachusetts General Hospital, Department of Nutrition & Food Services
- Massachusetts School Nurse Organization
- MGH-WCI
- Middlesex County WIC Program
- New England Farmers Union
- Partners Healthcare WIC Program
- Quincy WIC Program
- Rachel's Table
- School Nutrition Association of Massachusetts
- Sisters of St. Joseph of Springfield
- Sisters of St. Joseph, Office of Justice and Peace
- South Boston WIC Program
- Suffolk County WIC Program
- Taunton Attleboro WIC Program Citizens for Citizens, Inc.
- The Brick House
- The Community Survival Center
- The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts
- The Health Foundation of Central Massachusetts
- WIC Massachusetts
- Worcester Central District Medical Society Alliance
- Worcester County Food Bank
- Worcester Food and Active Living Policy Council
- Youth Harvest Alliance
- Active Faith Community Services
- Aid in Milan Inc.
- Arrowwood Hills Cooperative
- Associated Food & Petroleum Dealers
- B-H-K Community Action Agency
- Chelsea Community Hospital
- City of Big Rapids WIC Program
- City of Newaygo WIC Program
- District Health Department # 10 WIC Program
- Feeding America West Michigan Food Bank
- Food Bank Council of Michigan
- Food Bank of Eastern Michigan
- Food Bank of South Central Michigan
- Gleaners Community Food Bank of Southeastern Michigan
- Kalamazoo Loaves & Fishes
- Mecosta County Health Department District #10
- Michigan Association of School Nurses
- Michigan Dietetic Association
- Michigan Farmers Union
- Michigan Land Use Institute
- Michigan PTSA
- Michigan Public Health Association
- Monroe County WIC Program
- Muskegon County WIC Program
- Northside Association for Community Development
- Orchards Children's Services
- Social Work Institute for Community Development
- Terrace Inn
- The Justice Coordinating Committee of the Dominican Sisters-Grand Rapids
- The Leadership Council Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Monroe
- The Manna Food Project
- The Salvation Army
- The Vineyard Church of Milan
- Washtenaw County Public Health Department
- Western Upper Peninsula Food Bank
- Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls, Leadership Team
- Franciscan Sisters of St. Paul
- Growing Up Healthy
- Mille Lacs County Public Health
- Mille Lacs County WIC Program
- Minnesota Dietetic Association
- Minnesota Grocers Association
- North Side Healthy Eating Project
- Saint Louis Fraternity, Secular Franciscan Order
- Salvation Army, Southeast Michigan Adult Rehabilitation Center *
- School Nurse Organization of Minnesota
- Second Harvest Heartland
- Second Harvest North Central Food Bank
- Second Harvest Northern Lakes Food Bank
- St. Benedict's Monastery
- University of Minnesota
- Mississippi Dietetic Association
- Mississippi Food Network
- Mississippi Parent Teacher Association
- Mississippi School Nutrition Association
- Monroe County School District Child Nutrition Office
- Northeast Lauderdale Middle School
- Northwest Public Health District 1
- The Partnership for a Healthy Mississippi
- Adair County WIC Program
- Andrew County Health Department
- Audrain City-County Health Unit
- BJK People's Health Centers WIC Program
- Cape Girardeau County Public Health Center
- Carroll County Health Department
- Cass County Health Department WIC Program
- Catholic Charities of Kansas City-St. Joseph
- Central Missouri Dietetic Association
- Christian County WIC Program
- Clay County Public Health Center
- Cole County Health Department
- Columbia/Boone County WIC
- Cooper County Public Health Center
- Crawford County Health Department
- Crawford County Nursing Service
- Crescent Clinic WIC Program
- Dallas County Health Department
- Daviess County Health Department
- Dent County Health Center
- Doorways Interfaith Housing
- Dunklin County Health Department
- Family Care Health Centers
- Franklin County Health Department
- Franklin County WIC Program
- Greater Kansas City Food Policy Coalition
- Harrison County Health Department
- Harvesters--The Community Food Network
- Johnson County Community Health Services
- Johnson County Community Health Services WIC Program
- Johnson County WIC Program
- Kansas City Healthy Kids
- Lewis County Health Department
- Lincoln County Health Department
- Linn County Health Department
- Maude's Market
- Miller County Health Center WIC Program
- Minnesota School Nutrition Association
- Missouri Association of Local Public Health Agencies
- Missouri Dietetic Association
- Missouri Retailers Association
- Missouri Rural Crisis Center
- Missouri WIC Association
- Moberly WIC Program
- Morgan County Health Center WIC Program
- New Madrid County Health Department
- Optimus: The Center for Health
- Osage County Health Department
- Ozark County Health Department
- Ozarks Food Harvest
- Pettis County Health Center
- Pettis County WIC Program
- Pulaski County WIC Program
- Reynolds County Health Center
- Schuyler County Health Department
- Scotland County Health Department
- Second Harvest Community Food Bank
- Shannon County WIC Program
- Sisters of St. Francis of Savannah
- Southeast Missouri Food Bank
- St. Francois County Health Center
- Stoddard County WIC Program
- The Jewish Community Relations Council of St. Louis
- Tri-County Health Department
- Truman Medical Centers WIC Program
- Union WIC Program
- University of Missouri, Kansas City
- Anaconda Deer-Lodge County Public Health Department
- Dawson County WIC Program
- Eat Right Montana
- Flathead Farm to School Program
- Montana Association of School Nurses
- Montana Dietetic Association
- Montana PTA
- Montana School Nutrition Association
- Northern Plains Resource Council
- Sustainable Living Systems
- Central District Health Department
- City of Fremont WIC Program
- Community Action Partnership of Western Nebraska
- Creighton University Center for Service and Justice
- Douglas County Health Department
- Douglas County Health Department WIC Program
- Family Health Services, Inc. WIC Program
- Food Bank for the Heartland
- Fremont WIC Program
- Midtown WIC Program
- Nebraska PTA
- Nebraska School Nurses Association
- Northeast Nebraska Family Health Services
- People's Family Health Services WIC Program
- Sarpy County WIC Program
- Sisters of Mercy
- Sisters of Mercy West Midwest Community, Justice Team
- Battle Mountain WIC Program
- Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada
- Community Bible Chapel Food Shelf
- Douglas County WIC Program
- Food Bank of Northern Nevada
- Inter-Tribal Council of Nevada
- Las Vegas Urban League WIC Program
- Lyon County Human Services
- Mineral County Consolidated Agencies of Human Services (CAHS)
- Nevada Association of School Nurses
- Nevada Health Centers, Inc.
- Nevada Public Health Association
- Nevada WIC
- Partners for a Healthy Nevada
- Pershing County WIC Program
- Ron Wood Family Resource Center
- Ron Wood WIC Clinic
- Saint Mary's Mission Outreach
- Saint Mary's WIC Program
- Southern Nevada Dietetic Association
- St. Rose Dominican Hospitals
- St. Rose WIC Program
- Sunrise Children's Foundation WIC Program
- Three Square
- Winnemucca WIC Program
- Children's Alliance of New Hampshire
- New Hampshire Farm to School Program
- New Hampshire Food Bank
- New Hampshire Grocers Association
- New Hampshire PTA
- New Hampshire School Nurses Association
- New Hampshire WIC Directors' Association
- FoodBank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties
- Mercer County Special Child Health Services
- Mercer Street Friends Food Bank
- New Jersey Dietetic Association
- New Jersey Farm to School Network
- New Jersey Food Council
- New Jersey School Nutrition Association
- New Jersey State School Nurses Association
- Plainfield WIC Program
- WIC Advisory Council - Trenton
- ACL WIC Program
- Cooking With Kids Inc.
- Kewa WIC Program
- Lutheran Advocacy Ministry-New Mexico
- New Mexico Alliance for School Based Health Care
- New Mexico Parent Teacher Association
- New Mexico School Nutrition Association
- New Mexico Voices for Children
- Roadrunner Food Bank of New Mexico
- Zuni WIC Program
- Cicatelli Associates, Inc.
- Commission on Peace and Justice of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany
- Dining In
- Franciscan Sisters of Allegany
- Genesee Dietetic Association
- Health Watch
- Healthy Monday Campaign
- Island Harvest
- John Boy's Farm
- Johnson City School District
- Long Island Cares, Inc.--The Harry Chapin Food Bank
- Mid Hudson Dietetic Association
- New York School Nutrition
- New York State Action for Healthy Kids
- New York State Association of School Nurses
- New York State Coalition for School-Based Health Centers
- New York State Department of Health
- New York State Dietetic Association
- New York State Division of Nutrition Bureau of Supplement Food Programs (WIC)
- New York State Healthy Eating and Physical Activity Alliance
- New York State PTA
- Open Door Family Medical Centers, Inc. WIC Program
- Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York
- Schenectady Inner City Ministry
- Sisters of St. Joseph Brentwood Congregation, CSJ Non-Violence Group
- Sisters of St. Joseph of Rochester, Leadership Team and Justice & Peace Committee
- SlowFood Schenectady County Community College
- Society for the Protection & Care of Children
- Suffolk County WIC Program
- The Sisters of Saint Ursula, American Region
- The WIC Association of New York State, Inc.
- Westchester County WIC Program
- William F. Ryan Community Health Center WIC Program
- Women of Reform Judaism - New York
- Wyckoff Heights Medical Center
- Action for Children North Carolina
- Alamance County Health Department
- Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project
- Bladen County Health Department WIC Program
- Cherokee WIC Program
- Children First/Communities In Schools of Buncombe County
- Cumberland County WIC Program
- East Carolina University
- Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians WIC Program
- Edgecombe County WIC Program
- Food Bank of the Albemarle
- Hertford County Public Health Authority
- Local Nutrition Directors
- Nash County Health Department - WIC Program
- NC Prevention Partners
- New Hanover County Health Department
- North Carolina Association of Local Nutrition Directors
- North Carolina Dietetic Association
- North Carolina PTA
- Onslow County WIC Program
- RESULTS Asheville Group
- Rockingham County Schools Child Nutrition
- Rural Health Group, Inc. WIC Program
- School Nutrition Association of North Carolina
- Sisters of Mercy of the Americas South Central Community
- Transylvania County Department of Public Health
- City-County Health District
- Custer Health WIC Program
- Dakota Resource Council
- Grand Forks County Citizens Coalition
- Great Plains Food Bank
- MANNA FoodBank
- North Dakota Dietetic Association
- North Dakota PTA
- North Dakota Public Health Association
- North Dakota School Nutrition Association
- Sisters of the Presentation, Fargo
- South Agassiz Resource Council
- Young People's Healthy Heart Program
- Adams Brown Community Action Program WIC Program
- Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank
- Allen County Health Department WIC Program
- Allen County WIC Program
- Athens City Schools Health and Wellness Team
- Auglaize County WIC Program
- Butler County WIC Program
- Central Ohio Breastfeeding Coalition
- Champaign County Farmers Market
- Children's Hunger Alliance
- Cincinnati WIC Program
- Cleveland Foodbank
- Clintonville WIC Program
- Columbus Ohio Public Health Department WIC Program
- Columbus Public Health
- Columbus WIC Program
- Community Outreach Assistant Team
- Community Relations Committee, Jewish Federation of Cleveland
- Coshocton County WIC Program
- Cuyahoga County Board of Health
- Cuyahoga County WIC Program
- Darke/Mercer County WIC Program
- Dorothy Lane Market
- Elyria City Health District
- Fairfield Department of Health, WIC Program
- Family Planning Association of Northeast Ohio, Inc.
- Fayette County WIC
- First Dynasty
- Food For Thought Toledo, Inc.
- Forest Park WIC Program
- Franklin Area Community Services
- Franklin County WIC Program
- Freestore Foodbank
- Geauga WIC Program
- Green Plate Club
- Guernsey County WIC
- Hamilton County WIC Program
- Hope Whispers Community Organization Inc.
- Jackson County WIC Program
- Lake County General Health District WIC Program
- Lake County Health Department WIC Program
- Lake County WIC Program
- Lucas County WIC Program
- Madison County WIC Program
- Marianist Novitiate
- Marion County WIC Program
- Marion Public Health
- Medina County Health Department, WIC Division
- Meigs County Health Department WIC Program
- Mercy Health Center/Carroll County WIC Program
- Mid-Ohio Foodbank
- Monroe County WIC Program
- Montgomery County WIC Program
- Muskingum County WIC Program
- Nationwide Children's Hospital WIC Program
- New Path Inc.
- Northside Health Center WIC Clinic
- Ohio Association of School Nurses
- Ohio Children's Foundation
- Ohio Department of Health
- Ohio Department of Health Bureau of Nutrition Services
- Ohio Department of Health WIC Program
- Ohio Dietetic Association
- Ohio Grocers Association
- Ohio Nutrition Council
- Ohio PTA
- Ohio Public Health Association
- Ohio School Based Health Care Association
- Ohio WIC Program
- Paulding County WIC Program
- Portage Columbiana WIC Program
- Preble County WIC Program
- ProMedica Health System
- Sandusky County Health Department
- School Nutrition Association of Ohio
- Second Harvest Food Bank of Clark, Champaign, Logan Counties
- Second Harvest Food Bank of North Central Ohio
- Second Harvest Food Bank of the Mahoning Valley
- Seneca County WIC Program
- Shared Harvest Foodbank
- The Foodbank, Inc.
- The Leadership Council of the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati
- The MetroHealth System
- The Sisters of St. Francis
- Toledo Northwestern Ohio Food Bank
- Towne Learning Center
- Tuscarawas County General Health District
- Tuscarawas County Job & Family Services
- Tuscarawas County WIC Program
- United Way of Greater Toledo *
- Van Wert County WIC Program
- Vinton County WIC Program
- West Alexandria Christian Day Care Center
- West Ohio Food Bank
- Williams County WIC
- Wood County WIC Program
- Wyandot County WIC Program
- YWCA Hamilton
- Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma
- Inter-Tribal Council, Inc. WIC Program
- Little Hands Day School of Norman
- Muscogee (Creek) Nation WIC Program
- Oklahoma Dietetic Association
- Oklahoma Fit Kids Coalition
- Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy
- Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma
- School Nurse Organization of Oklahoma
- School Nutrition Association of Oklahoma
- Breastfeeding Coalition of Oregon
- Central Oregon Nutrition Consultants
- Children First for Oregon
- Coalition of Local Health Officials
- Community Action Program of East Central Oregon
- Jewish Federation of Greater Portland
- Oregon Dietetic Association
- Oregon Food Bank
- Oregon Public Health Institute
- Oregon Rural Action
- Oregon School Nutrition Association
- Oregon State University Student Dietetic Association
- Portland Tuv Ha'Aretz
- Siletz Valley Schools
- Umatilla Morrow County Head Start & WIC
- Advocacy for Justice and Peace Committee of the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia
- Allegheny Valley Association of Churches
- Bethlehem Haven
- BTC Center, Inc.
- Cancer Caring Center
- Central Moravian Food Bank
- Central Pennsylvania Food Bank
- Christian House Baptist Chapel
- Community Food Warehouse of Mercer County
- Community Health Services
- EST Enterprise
- Every Child Inc.
- Felician Sisters, Our Lady of Hope Province, Leadership Team
- Focus On Renewal
- Greater Berks Food Bank
- Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank
- Green Sanctuary Earth Institute of Pennsylvania
- H & J Weinberg Regional Food Bank
- Health Promotion Council
- Hill House Association
- Holy Redeemer Social Services
- Hulton Arbors Food Pantry
- Interplay Child Care Center
- Islamic Center of Pittsburgh
- Maternity Care Coalition
- Michael's Place, The Society of St. Vincent de Paul
- N.O.R.T.H., Inc.
- Neville's Ark Food Bank
- Pennsylvania Association of Regional Food Banks
- Pennsylvania Association of School Nurses & Practitioners
- Pennsylvania Dietetic Association
- Pennsylvania Farmers Union
- Pennsylvania Food Merchants Association
- Pennsylvania PTA
- Pennsylvania Public Health Association
- Philabundance
- Pittsburgh Family Development
- Rainbow Kitchen Community Services
- Renewed Roots
- School Nutrition Association of Pennsylvania
- Second Harvest Food Bank of Lehigh Valley and Northeast PA
- Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest Pennsylvania
- Shawmont School
- Shenango Valley Urban League, Inc., WIC Program
- Sisters of Saint Joseph of Chestnut Hill
- Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia
- Sisters of St. Joseph NW PA
- Society of St. Vincent DePaul Butler District
- Squirrel Hill Community Food Pantry
- The Arc of Greater Pittsburgh
- The Grey Nuns of the Sacred Heart, Philadelphia
- Unity Baptist Church Food Pantry
- Valley Community Services
- Westmoreland County Food Bank
- White Oak Cupboard Stretchers
- Women of Reform Judaism - Pennsylvania
- Women's Health & Environmental Network
- Word & Worship Church Food Bank
- YMCA of McKeesport
- Corporacion para el Desarrollo Economico y Comunitario de la Montana
- Farm Fresh Rhode Island
- Rhode Island Certified School Nurse Teachers, Inc.
- Rhode Island Community Food Bank
- Rhode Island Dietetic Association
- Rhode Island Interfaith Coalition to Fight Poverty With Faith
- Rhode Island KIDS COUNT
- Rhode Island PTA
- A Better Way Project GO (Gang Out)
- Eat Smart, Move More South Carolina
- Lowcountry Food Bank
- South Carolina Department of Health & Environmental Control WIC Program
- South Carolina Dietetic Association
- South Carolina PTA
- Dakota Rural Action
- Feeding South Dakota
- South Dakota Association of Public Health
- South Dakota Dietetic Association
- South Dakota Farmers Union
- South Dakota PTA
- South Dakota Public Health Association
- South Dakota Voices for Children
- Chattanooga Area Food Bank
- Gardens of Hope
- Mid-South Food Bank
- Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee
- Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee
- Second Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Tennessee
- Tennessee Dietetic Association
- Tennessee PTA
- Austin County WIC Program
- City of Dallas WIC Program
- City of Dallas WIC Program LO8 - Grand Prairie
- City of Dallas, WIC Program LO7 - Carrollton
- City of Laredo Health Department WIC Program
- Food Bank of Corpus Christi
- Food Bank of the Golden Crescent
- Food Bank of the Rio Grande Valley, Inc.
- Garcia Middle School
- Health Occupations Students of America, Longview
- Hidalgo County WIC Program
- High Plains Food Bank
- Landolt Elementary School
- Marketing Management Inc.
- North Texas Food Bank
- Rio Grande Valley Food Bank
- Rockwall WIC Program
- San Antonio Food Bank
- South Plains Food Bank
- Texas Dietetic Association
- Texas Food Bank Network
- Texas Produce Association
- Texas PTA
- Voices for Children of San Antonio
- Waco-McLennan County Public Health District
- Wellness Pointe WIC Program
- School Nutrition Association of Utah
- Utah Food Industry Association
- Utah Public Health Association
- Utah Retail Merchants Association
- Utah School Nurse Association
- Wasatch County WIC
- AIDS Project of Southern Vermont
- Another Way
- Betty's Nursing Consultation
- Brigid's Kitchen
- Concord School
- Deerfield Valley Food Pantry
- Essex High School Health Office
- Faith In Action Northern Communities Partnership, Inc.
- Fletcher Elementary School
- Food Works at Two Rivers Center
- Jamaica/Wardsboro Community Food Pantry
- Lakeview Union Elementary
- Sharon Food Shelf
- St. Brigid's Kitchen
- Sunrise Family Resource Center
- The Center
- The St. Johnsbury School
- Vermont Adult Learning
- Vermont Dental Hygienists' Association
- Vermont Dietetic Association
- Vermont Foodbank
- Vermont Public Health Association
- Vermont School Nurse Association
- Vermont State PTA
- Voices for Vermont's Children
- Woodbury Calais Food Shelf
- Virgin Islands PTA
- Virgin Islands WCA
- Blue Ridge Area Food Bank
- Community Obesity Task Force
- Federation of Virginia Food Banks
- Feeding America Southwest Virginia
- FeedMore
- Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia
- Foodbank Of the Virginia Peninsula
- Growing Food & Community
- Lexington/Rockbridge Grows
- Norfolk Public Schools Child Nutrition Services
- Potomac Health Consulting
- Virginia Association of School Nurses
- Virginia PTA
- Virginia Retail Federation
- Voices for Virginia's Children
- Childhood Obesity Prevention Coalition - Washington State
- Common Action Parenting
- Common Threads Farm and the Whatcom County School Garden Collective
- Des Moines Legacy Foundation
- Meucci Consulting
- Northwest Federation of Community Organizations
- Palouse Community Food Security
- Temple Beth Shalom
- Washington Food Coalition
- Washington Food Industry Association
- Washington Retail Association
- Washington State Dietetic Association
- Washington State Food and Nutrition Council
- Washington State PTA
- Washington State Public Health Association
- Washington Sustainable Food & Farming Network
- WellSpring School
- Whatcom Day Academy
- Whatcom Farm-to-School Support Team
- Wheels of Life School
- Yakima Neighborhood Health Services
- Huntington Area Food Bank, Inc.
- Virginia Tech Dietetic Interns
- West Virginia Dietetic Association
- West Virginia Association of School Nurses
- West Virginia School Nutrition Association
- 16th St Community Health Center
- Adams Friendship School District
- Clark County Health Care Center WIC Program
- Community Health Improvement Plan - Oshkosh
- E.P. Rock Elementary School in Hudson
- Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin
- Fond Du Lac County WIC Program
- Gibraltar Area Schools
- Green Bay Public School Food Service Department
- Jackson County WIC Program
- Living Stems
- Milwaukee Public Schools
- New Richmond School Food Service
- Newman Catholic Schools
- Nutrition & Health Association
- Nutrition Matters Inc.
- Oconto Falls Public Schools
- Oshkosh Area School District
- Polk County WIC Program
- Prescott School District
- Racine Kenosha Community Action Agency
- Research, Education, Action and Policy on Food Group
- Rusk County WIC Program
- School Nutrition Association of Wisconsin
- School Sisters of Notre Dame Global Justice and Peace Commission
- Second Harvest Foodbank of Southern Wisconsin
- Seeds of Health WIC
- Shawano County Health Department WIC Program
- Sisters of St. Francis of the Holy Cross
- St. Norbert Abbey Justice and Peace Committee
- St. Sebastian School
- Sustain Rural Wisconsin Network
- The Salvation Army
- Winnebago County Health Department
- Wisconsin Association of School Nurses
- Wisconsin Council on Children and Families
- Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction
- Wisconsin Dietetic Association
- Wisconsin Farm to School Network
- Wisconsin Grocers Association
- Wisconsin PTA
- Wisconsin State WIC Association
- Wisconsin WIC Association
- Park County/Big Horn County WIC Program
- Win River School District
- Wyoming School Nurse Association
- Wyoming School Nutrition Association
Read the Feeding America letter of support the previous organizations signed onto.
* Note: These organizations did not sign the Feeding America letter of support.
Listen to Chairman Miller, Speaker Pelosi and other legislators discuss the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act on a November 29 press conference call.
“A national campaign aimed at curtailing the number of brain injuries suffered by student athletes was introduced Monday at Pinole Valley High School, where a concussion awareness poster was unveiled at a news conference held by federal officials and representatives of the National Football League.
“‘There was a time when athletes who left the field because of a concussion were told to suck it up and go back out and play,’ said Rep. George Miller, D-Martinez. Instead, he said, athletes should be told, ‘When in doubt, sit it out.’
“The poster being distributed by the federal Centers for Disease Control is similar to one now found in NFL locker rooms and describes possible symptoms on brain injuries that could be worsened if not diagnosed.”
Chairman Miller also spoke about legislation he recently introduced, the Protecting Student Athletes from Concussions Act. San Francisco’s ABC affiliate, KGO, reported:
“Miller has introduced legislation that would set safety standards for public schools in dealing with concussions. This after hearing horror stories from student athletes during a Congressional hearing.
“‘In one case, a student is fully disabled because of an injury in a softball game with multiple concussions [which were] improperly diagnosed,’ says Miller.
“The stories were enough to move Miller to carry the ball on the danger of concussions.”
Watch a Contra Costa Times report on Chairman Miller's press conference below:
The Education and Labor Committee today held a hearing on legislation that would better educate students, parents and coaches about the danger of concussions in young athletes. Witnesses included a former NFL player, a neurologist, a high school athlete and a mother grieving the loss of her young son. CNN reported on the hearing:
“The House Education and Labor Committee's hearing came after news last week about the first active college football player known to have a debilitating condition usually seen in retired or aging athletes who've suffered repeated head injuries.
“Researchers at the Boston University School of Medicine Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy revealed that a 21-year-old defensive lineman, Owen Thomas, had mild stages of a type of brain damage called chronic traumatic encephalopathy.
“Thomas, a captain of the University of Pennsylvania football team and a student at the Wharton School of Business, hung himself in his room in April.
“Owen Thomas, 21, was found to have mild stages of a type of brain damage called chronic traumatic encephalopathyCTE, which is a type of brain damage, has been more typically seen in older former athletes and can cause neurobehavioral disorders and bizarre behavior, including suicide. It is impossible to determine whether Thomas' brain condition and suicide were linked.
“‘The only possible explanation we can see for the presence of CTE is that Owen started to play football at the age of 9,’ his mother, Rev. Katherine Brearley of Allentown, Pennsylvania, said in her testimony at the hearing.”
The Protecting Student Athletes from Concussions Act would help improve concussion safety and management for student athletes by requiring school districts to develop and implement a community-based plan for concussion safety and management.
And it’s not just football players who are at higher risk, as witness Alison Conca-Cheng showed. USA Today wrote:
“That point was brought home by Alison Conca-Cheng, a 17-year-old high school soccer player and honors student from Ellicott City, Md., who suffered a concussion when she collided with a teammate's head in a practice game.
“‘I had tunnel vision,’ she told the committee. ‘Then I had severe balance problems and lingering headaches. I was dazed and confused.’
“Conca-Cheng had taken a pre-season computerized baseline concussion test, which she was required to repeat after the injury. In two attempts, she failed to match her pre-injury scores on tests of short-term memory and reading and was kept out of practice for two weeks.”
CNN Health summarized the report and its implications:
“More and more children and teenagers are suffering traumatic brain injuries while playing basketball, according to a study published Monday in the journal Pediatrics.
“Researchers examined emergency room visits of people under the age of 20 who were treated for basketball related injuries between 1997 and 2007 and found the number of traumatic brain injuries shot up by 70%.
“Overall the proportion for traumatic brain injury doubled for boys and tripled for girls, said senior study author Dr. Laura B. McKenzie.
“Coaches, athletes and parents need to understand what can cause traumatic brain injuries and learn to recognize a possible concussion according to McKenzie.”
Rep. Carolyn McCarthy of New York today chaired a field hearing in Long Island to explore the prevalence of concussions among youth athletes and examine the best prevention strategies. Witnesses included two former NFL players, a high school athletic trainer, and a former high school athlete who suffered numerous concussions. After hearing their testimony, committee members concluded “legislative action is needed to ensure safety in all high schools.”
Today’s hearing marks the second time the Education and Labor Committee has investigated the prevalence of concussions in youth sports and its impact on academic outcomes.
Vicki B. Escara, President and CEO of Feeding America, published an op-ed in the Huffington Post urging passage of Chairman Miller’s bill. She wrote:
“… for low-income families who struggle to overcome hunger, back-to-school season brings an end to the strain of putting additional meals on the table when the free and reduced-price school breakfasts and lunches are unavailable.”
…
“Every child in America should have enough to eat regardless of the season -- summer, fall, winter or spring. Children need access to nutritious food year-round, so why shouldn't the programs that serve them be able to operate year-round? With a gap of nearly 17 million children unserved by summer feeding programs, we ought to do everything we can to make it easier for food banks and other community-based providers to reach children in the summer. Passage of Chairman Miller's child nutrition bill is an important first step to making sure no child goes hungry next summer.”
José Andrés, an internationally-known chef and owner of ThinkFoodGroup, also commented on the need to pass childhood nutrition legislation in a column published in the Atlantic:
“The lunch ladies, the administrators, the people who feed our kids want to do better. But they are limited by one thing: a lack of money. The federal government spends about $2.51 per child per day to feed them lunch. Out of that you have to pay for labor, facilities, and administrative costs, leaving about a dollar for food. Imagine trying to feed yourself a nutritious meal every day with only a dollar. Very difficult. Now imagine trying to do that while satisfying the picky palate of a typical school kid.
“Right now, we have an opportunity to change that. Every five years, Congress takes another look at the issue when the Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act is voted on, opening the door for discussion about possible improvements to these programs as well as increased funding. Among other things, the CNR provides money for and sets nutritional guidelines school for school lunch programs. Every five years it comes up for renewal. It is the most important piece of legislation that no one has ever heard of.”
The Improving Nutrition for America’s Children Act increases the federal reimbursement rate for the first time in 30 years.
Vicki B. Escarra, President and CEO of Feeding America, has a post at Huffington Post about why the House Child Nutrition Bill is Better for Children.
She said:
The House Education and Labor Committee approved a strong bill in July, the Improving Nutrition for America's Children Act of 2010 (H.R.5504). This bill includes many of the same improvements to nutritional quality as the Senate bill but does far more to invest in increased program access. The House bill would significantly increase access to food at breakfast, after-school, on weekends, and during the summer. Children need access to food every day, before, during, and after school, and the House provides much-needed improvements to address these gap periods.
The Improving Nutrition for America’s Children Act of 2010 pays particular attention to increasing access because hunger doesn't take a summer vacation or stop at the end of the school day.
Specifically, the Improving Nutrition for America's Children Act improves access to school meal programs by:- Increasing the number of eligible children enrolled in the school lunch programs by using Medicaid/SCHIP data to directly certify children who meet income requirements without requiring individual applications and requiring states to establish and execute a plan to increase rates of direct certification.
- Providing enhanced universal meal access for eligible children in high poverty communities by eliminating paper applications and using census data to determine school wide income eligibility.
- Increasing children’s access to healthy school breakfasts by providing competitive grants to school districts to start up or improve their program.
- Ensuring fewer children go hungry year round by providing meals for over 225,000 children through seamless meal service for children in school based and community based summer and after-school programs, and in low income rural areas.
- Improving access for children in home-based child care by reducing administrative costs for sponsors of child care meal programs.
As schools return from their summer break, many students will again have their only chance at a healthy meal all day. And those meals are key according to a new report by Georgetown University Assistant Professor of Public Policy Peter Hinrichs.
According to the Associated Press, Mr. Hinrichs said:
"The research found that the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) has not had a dramatic effect on health into adulthood, but it has had a significant effect on educational attainment," Hinrichs said. "The NSLP today is still broad in its reach, but it targets poorer children. There are higher standards for eligibility and also special funding for poorer schools. Had these elements been in place at the inception of the program, there may have been a more detectable effect on health in its early years."
That is why under H.R. 5504, the Improving Nutrition for America’s Children Act of 2010, the program increases the number of eligible children enrolled in the school lunch programs by using Medicaid/SCHIP data to directly certify children who meet income requirements without requiring individual applications and requiring states to establish and execute a plan to increase rates of direct certification. It also provides enhanced universal meal access for eligible children in high poverty communities by eliminating paper applications and using census data to determine school wide income eligibility. The more eligible students who are having a regular, nutritious lunch the more students will be performing in the classroom.
The bill passed out of committee and is awaiting a vote on the House floor.
Learn more about H.R. 5504, the Improving Nutrition for America's Children Act of 2010.
“We owe it to the children who aren't reaching their potential because they're not getting the nutrition they need during the day. We owe it to the parents who are working to keep their families healthy and looking for a little support along the way. We owe it to the schools that are trying to make progress but don't have the resources they need. And we owe it to our country -- because our prosperity depends on the health and vitality of the next generation.”
Hers is a sentiment shared by many – that there is no more important investment we can make for our country’s future than feeding our children healthy meals. Television host and author Rachael Ray has also been vocal on the issue, appearing with Chairman George Miller to introduce the Improving Nutrition for America’s Children Act and publishing an op-ed in today’s issue of the Albany Times-Union. Ray also pushes for quick passage of a child nutrition bill and argues passionately in favor of the legislation:
“Nearly 17 million American children struggle against hunger. For these children, school food programs are sometimes the only access they have to food. At the same time, one in three American kids is overweight or suffering from childhood obesity, because their families simply cannot afford fresh, nutritious foods. School food systems are one of the few ways we have to provide good nutrition to all of our kids.
…
“Child hunger and malnutrition in the world's wealthiest nation is morally unacceptable. The U.S. economy loses at least $28 billion per year due to poor school performance and long-term health care spending due to poor child nutrition. We can pay now or pay a much greater price in every sense later.”
They say:
Being overweight or obese is the leading medical reason why young Americans cannot join the military. Over the last 30 years, child obesity rates have tripled. One study found that 80 percent of children who were overweight at ages 10-15 were obese at age 25.Watch Major General Paul D. Monroe, U.S. Army (Ret.) of th Executive Advisory Council of Mission: Readiness, testify at a hearing about H.R.5504, Improving Nutrition for America's Children Act on July 1, 2010 after the jump.
Here in Maine, 41.2 percent of youths from ages 18 to 24 are overweight or obese. In addition to hindering our military preparedness, obesity also costs the American people billions in medical expenses every year.
From the mid-1990s to 2000, the state of Maine spent $375 million per year on obesity-related medical expenses. This data is 10 years old -- Maine's current expenditures are surely much higher today.
What can we do to address the problem? One way is to improve the quality of food and beverages served in our schools. The school environment is critical for shaping the eating and exercise habits of our youth.
...
The White House has proposed additional resources for a robust child nutrition reauthorization package that would reduce child obesity and improve the diets of children. Current proposals in the House and Senate include provisions that will raise the quality of all foods and beverages served in schools by requiring the secretary of agriculture to establish new nutrition standards that are consistent with the most recent Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
"Mission: Readiness" strongly supports these provisions and urges Congress to enact reauthorization legislation immediately.
By applying increased nutritional standards to all foods sold on school grounds, expanding access to healthier meals, and supporting schools in implementing proven programs that educate children and their families about healthy eating and exercise, we can get junk food and high-calorie beverages out of schools and out of our children's daily diets.
Recent research provides strong evidence that receiving school meals can help low-income children maintain a healthy weight.
"A gallon of milk is $3-something. A bottle of orange soda is 89 cents…Do the math."
The Improving Nutrition for America’s Children Act, recently approved by the Education and Labor Committee on a bipartisan vote, aims to help solve this problem by increasing access to nutritious foods year-round in school, after school, during holidays, on the weekends, and during the summer. Among other improvements to childhood nutrition programs, the legislation increases the reimbursement rate for school lunch for the first time in more than 30 years – a move that will significantly increase the availability of healthy foods to children. Cliff Toomey of the Indian River School District in Delaware attests to the importance of the increase in today’s News Journal:
“‘Higher reimbursement rates would mean more food choices,’ he said. ‘It would allow us to possibly go with more fresh fruits and vegetables.’”
Today, approximately 22 percent of the nation’s children lack access to nutritious food and one in three children is overweight or obese. Pam Fessler of NPR succinctly describes the relationship between hunger and obesity:
“Hunger in America is complicated. It's not just getting enough food, but getting the right food — and making the right choices.”
- 9 percent
- 16 percent
- 27 percent
- 65 percent
Continue reading for the answer.
That's right, 9 million young adults -- 27 percent of all Americans aged 17 to 24 -- are too overweight to enlist in the military. "To put this problem into perspective, today’s young Americans between the ages of 18 and 24 would have to collectively lose 390 million pounds in order to be at a healthy weight," said Paul D. Monroe, U.S. Army (Ret.), Executive Advisory Council, Mission: Readiness, at a committee hearing.
Yesterday, the Committee passed the Improving Nutrition for America's Children Act to support children’s health and reduce childhood hunger by dramatically improving federal child nutrition programs. "This bill addresses the need to work with children of all ages, from infants to high school age, to help them form healthy habits," said Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, chair of the Subcommittee on Healthy Families and Communities and original co-sponsor of the legislation.
After the vote, First Lady Michelle Obama released her first-ever formal statement on pending legislation. She praising the committee for its work on her signature issue: reducing childhood obesity. The First Lady stated:
“I congratulate Chairman Miller and the House Education and Labor Committee on the successful bipartisan passage of a child nutrition reauthorization bill out of the Committee today. This important legislation will combat hunger and provide millions of schoolchildren with access to healthier meals, a critical step in the battle against childhood obesity. I urge both the House and Senate to take their child nutrition bills to the floor and pass them without delay. The President looks forward to signing a final bill this year, so that we can make significant progress in improving the nutrition and health of children across our nation.”
Today, the Committee will consider the Improving Nutrition for America's Children Act to expand access and improve the nutritional quality of meals in schools and child care.
The legislation would help set American children on a path of healthy eating and healthy living at a time when approximately 22 percent of the nation’s children lack access to quality food and one in three children are overweight or obese. Today, over 32 million children rely on federal child nutrition programs.
H.R. 5504 would dramatically expand access for millions of children to healthy meals year-round in schools, child care, and community based settings, and for the first time, establish nutrition standards for foods sold outside of the cafeteria.
In April, 29 miners were killed at Massey Energy’s Upper Big Branch Mine in Montcoal, West Virginia, the worst coal mine disaster in America in 40 years. In the last decade, more than 600 miners have died while working in our nation’s mines.
On Wednesday, July 14, the House Education and Labor Committee will consider bipartisan legislation to expand access and improve the nutritional quality of meals in schools and child care. The committee examined H.R. 5504, the “Improving Nutrition for America’s Children Act” earlier this month.
The legislation would help set American children on a path of healthy eating and healthy living at a time when approximately 22 percent of the nation’s children lack access to quality food and one in three children are overweight or obese. Today, over 32 million children rely on federal child nutrition programs.
H.R. 5504 would dramatically expand access for millions of children to healthy meals year-round in schools, child care, and community based settings, and for the first time, establish nutrition standards for foods sold outside of the cafeteria.
Communities around the county are taking steps to provide their students with year-round access to quality meals and are demonstrating why ensuring access to healthy food is vital:
In Sioux City, SD, increasing numbers of children are eating healthy meals through the Summer Food Service Program, which serves children from low-income families. The Argus Leader reported:
“At the YWCA in downtown Sioux Falls on Wednesday, primarily elementary-aged boys and girls filed through a serving line while workers filled their trays with a sloppy joe sandwich, green beans, pineapple and milk. On average, the agency dishes out 220 lunches and 110 breakfasts each weekday, said Karla Johnson, director of child care services.
“‘There's no question in my mind that this program is really helping those children and their families. And we're seeing more of that,’ she said.”
According to the Baltimore Sun, Baltimore’s Pimlico Road Youth Program has been similarly successful and has witnessed increased need for their services. The Baltimore Sun reported:
“Workers at the Northwest Baltimore center say at least half the students have come to depend on the sponsored meals to tide them over for the evening, food that serves as a substitute for the free lunches the children receive during the school year.
“With school out, state and federal officials say about 25 percent of the 328,000 low-income Maryland children who received free school meals during the year got them last summer. The numbers, however, are on the rise.”
The legislation would help set American children on a path of healthy eating and healthy living at a time when approximately 22 percent of the nation’s children lack access to quality food and one in three children are overweight or obese. Today, over 32 million children rely on federal child nutrition programs.
H.R. 5504 would dramatically expand access for millions of children to healthy meals year-round in schools, child care, and community based settings, and for the first time, establish nutrition standards for foods sold outside of the cafeteria.
WHAT:
Full Committee Markup of H.R. 5504, the “Improving Nutrition for America’s Children Act”.
WHEN:
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
2:00 p.m. ET
Please check the Committee schedule for potential updates »
WHERE:
House Education and Labor Committee Hearing Room
2175 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C.
Note: This markup will be webcast live from the Education and Labor Committee website.
It’s been 30 years since the regulations limiting junk food sales in schools were updated, despite big changes in nutrition science.
Today, 23 million children and adolescents are obese or overweight.
Obesity rates for children between 6 and 11 years old have more than tripled over the last 40 years.
Throughout their lives, these children are at greater risk for heart disease, Type 2 Diabetes, stroke, cancer, and social and psychological problems.
One of the most important ways to help fight this epidemic is to ensure that higher quality, more nutritious foods are sold throughout the day in our schools.
This is why I have introduced H.R. 1324, the Child Nutrition Promotion and School Lunch Protection Act, which requires that all foods sold in schools throughout the entire school day are based on the most current nutrition science.
This bill has 170 cosponsors and has been endorsed by over 90 public health, school, food and beverage industry, and nutrition groups, including the American Beverage Association, General Mills, and the American Heart Association. I am pleased that this language has been included in Chairman George Miller's (D-CA) H.R. 5504, the Improving Nutrition for America’s Children Act.
This provision does not affect school parties or foods sold during sporting events or band concerts in which parents are present. It only regulates foods sold in schools, and allows USDA to exempt foods sold as part of fundraisers. It’s also important to realize that schools that are switching to selling healthier foods and are not losing revenue.
Studies by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Centers for Disease Control, and the Center for Weight and Health at U.C. Berkeley found that the majority of schools switching to healthier foods in their vending machines and a la carte lines actually increased their total revenues.
In other words, it is a win-win situation for schools—healthier students and a healthier bottom line as well
Mary Clare Jalonick reports:
Hungry children looking for a free meal this summer may not be able to find one.One reason why Chairman Miller is pushing so hard for the Improving Nutrition for America’s Children Act of 2010 is because children shouldn't go hungry. This bill would, among other things, improve access to out of school meal programs by ensuring fewer children go hungry year round by providing meals for over 225,000 children through seamless meal service for children in school based and community based summer and after-school programs, and in low income rural areas. It will also improve access for children in home-based child care by reducing administrative costs for sponsors of child care meal programs.
States and cities have cut funding for summer meal programs as need has skyrocketed, according to a new report from an anti-hunger group that tracked the program in 2009. Budget woes that have left many families hungry are also affecting local governments that find themselves without the needed dollars to feed children while they are out of school.
"Low-income children across the country clearly bore the brunt of budget cuts," said Jim Weill, president of the Food Research and Action Center, which compiled the report to be released Tuesday.
Summer nutrition programs aim to feed children who get most of their nutrition — or sometimes their only real meal of the day — at school. The food research group measures the effectiveness of those summer programs by comparing the number of low-income children receiving meals during the summer with those receiving free and reduced-price school meals during the school year.
The Committee will hold a hearing on H.R.5504, Improving Nutrition for America’s Children Act on Thursday at 9:15 ET. We invite you to watch via our live webcast.
The Times reports:
Schools these days are confronted with complex questions on whether and how to deal with cyberbullying, an imprecise label for online activities ranging from barrages of teasing texts to sexually harassing group sites. The extent of the phenomenon is hard to quantify. But one 2010 study by the Cyberbullying Research Center, an organization founded by two criminologists who defined bullying as "willful and repeated harm” inflicted through phones and computers, said one in five middle-school students had been affected.Confronted with questions such as these, the Healthy Families and Communities Subcommittee held a hearing on Ensuring Student Cyber Safety on June 24, 2010.
Affronted by cyberspace’s escalation of adolescent viciousness, many parents are looking to schools for justice, protection, even revenge. But many educators feel unprepared or unwilling to be prosecutors and judges.
Often, school district discipline codes say little about educators’ authority over student cellphones, home computers and off-campus speech. Reluctant to assert an authority they are not sure they have, educators can appear indifferent to parents frantic with worry, alarmed by recent adolescent suicides linked to bullying.
Whether resolving such conflicts should be the responsibility of the family, the police or the schools remains an open question, evolving along with definitions of cyberbullying itself.
Nonetheless, administrators who decide they should help their cornered students often face daunting pragmatic and legal constraints.
Watch Dr. Phil and Dominique Napolitano, a teen member of Girl Scouts, discuss cyber safety after the jump.
Watch all of the testimony on our YouTube page or read all the testimony on our ensuring student cyber safety hearing page.
In an interview with CBS Early Show, Dr. Phil said, "So much of what's going on today is beyond parents because our kids are much more computer literate than we are. They can Photoshop pictures and put a child in a humiliating or embarrassing situation. They write e-mails, write letters, and so often we see these kids become isolated, withdrawn, they stop going to school. And they can even, as we have seen so tragically with situations like Phoebe Prince, can wind up actually taking their lives. I mean, this is a terrible burden on these kids. We've got to give the educators the tools they need to prevent this, to intervene in this. It requires training. They need to know how to intervene when it is happening. We've got to raise awareness about this."
CNN reported his testimony, "McGraw told the subcommittee that kids who are cyberbullied are 1.9 times more likely to attempt suicide than the general population.
'I get tens of thousands of letters at 'The Dr. Phil Show' of kids asking for help about this. It is a serious crisis -- 42 percent of kids say they have been bullied on the internet, 35 percent of kids say they have been threatened.'"
Watch Dr. Phil's testimony below the fold and learn more about the ensuring student cyber safety hearing.
Thousands of Contra Costa County children are eligible for free or reduced-price lunches during the school year. But come summer vacation, many of them no longer have access to regular meals.
"During the summer, they don't have that program and the resources of families are stretched," said Barbara Jellison, food services director for the West Contra Costa Unified School District. "I don't think they get the nutrition that they need."
Chairman Miller's Improving Nutrition for America’s Children Act of 2010 addresses this problem directly. It would ensure fewer children go hungry year round by providing meals for over 225,000 children through seamless meal service for children in school-based and community-based summer and after-school programs, and in low income rural areas.
Learn more about the Improving Nutrition for America's Children Act of 2010.
A recent Pew survey shows in 2009, 73 percent of American teens with access to the Internet use social networking websites, up from 65 percent in 2008. The survey also shows that American teens and young adults say the Internet is a central and indispensable element in their lives.
WHAT:
Hearing on “Ensuring Student Cyber Safety”
WHO:
Dr. Phil McGraw, syndicated daytime television talk show host and best-selling author, Hollywood, Calif.
Parry Aftab, Executive Director, WiredSafety, Wyckoff, N.J.
Dominique Napolitano, teen member of Girl Scouts of the USA’s Let Me Know (LMK) program, West Islip, N.Y.
Barbara-Jane Paris, Principal, Canyon Vista Middle School, Austin, Texas
Dr. Jorge Srabstein, Children’s National Medical Center, Washington, D.C.
Other Witnesses TBA
WHEN:
Thursday, June 24, 2010
10:00 a.m. EDT
WHERE:
House Education and Labor Committee Hearing Room
2175 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C.
Note: This hearing will be webcast live from the Education and Labor Committee website.
For millions of families, the meals their children receive at school or in child care are their only chance at a healthy meal all day. In 2008, more than 16 million children lived in homes without access to enough nutritious food. America’s children should not have to go hungry – they should have access to healthy foods year round that will help them thrive physically and academically.
We expect children to come to school prepared to learn but hunger and poor nutrition can present major barriers to their success in the classroom. And, since hunger does not take a summer vacation, providing children with year round access to healthier, nutritious foods means children won’t go hungry just because school is out.
The Improving Nutrition for America’s Children Act (H.R. 5504) will dramatically improve children’s access to nutritious meals, enhance the quality of meals children eat both in and out of school and in child care settings, implement new school food safety guidelines and, for the first time, establish nutrition standards for all foods sold in schools. (Original bill text)
This new legislation, which was amended and passed by the Committee on July 14, 2010, will answer President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama’s call to reduce childhood hunger and support school and community efforts to reduce childhood obesity. (Supporters of H.R. 5504)
Specifically, these new investments in child nutrition will:
- Increase the number of eligible children enrolled in the school lunch programs by using Medicaid/SCHIP data to directly certify children who meet income requirements without requiring individual applications and requiring states to establish and execute a plan to increase rates of direct certification.
- Provide enhanced universal meal access for eligible children in high poverty communities by eliminating paper applications and using census data to determine school wide income eligibility.
- Increase children’s access to healthy school breakfasts by providing competitive grants to school districts to start up or improve their program.
- Ensure fewer children go hungry year round by providing meals for over 225,000 children through seamless meal service for children in school based and community based summer and after-school programs, and in low income rural areas.
- Improve access for children in home-based child care by reducing administrative costs for sponsors of child care meal programs.
- Assist schools in meeting meal requirements proposed by the Institute of Medicine by increasing the reimbursement rate for lunch by 6 cents per meal -- the first real increase in over 30 years.
- Enhance funding for nutrition education in schools to support healthy eating and school wellness.
- Promote stronger collaboration and sharing of nutrition education between child care programs and WIC programs.
- Connect more children to healthy produce from local farms by helping communities establish local farm to school networks, establish school gardens and use more local foods in school cafeterias.
- Leverage public and private partnerships to help reduce childhood hunger and promote community-wide strategies to improve child nutrition and wellness.
- Ensure school meals are safe for all students by extending food safety requirements to all areas in which school food is stored, prepared, and served.
- Support improved communication to speed notification of recalled school foods consistent with GAO recommendations.
- Ensures all foodservice employees have access to food safety training to prevent and identify food borne illness such as through web-based training.
- Increase efficiency, improve program administration, support services and program access and modernize the WIC program by extending period of certification for children, increasing support for breastfeeding, and transitioning from paper food vouchers to an electronic benefit program.
- Strengthen School Meal program integrity and remove program silos in after school meal programs by simplifying program rules and affording schools greater flexibility for addressing program costs.
Supporters of the Improving Nutrition for America’s Children Act
On Thursday, June 10 at 11:00am Eastern, Chairman George Miller and Reps. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY), chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Healthy Families and Communities, Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), Jim McGovern (D-MA), and Todd Russell Platts (R-PA) will unveil the details of new legislation to dramatically improve the quality of meals children eat both in and out of school and in child care settings, support community efforts to reduce childhood hunger and, for the first time, establish nutrition standards for all foods sold in schools.
The lawmakers will be joined by daytime host, author and child nutrition advocate Rachael Ray and anti-hunger and child nutrition advocates.
The “Improving Nutrition for America’s Children Act” mirrors key investments proposed by President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama in her “Let’s Move” initiative, including reducing childhood obesity, improving school wellness, implementing new school food safety guidelines, and supporting public and private partnerships to improve child nutrition.
The USA Today reported:
A recent clinical study by the Children's National Medical Center in Washington found that more than 80% of student athletes who experienced concussions reported a significant worsening of symptoms over the first four weeks after attempting to return to school academics.Today the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention launched the Heads Up in-school website.
"The typical concentration and memory requirements of school place significant demands on the brain's biological software," Gerard Gioia, chief of pediatric neuropsychology at Children's National Medical Center in Washington, says in testimony prepared for a Thursday hearing before the House Education and Labor Committee. "When these cognitive demands are placed on a brain in an impaired state, the result is an increase in post-concussion symptoms."
WHAT:
Hearing on “Reforming the Juvenile Justice System to Improve Children’s Lives and Public Safety”
WHO:
Michael Belton, Deputy Director of Juvenile Corrections, Ramsey County, Minnesota
A. Hasan Davis, Deputy Commissioner, Kentucky Department of Juvenile Justice
Tracy McClard, mother of a child who committed suicide in an adult jail, Jackson, Missouri
Judge Steven Teske, Juvenile Court, Clayton County, Georgia
John Solberg, Executive Director, Rawhide Boys Ranch, New London, Wisconsin
WHEN:
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
10:00 a.m. EST
Please check the Committee schedule for potential updates »
WHERE:
House Education and Labor Committee Hearing Room
2175 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C.
Note: This hearing will be webcast live from the Education and Labor Committee website.
In light of the rising number of girls in the nation’s juvenile justice system, on Thursday, March 11th the House Subcommittee on Healthy Families and Communities will hold a hearing to examine the unique challenges girls face in today’s juvenile justice system as the committee works toward reauthorizing the Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention Act. Among other things, the subcommittee will examine confinement conditions, mental health, victimization, and public safety.
WHAT:
Hearing on “Meeting the Challenges Faced by Girls in the Juvenile Justice System”
WHO:
Professor Francine Sherman
Clinical Professor and Director
Juvenile Rights Advocacy Project
Boston College Law School
Newton, MA
The Honorable J. Brian Huff
Jefferson County, Birmingham, AL
Ms. Rachel Carrion
Community Connections for Youth, Board Member
New York, NY
Professor Linda A. Teplin
Director of the Psycho-legal Studies Program
Northwestern University
Evanston, IL
Cameron Romer
York County Probation Officer
York, PA
Gary Ivory
Southwest President and National Director of Program Development
Youth Advocate Programs
Harrisburg, PA
WHEN:
Thursday, March 11, 2010
10:30 a.m. EST
Please check the Committee schedule for potential updates »
WHERE:
House Education and Labor Committee Hearing Room
2175 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C.
Note: This hearing will be webcast live from the Education and Labor Committee website.
On the House floor, Chairman Miller gave a passionate closing statement and co-sponsor Rep. McMorris Rodgers gave a impassioned speech in favor of this act.
ABC News had a story last night highlighting the abuses from the government investigation and how the Keeping All Students Safe Act would do just that.
They say:
The legislation stems in part from a government report last year that found evidence that hundreds of children — from preschool age to high school — had been traumatized or physically harmed by being held down or locked alone in rooms, some even tied to chairs. Many had developmental problems or were in special needs programs; many others were in regular classes. Some children have died, apparently because of overly aggressive discipline, according to numerous reports over the last decade.We encourage you to read the GAO’s investigation, learn more about the bill, and see the full list of supporters
The bill would prohibit, except in cases of imminent danger, any restraint that restricts breathing; any mechanical restraint, like straps; and chemical restraint, by drugs other than those prescribed by a child’s doctor. It allows for “time outs” but not for a child to be locked in a room, away from supervision. It requires states to keep careful records of incidents of restraint and seclusion, and for schools to report incidents promptly to parents.
![mccarthy2-square.jpg](https://webharvest.gov/congress111th/20101205030453im_/http://edlabor.house.gov/blog/assets_c/2010/03/mccarthy2-square-thumb-125x125-424.jpg)
As a longtime nurse and the Chairwoman of the Healthy Families and Communities Subcommittee, I believe it is important that we examine practices which can help increase access to child nutrition programs and to more healthy foods for our children in schools. Given the current harsh financial realities for many families in my district and throughout the nation, schools have an increasingly important role to play since they provide students with more than 50% of their food and nutrient intake.
We have all told our children that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Studies have proven that we are correct. Unfortunately, less than half of students eligible for school breakfast participate in this important program. Recently, I was lucky enough to visit Powell Lane Elementary school in my district in Westbury, NY and observe their universal school breakfast program. Children there are getting breakfast, and I saw firsthand the increased discipline that each child displayed.
We all know that well-nourished, physically-active children learn better. And we also know that obesity is an epidemic. If we start to educate our kids early enough we can establish lifelong healthy habits and instill the values of healthy living and wellness for the future.
We have our work cut out for us. But by taking a comprehensive approach to nutrition, our children, families and communities will all be healthier.
On Wednesday, March 3, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan will appear before the Committee to discuss how strong and innovative education reforms can help rebuild the U.S. economy and restore our competitiveness. Secretary Duncan will discuss President Obama’s education agenda, including his budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2011, which called for Congress to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and pass the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act. The Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act originated in the Education and Labor Committee and was approved by the House in September.
Also on March 3, the Keeping All Students Safe Act is expected to be voted on by the House.
WHAT:
Hearing on “Improving Children’s Health: Strengthening Federal Nutrition Programs”
WHO:
Witnesses TBA
WHEN:
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
2:30 p.m. EST
Please check the Committee schedule for potential updates »
WHERE:
House Education and Labor Committee Hearing Room
2175 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C.
Note: This hearing will be webcast live from the Education and Labor Committee website.
![polis-square.jpg](https://webharvest.gov/congress111th/20101205030453im_/http://edlabor.house.gov/blog/assets_c/2010/02/polis-square-thumb-125x125-420.jpg)
At the Committee’s June hearing on charter schools, members heard about the success of top-performing charter schools emphasizing a rigorous curriculum, high standards and expectations, strong performance-based accountability, and autonomy at turning around student achievement very quickly and effectively. Serving as laboratories of educational innovation, charter schools have pioneered some of the most promising and influential public school reform strategies, such as extended learning time, principal autonomy, data-driven research and instruction, and a laser focus on results.
All-STAR is not about promoting charter schools for the sake of promoting charter schools – it’s about promoting high-quality charter schools serving underserved students. It strengthens accountability and transparency by encouraging new rigorous levels of reporting and oversight for charter school authorizers, including closing bad charter schools and encouraging solid state charter laws. Quality control is the key for ensuring that the charter movement remains a source of successful innovation that adds value to our public school system as it grows.
The bipartisan ALL-STAR Act is supported by several major education and civil rights organizations, including the Citizens’ Commission on Civil Rights, Education Equality Project, United Negro College Fund, National Council of La Raza, Thomas Fordham Foundation, Democrats for Education Reform, National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, National Association of Charter School Authorizers, Center for American Progress Action Fund, among others.
Educating every American student to graduate prepared for college and for success in a new workforce is a national imperative. President Obama and Secretary Duncan have embraced public charter schools as one avenue toward achieving this goal. The reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act offers a historic opportunity to do the right thing for all of our children. Scaling up outstanding schools’ remarkable success is not a silver bullet for all that ails our education system; however, this proposal represents an important way for more students to achieve educational excellence and success.
- Establishes a new competitive grant program in the Department of Education to enable successful public charter schools that serve at-risk students to replicate, expand and serve more students who are currently in underperforming schools.
- Eligible grantees include School Districts that have or intend to authorize a public charter school, States, Authorized Public Chartering Agencies, and Non-Profit Organizations with a mission and proven track record of success in replicating high-quality charter schools.
- Charter schools are eligible only if they have made Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) the last two consecutive years or exceeded their state graduation rate (where applicable).
- Encourages new rigorous levels of reporting, oversight and accountability for charter school authorizers, including intervention or closure of low-quality charter schools.
- Allows funds to be used for replication and expansion costs, including:
- Transportation
- Hiring additional staff and teachers
- Special education programs
- Facilities acquisition & development
- Requires that students must be enrolled via a lottery in charters, but also allows expanding schools to matriculate their current students into the new grades.
- Focuses resources on serving those areas most in need by giving priority to eligible entities that serve a large share of low-income students who are enrolled in underperforming schools.
- Gives priority to states that do not have caps restricting the growth of public charter schools and have policies in place that support academically successful charter schools, provide autonomy to schools, promote strong authorizing policies, and ensure quality control through performance-based accountability.
- Focuses resources on replicating the best models of public education by giving priority to top-performing charter schools that:
Source: Rep. Polis
- Have significantly closed the achievement gap and:
- Serve a large percentage of low-income students and rank in at least the top 25th percentile in the State assessment in math and reading or have an average student score on a national exam that is at least in the 60th percentile in reading and at least in the 75th percentile in math; or
- Serve low-income students through a cooperative agreement.
- "Reducing the Growing Backlog of Contested Mine Safety Cases," on Tuesday, February 23.
- "H.R. 4330, the All Students Achieving through Reform Act of 2009," on Wednesday, February 24.
Earlier today, the committee announced plans for a bipartisan, transparent effort to overhaul the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, currently known as No Child Left Behind.
WHAT:
Hearing on “the All Students Achieving through Reform Act” (the All-STAR Act)
WHO:
Eileen Ahearn, Director, National Association of State Directors of Special Education
Eva Moskowitz, Ph.D, CEO and Founder, Harlem Success Academy
Thomas Hehir, Ed.D, Professor, Harvard Graduate School of Education
Robin Lake, Associate Director, Center for Reinventing Public Education, University of Washington
Greg Richmond, President, National Association of Charter School Authorizers
Caprice Young, Ed.D, President, CEO KC Distance Learning, Knowledge Universe
WHEN:
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
10:00 a.m. EST
Please check the Committee schedule for potential updates »
WHERE:
House Education and Labor Committee Hearing Room
2175 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C.
Note: This hearing will be webcast live.
The President’s proposed budget includes a request for $49.7 billion in discretionary funding for the Department of Education, a $3.5 billion increase from last year’s request. It streamlines programs through consolidation and program elimination with an eye on program effectiveness. Specifically, the President’s budget will:
Transforming elementary and secondary education by introducing positive incentives and rewards to spur reform:
- $1.35 billion to continue the Race to the Top program;
- $500 million for Investing in Innovation;
- $261 million for Research, Development, and Dissemination ($60.5 million increase over FY 2010);
- $65 million for Statewide Data Systems ($6.75 million increase over FY 2010);
- $1.0 billion in contingency funding to support newly reauthorized ESEA initiatives.
Strengthen Teaching and Leadership
Rewarding teacher and principal excellence, including nearly $5 billion for five new programs:
- $3.9 billion for Excellent Instructional Teams programs, which include the following 3 new programs:
- $2.5 billion for Effective Teachers and Leaders State formula Grants;
- $950 million for a competitive Teacher and Leader Innovation Fund program;
- $405 million for a competitive Teacher and Leader Pathways program;
- $1 billion for three new effective teaching initiatives focusing on literacy, STEM and interdisciplinary subjects.
Improve School Climates
Promoting healthier and safer learning environments for students by investing:
- $210 million for Promise Neighborhoods;
- $1.16 billion for 21st Century Community Learning;
- $410 million for Successful, Safe and Healthy Students.
Support Early Learning
Ensuring children continue to have access to early learning opportunities and child care:
- $1 billion for Head Start – allows current levels of services to be maintained;
- $1.6 billion for Child Care and Development Block Grant Program funding an additional 235,000 kids.
Close Achievement Gaps
Supporting high expectations, increased accountability for all students, and the development of high quality standards and assessments:
- $14.5 billion for Title I, part A, renamed College and Career Ready Students;
- $11.8 billion for IDEA, Grants to States, a $250 million increase over the FY 2010 level, excluding ARRA funds, which would maintain the federal contribution for special education at 17 percent;
- $800 million for the English Learner Education, a $50 million increase over FY 2010;
- $445 million for State Assessments, renamed Assessing Achievement, a $39.2 million increase over FY 2010.
Support Higher Education
Increasing access to higher education by increasing the maximum Pell Grant award to $5,710 for the 2010-2011 award and linking future increases of the maximum award to the Consumer Price Index. In addition, proposals to:
- Convert Pell into a mandatory entitlement program;
- Cap payments under Income-Based Repayment at 10 percent of income and forgiving balances after 20 years.
- Reinforce the Administration’s support for SAFRA which includes among other things:
- Elimination of FFEL and a switch to Direct Loans;
- $2.5 billion for Historically Black Colleges and Universities and other minority-serving institutions;
- An expansion of the Perkins Loan program to provide $6 billion in new loan volume;
- $10.6 billion for an investment in community colleges;
- $9.3 billion for an Early Learning Challenge Fund to provide competitive grants to states to improve early learning programs.
Curtis Decker, the executive director of the National Disability Rights Network (NDRN), remembers when he first heard about children being secluded and restrained in schools. The parents of an American Indian girl with Down syndrome found out their daughter was being tied to her chair at school when they went to pick her up one day.In addition to these horrific stories, the committee heard from other parents whose children had been victims of abuse by incorrect application of these techniques.
That was six or seven years ago, Decker recalled, and he and his staff discussed it in a meeting as an isolated case.
Then they started hearing other, similar stories. School employees sat on a girl in Wisconsin as a punishment for blowing bubbles in her milk. A child in Michigan had an epileptic seizure on the first day of school and died after school officials sat on him. A school in Tennessee had metal-door-enclosed seclusion rooms that looked like “prison cells from World War II,” NDRN senior staff attorney Jane Hudson said.
Hudson wrote a report on seclusion and restraint in schools, and a year ago, the organization took its findings to House Education and Labor Committee Chairman George Miller (D-Calif.).
“The types of abuse these kids are suffering are so disturbing, you’d think these were stories about torture tactics used at prison camps,” Miller said in an e-mail.
Toni Price, mother of a victim who died, testifies at a hearing examining the abusive and deadly use of seclusion and restraint on May 19, 2009.
Ann Gaydos, mother of a victim, testifies at a hearing examining the abusive and deadly use of seclusion and restraint on May 19, 2009.
Nicole Danhof-Holden addresses a press conference about the introduction of H.R. 4247 - Preventing Harmful Restraint and Seclusion in the Schools Act
The markup of H.R. 4247 - Preventing Harmful Restraint and Seclusion in Schools Act starts at 11:00am ET today and will be live webcast. Please join us.
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In 2009, the House Committee on Education and Labor, of which I am a member, held hearings on the use of seclusion and restraint. The testimony we heard from various experts was disturbing and signaled that Congress must act expeditiously to end once and for all seclusion and restraint. The most powerful testimony came from parents whose children were killed or severely injured as a result of dangerous restraint techniques.
In response to those stories, and the countless cases in which children have been injured or died, Education and Labor Chairman George Miller introduced the Preventing Harmful Restraint and Seclusion in Schools Act. I am a proud cosponsor of this bipartisan bill, which I believe will accomplish a number of important goals.
The proposal wisely bans the use of chemical or mechanical restraint and will prohibit the use of physical restraint or seclusion as a disciplinary measure. As experts throughout the medical and educational field have testified, the use of these harsh methods of controlling a child must never be utilized unless an imminent danger to a child or staff exists. Furthermore, this legislation ensures accountability and transparency, requiring that parents and school officials be notified immediately when an incident occurs. The bill requires data collection when restraint techniques are used to ensure that incidents are recorded and later used to establish best practices. We must continue to promote training for staff, and this valuable information will increase awareness to avoid future tragedies.
Tomorrow, the Committee will consider the Preventing Harmful Restraint and Seclusion in Schools Act. I look forward to working with Chairman Miller and my colleagues on the Committee to pass this legislation and to ensure that our schools are safe havens for children and staff.
MYTH: Restraint and seclusion are effective therapeutic interventions that can help students improve behavior.
FACT: No evidence-based research has demonstrated restraint or seclusion to be therapeutically effective in modifying behavior. To the contrary -- research has shown that restraint and seclusion can be physically and psychologically harmful and can even result in more emotional and behavioral disruptions.
MYTH: This legislation doesn’t outright ban seclusion and restraint and therefore won’t be effective.
FACT: It would be naïve to ban all restraint and seclusion – there are rare and extreme emergencies when it may be necessary to physically intervene, but only when administered by properly trained staff and only in situations when a student is posing imminent danger of physical injury to himself or to others.
This bill is consistent with the Children’s Health Act of 2000 and federal protections already in place in other settings. The bill allows physical restraint and seclusion in cases where danger is imminent, when there is no other choice, and only when administered by trained staff. Rather than taking an unrealistic approach, this bill makes a balanced effort to make classrooms safer for kids without taking away necessary emergency interventions from trained staff.
FACT: This bill does not allow the use of physical restraint or seclusion as a planned intervention to be written into any document tied to an individual student. This is also consistent with the Children’s Health Act, which does not allow physicians or medical staff to write restraint or seclusion as a standing order or as an option on ‘as-needed’ basis.
Since restraint and seclusion do not constitute therapeutic programs, treatments or educational services and may actually deny a student access to education, the practices should not be included in an IEP as planned interventions. The bill does allow schools to establish school or classroom plans with appropriate procedures to be followed in a variety of crisis circumstances.
This is an important distinction based upon what the Government Accountability Office (GAO) uncovered. In situations where these planned interventions have been written into IEPs, parents reported that their understanding was incomplete and their consent ultimately resulted in abuse. For example, in one case examined by the GAO, a family consented to their student occasionally being placed in a room to compose himself, when in fact he was being left alone in a locked room for hours at a time. Planning for the use of these procedures often means those interventions are used as a first -- rather than last -- resort.
MYTH: This legislation will allow the federal government to dictate how schools and teachers can discipline their students, and will restrict law enforcement activities in the schools.
FACT: Currently, we have a very weak patchwork of state oversight. In the bill, states have two years to establish their own policies, procedures and enforcement mechanisms that are at least as strong as the minimum federal standards – giving states the flexibility to tailor policies and procedures to meet their needs.
No teacher or school will be told how to discipline their students – this bill simply limits the use of physical interventions to ensure the safety of both students and staff. Additionally, the use of “time out” for calming purposes is specifically protected in the bill. School resource officers would be subject to the same safety standards and training requirements as other school personnel. If the police are called in by a school to handle a dangerous situation, this bill will not interfere with their ability to execute their duties as police officers.
Many educators and school administrators are caring individuals who are working very hard to keep students safe and view this legislation as supporting their efforts. This bill has the support of the National School Boards Association, the National Education Association, the American Federation of Teachers, and many other leading education advocates who welcome this opportunity to work together to make schools safer.
MYTH: This bill will mandate that all teachers must undergo a certain type of training.
FACT: The bill doesn’t mandate that all teachers are trained. While no specific number of trained staff is required, states and schools must be able to show that they have an appropriate number of trained personnel given the needs of the specific population of students being served. This maintains local control while improving the safety of all children and staff. States must also plan for how all school staff and parents will be made aware of the requirements surrounding the use of restraint and seclusion.
The bill also leaves it up to individual states to choose or develop acceptable training programs for staff, giving states flexibility and independence to meet their needs, while keeping staff and students safe.
MYTH: There won’t be trained staff available in every circumstance, creating safety problems with violent students.
FACT: There is no one single method that will solve all the challenges our teachers and school staff face in classrooms. It would be unrealistic to think that there will never be emergency situations where an untrained teacher needs to intervene to protect the immediate safety of students.
What this bill does make clear is that untrained staff can only restrain and seclude a child in the case of a clearly unavoidable emergency – and only when trained staff members are not available. Restraint or seclusion must end immediately when the crisis ends. Parents must always be notified. Lastly, states must annually report the number of instances of restraint and seclusion which were imposed by untrained individuals. This will go a long way toward addressing the current safety gaps that have led to too many misuses of restraint and seclusion.
MYTH: This bill imposes more federal regulation where it is not needed.
FACT: This bipartisan legislation takes a balanced approach to address a very serious problem. The Government Accountability Office found hundreds of allegations that children have been abused, and some even died, as a result of misuses of restraint and seclusion in public and private schools, often at the hands of untrained staff. In just two states alone last year, over 33,000 “emergency” interventions were reported.
The fact that this bill is supported by a long list of diverse groups – representing everyone from teachers, school boards, pediatricians, nurses, disability advocates and children’s advocates – shows that these protections for both students and staff are welcomed. We applaud and acknowledge the collaborative and cooperative efforts of everyone involved in crafting this legislation.
A recent investigation by the U.S. Government Accountability Office found hundreds of allegations that children have been abused, and some even died, as a result of misuses of restraint and seclusion in public and private schools, often at the hands of untrained staff. Unlike in hospitals and other medical and community-based facilities that receive federal health funding, there are currently no federal laws addressing restraint and seclusion in schools.
The Preventing Harmful Restraint and Seclusion in Schools Act (H.R. 4247) is the first national effort to address this troubling problem and ensure the safety of everyone involved – both students and school staff. It would establish minimum safety standards in schools and increase transparency, oversight and enforcement to prevent future abuse, among other things.
WHAT:
Full Committee Mark-Up of H.R. 4247 “The Preventing Harmful Restraint and Seclusion in Schools Act”
WHEN:
Thursday, February 4, 2009
11:00 a.m. ET
WHERE:
House Education and Labor Committee Hearing Room
2175 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C.
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"We have an opportunity to do something dramatic," Miller said.
The first lady said the effort will focus on four areas: improving health at schools, increasing children's physical activity, improving access to healthy food and making it more affordable to poor children - a challenge she described as difficult - and teaching people to make better choices about what they eat.
After the meeting, Chairman Miller issued this statement about ending childhood obesity.
“Nothing is more important than our children’s health, but for too many families, healthy meals fall to the wayside as they struggle to make ends meet. Our nation’s school meal and child nutrition programs provide millions of children with nutritious meals and help them develop healthy life habits – and will be critically important in the fight against childhood obesity. As we work to rewrite our child nutrition laws this year, we must focus on eliminating any barriers to these programs, so that all eligible children have access to healthier foods and nutrition education whether in school, child care, or at home.
“Improving child nutrition and tackling childhood obesity will be a challenge, but no one is better equipped to take it on than our First Lady. She has already done wonders to raise public awareness of the benefits of gardening and healthy eating and I applaud her for choosing this as her first key policy initiative. I look forward to working with the First Lady on this initiative and am committed to working with my colleagues in Congress on a bipartisan, comprehensive reauthorization of our child nutrition laws.”
Below Chairman Miller talks about his apple "theft" from the White House meeting with the First Lady and how excited he is to work with her to end childhood obesity.
The Education and Labor Committee has jurisdiction over federal school meal and afterschool meal programs, the Special Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), and community-based programs such as the summer meals program and the child and adult care food program.
Reps. George Miller, Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Carolyn McCarthy, Todd Platts
Congressional Black Caucus Education Leadership
Access Living
ADAPT Montana
Advocates for Children of New York (NY, NY)
Alliance to Prevent Restraint, Aversive Interventions and Seclusion
American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education
American Academy of Pediatrics
American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy
American Association of People with Disabilities
American Association on Health and Disability
American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
American Counseling Association
American Federation of Teachers
American Group Psychotherapy Association
American Humane
American Psychiatric Nurses Association
Association of University Centers on Disabilities
Autism National Committee
Autism Society
Autism Speaks
Autistic Self Advocacy Network
Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law
Burton Blatt Institute
California Mental Health Planning Council
Center for Self-Determination
Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
Coalition for Community Integration
Community Alliance for the Ethical Treatment of Youth
Community Parent Resource Center of New Mexico (Bernalillo, NM)
Congress of the Statewide Independent Living Councils
Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities
Council for Exceptional Children
Council for Learning Disabilities
Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates
Crisis Prevention Institute
Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance
Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund
Division for Learning Disabilities
Easter Seals
Epilepsy Foundation
Families Against Restraint and Seclusion
Families Together, Inc.
Family Alliance to Stop Abuse and Neglect
Family to Family Health Information Center (New Jersey)
Family Voices
Family Voices (New Jersey Chapters)
Family Voices of Tennessee
Gold Coast Down Syndrome Organization
Higher Education Consortium for Special Education
JKM Training
Justice for All Action Network
Learning Disabilities Association of America
Little People of America
Maine Parent Federation
Mental Health America
National Alliance on Mental Illness
National Association for Children’s Behavioral Health
National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities
National Association of County Behavioral Health and Developmental Disability Directors
National Association of Private Special Education Centers
National Association of School Psychologists
National Association of Secondary School Principals
National Association of State Directors of Special Education
National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors
National Association of the Deaf
National Autism Association
National Center for Environmental Health Strategies
National Center for Learning Disabilities
National Coalition of Mental Health Consumers/Survivor Organizations
National Council on Independent Living
National Disability Rights Network
National Down Syndrome Congress
National Down Syndrome Society
National Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health
National Jewish Council for Disabilities
National Parent Teacher Association
National Rehabilitation Association
National Respite Coalition
National School Boards Association
National Spinal Cord Injury Association
National Youth Leadership Network
New Jersey’s Parent Training and Information Center
New York Association of Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services (NYAPRS)
Non-Abusive Psychological and Physical Intervention
Northwest Arkansas Community Parent Resource Center (Springdale, AR)
Not Dead Yet
PACER Center
Parent to Parent of Georgia (Atlanta, GA)
Pennsylvania TASH
Pyramid Community Parent Resource Center (New Orleans, LA)
Resources for Children with Special Needs, Inc.
Respect ABILITY Law Center
School Social Work Association of America
South Dakota Parent Connection (Sioux Falls, SD)
Statewide Parent Advocacy Network of New Jersey (Newark, NJ)
Statewide Parent to Parent (NJ)
TASH
Teacher Education Division of the Council for Exceptional Children
The Advocacy Institute
The Arc of the United States
The Mandt System, Inc.
Therapeutic Communities of America
Therapeutic Crisis Intervention
Tourette Syndrome Association
United Cerebral Palsy
United Spinal Association
U.S. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association
Witness Justice
Building upon that truth, New Yorkers have begun to serve one another. The New York Times reports:
Since April, they have spruced up a dozen city blocks, helped give 164,000 flu vaccinations and installed 178,000 compact fluorescent bulbs in public housing. They are volunteers, part of an ambitious New York effort to tap unpaid workers as a permanent, strategic element in solving city problems. Their work, city officials say, has resulted in 18,000 new volunteers serving 67,000 New Yorkers.Responding to this new generation of American volunteers, Chairman George Miller worked closely with Senator Edward Kennedy to craft the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act.
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Mr. Miller described that effort and the resulting bill in his guest commentary on Saturday in the Contra Costa Times:
Last April, our legislation was enacted with bipartisan support as the aptly named Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act.Chairman Miller continues:
Our law answers Obama's call to make Americans part of the solution to the many challenges we face by increasing the number of participants in organizations like AmeriCorps, Teacher for America and others from 75,000 to 250,000. It increases the education award these volunteers can receive to pay for college or pay down their student debt. And it encourages social entrepreneurs to create innovative opportunities to help communities.
These men and women, along with millions of others, are doing just what our law hopes to build on: harnessing their talent and skills to rebuild our economy, prepare workers for jobs, and green our communities.The Committee would love to hear what you did on MLK day to honor the memory of Dr. King and Sen. Kennedy. Let us know in the comments.
On the day before his historic inauguration last year, Obama encouraged Americans to observe MLK Day as a national day of service. Already this year, hundreds of thousands of Americans have signed up to volunteer.
If you haven't already, join them. Become part of the movement to harvest change, person by person, from the ground up. There's no better way to follow the lead of Dr. King and Sen. Kennedy and transform America.
The USA Today says:
Many states still have no rules in place to address how and when school staff can restrain and seclude children, says Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee. So he and Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., also on the committee, are pushing legislation to set federal rules.We encourage you to read the entire USA Today article and learn more about H.R. 4247, the Preventing Harmful Restraint and Seclusion in Schools Act.
"Without a federal standard to set the bar, it's the Wild West," Miller says. "We believe the right approach is a balanced one that provides federal guidance to states but still allows states the flexibility to tailor their regulations to their specific needs."
....
Since release of the [GAO] findings:
- Nevada and Tennessee passed new laws governing the practices, but while Tennessee's law bans prone restraint, Nevada's doesn't.
- Maine, Michigan, Vermont and Wisconsin all introduced legislation; it was defeated in Maine but is still being considered in the other three states.
- Maryland issued regulations outlining how the practices may be used.
UPDATED: Chairman Miller answers more questions about seclusion and restraint practices from the USA Today.
- NPR: Lawmakers Seek Halt To Abuses Of Disabled Kids In School
- Bloomberg: ‘Horrifying’ Reports of Child Abuse in Schools Spur Legislation
- Muskegon Chronicle: Fruitport couple in Washington D.C. to push for ban of restraints, seclusion to control students
- Disability Scoop: Lawmakers Unveil Restraint And Seclusion Bill To End ‘Nightmare Of Abuse’
- KGO: Rep. Miller takes at stab at ending school torture
- Mother Jones: New Bill to Ban Restraining Students
- Education Week: Proposed Federal Law Would Regulate the Use of Restraint and Seclusion
- White House Blog: Another Giant Step Forward for America's Children
And if you missed it yesterday, please read Rep. Miller's and McMorris Rodgers' Op-Ed on CNN.com explaining the need for this bill and why it should have bipartisan support.
Supporters of H.R. 4247
Definitions of terms used in H.R. 4247
Every child should be safe and protected while in school. But a recent investigation by the U.S. Government Accountability Office found hundreds of allegations that children have been abused, and some even died, as a result of misuses of restraint and seclusion in public and private schools, often at the hands of untrained staff. Many of these interventions were used disproportionately on some of our most vulnerable students -- children with disabilities. Unlike in hospitals and other facilities that receive federal funding, there are no federal laws that address how and when restraint or seclusion can be used in schools. State regulations and oversight vary greatly and have often failed to protect children. It is also impossible to determine the full extent to which these interventions are used because there is currently no consistent reporting of data.
H.R. 4247, the Keeping All Students Safe Act (formerly the Preventing Harmful Restraint and Seclusion in the Schools Act) is the first national effort to address this problem and ensure the safety of everyone involved – both students and school staff. (Bill text ») Specifically the legislation would:
- Allow physical restraint or locked seclusion only when there is imminent danger of injury, and only when imposed by trained staff;
- Prohibit the use of any mechanical restraint, such as strapping children to chairs, misusing therapeutic equipment to punish students, or duct-taping parts of their bodies;
- Prohibit chemical restraint, meaning medications used to control behavior that are not administered consistent with a physician’s prescription;
- Prohibit any restraint that restricts breathing;
- Prohibit aversive behavioral interventions that compromise health and safety, such as denying students water, food, or clothing, denying access to toilet facilities, or using noxious stimuli such as pepper spray in order to control behavior;
- Prohibit schools from including restraint or seclusion as planned interventions in student’s education plans, including Individualized Education Programs (IEPs); and
- Require schools to notify parents after incidents when restraint or seclusion was used.
Require states to do their part to keep children and staff safe in school
- Within two years of the establishment of federal standards, each state must have its own policies, procedures, monitoring and enforcement systems in place to meet the minimum standards.
Ask states to provide support and training to better protect students and staff and prevent the need for emergency behavioral interventions
- Improve the culture and climate of the schools by providing grants to states to help provide professional development, training and positive behavior support programs;
- Encourage schools to have procedures established in school safety plans to keep both students and personnel safe when student behavior poses an imminent danger; and
- Ask states to ensure that enough school staff are trained to keep students and staff safe, but gives states and local districts the flexibility to determine the training needs at each school.
Increase transparency, oversight and enforcement to prevent future abuse
- Require states to collect and report data annually to the Secretary of Education;
- Make data about restraint and seclusion publicly available, including data on the number of incidents, injuries, cases of death, and cases involving untrained staff; and
- Provide the Secretary of Education the authority to withhold federal funds from states who do not establish policies and procedures consistent with the minimum standards.
More About H.R. 4247
- Definitions of terms used in the Keeping All Students Safe Act »
- Read a letter from U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan to Chairman Miller outlining the administration's principles for seclusion and restraint legislation »
- Read more about a May 2009 committee hearing about seclusion and restraint in schools »
- Watch a video of the press conference where the Keeping All Students Safe Act (formerly the Preventing Harmful Restraint and Seclusion in the Schools Act) was announced:
TERM | SUMMARY OF DEFINITIONS |
---|---|
School | Public or private early childhood, elementary and secondary schools and school programs that receive support in any form from federal education funds. Head Start programs will also be included. |
Student | A child enrolled in a school as defined in the bill and, in the case of a child enrolled in a private school or private program, who receives support from federal education funds. Includes both students with and without disabilities. |
Mechanical Restraint | (from Public Health Service Act)
The use of devices as a means of restricting a student’s freedom of movement. |
Chemical Restraint | A drug or medication used on a student to control behavior or restrict freedom of movement that is not prescribed by a licensed physician for standard treatment of the student’s medical or psychiatric condition and administered for that purpose as prescribed. |
Physical Restraint | (from Public Health Service Act)
A personal restriction that immobilizes or reduces the ability of an individual to move his or her arms, legs, or head freely. |
Physical Escort | (from Public Health Service Act)
The temporary touching or holding of the hand, wrist, arm, shoulder or back for the purpose of inducing a student who is acting out to walk to a safe location. |
Seclusion | (from Public Health Service Act)
A behavior control technique involving locked isolation, not including a time out. |
Time Out | (from Public Health Service Act)
A behavior management technique that is part of an approved treatment program and may involve the separation of the student from the group, in a non-locked setting, for the purpose of calming. Time out is not seclusion. |
School Personnel | (from Elementary and Secondary Education Act)
Includes teachers, principals, administrators, counselors, social workers, school resource officers, psychologists, nurses, librarians, and other support staff who are employed by a school or who perform services for the school on a contractual basis. |
Physical restraint or seclusion will only be allowed when all the following conditions are met:
- There is imminent danger of physical injury;
- Less invasive interventions wouldn’t work to protect the student or others from injury;
- No mechanical devices are used;
- Staff are trained by a state-approved training program; and
- Staff members are monitoring the student closely.
Physical restraint or seclusion are prohibited when used:
- For discipline or convenience;
- As a therapeutic intervention;
- For any period of time that extends past the threat of imminent danger; and
- By untrained staff, with rare exceptions for unavoidable circumstances, when no trained staff are available and the threat of imminent danger exists.
This legislation is the first national effort to prevent and reduce harmful restraint and seclusion in schools. A recent U.S. Government Accountability Office investigation found hundreds of allegations that schoolchildren have been abused, and some even died, as a result of the inappropriate use of restraint and seclusion in classrooms; a disproportionate number of them were children with disabilities. Yet unlike in hospitals, and other medical and community-based facilities that receive federal funding, there are currently no federal policies that prevent the misuse of restraint and seclusion in schools. State regulation and oversight varies greatly; many states provide no guidance or assistance regarding these behavioral interventions.
WHO:
U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee
U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), a member of the House Education and Labor Committee and Vice Chair of the House Republican Conference
Curt Decker, Executive Director, National Disability Rights Network
Michael A. Resnick, Associate Executive Director, National School Boards Association
Nicole and Alan Holden whose 3-year-old son was repeatedly inappropriately restrained in his public pre-school classroom, Muskegon, MI
Other families of children who have been the victims of harmful restraint and seclusion in classrooms
WHAT:
Press Conference to Introduce Legislation to Prevent Harmful Restraint and Seclusion in Schools
WHEN:
Wednesday, December 9, 2009, 11:00AM EST
To watch an archived webcast of the press conference, click here (67.4 MB file)
The Sun said:
A recent report to Congress found that the Agriculture Department’s Food and Nutrition Service, which provides up to 20 percent of the food served in the nation’s schools, doesn’t always provide the schools with timely recall notices. That increases the risk of contaminated food making its way onto children’s plates.In response to that finding and other news stories, Chairman Miller wrote, “Recent media reports have drawn our attention yet again to significant recalls of contaminated ground beef that was available in the commercial marketplace. Although there are no reports of schools being implicated in any of the food safety illnesses related to this latest wave of recalls, I am concerned that the systems in place do not adequately minimize schools’ risk for procuring and providing contaminated products purchased through commercial channels for use in the school meal programs.”
The Sun said, "Miller is correct to call for a full investigation, and he should press the issue," and that is exactly what he plans to do.
Ensuring More Children Have Access to Healthy and Nutritious Meals
ENSURING IMPROVED ACCESS AND QUALITY OF MEALS FOR ALL CHILDREN
Children should not have to go hungry – and they should have access to nutritious foods that will help them thrive physically and academically. In this difficult economic climate, the federal child nutrition programs have an increasingly important role to play in providing children with healthy meals while at school, childcare, or during the summer months. Over 32 million children each year are served by these programs. For many children, these meals may be the only healthy foods they receive during the day.
Research shows that children who are hungry have a harder time paying attention and learning in the classroom. Low-income children are also at greater risk of going hungry or becoming overweight, during the summer months. Providing children with access to healthier, nutritious foods at school, child care, summer programs, or other educational settings is vital to our efforts to help all children learn, succeed and grow.
To ensure that children can continue to benefit from these programs and services, Congress will temporarily extend expiring provisions of the Child Nutrition Act until a more comprehensive reauthorization of the law occurs next year. This one-year temporary extension will generate a savings of $150 million, which will be reinvested to meet critical child nutrition needs across the country. These new investments will address President Obama’s and Congress’ priorities to end hunger and improve child nutrition, increase access to quality school meals, and build program capacity.
Expand and Improve Access to Healthy and Nutritious Meals During The Summer
Pilot projects to improve access to the Summer Food Service Program - $85 million
- Ensures fewer children go hungry over the summer by exploring alternative methods of delivering nutrition benefits to better meet the needs of low-income children and families in rural and urban settings that may not have access to meals provided through the Summer Food Service Program.
- Improves nutrition of low-income children during the summer months to promote healthy growth and development, so they can return to school ready to learn.
Eliminate Barriers to the School Lunch Program to Ensure More Eligible Children Are Receiving Benefits
Funding to Improve Direct Certification Systems - $25 million
- Increases the number of eligible children enrolled in the school lunch programs by improving direct certification systems through enhanced use of technology to streamline automatic enrollment of eligible children. Direct certification systems are a critical tool to ensure eligible children have access to the school meal programs and to improve program integrity. However, significant financial and technical barriers must still be overcome to automatically enroll more eligible children.
Help States to Purchase Necessary Equipment to Store, Prepare and Serve Healthy Foods
National School Lunch Program Equipment Assistance Grants - $25 million
- Improves the nutritional quality of school meals by providing grants to states to purchase foodservice equipment that will improve quality, efficiency, and food safety in the National School Lunch Program.
- Builds on investments included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to provide equipment assistance grants to improve schools’ foodservice infrastructure.
Child Care Nutrition, Health and Outreach Grants - $8 million
- Ensures more children in child care settings have access to nutritious and age-appropriate foods by providing grants to encourage states to develop state level policies, training and policy initiatives, and educational materials to improve nutrition and promote health in child care settings.
- Requires that states allocate at least half of the award to child care institutions to improve nutrition, physical activity, and health of children in their centers and homes.
Reward states that encourage low-income moms to breastfeed
WIC Breastfeeding Promotion Bonus Awards - $5 million
- Encourages recipient states to use funds to increase awareness though promotion campaigns, to produce materials to help encourage more mothers to breastfeed. Studies show breastfeeding provides significant benefits for infant health including increased immunity and lower risk for obesity.
- Increases the number of mothers in the WIC program who are fully or partially breastfeeding their infants by incentivizing states with one-time breastfeeding performance bonus awards.
Visit the hearing page for the full list of witnesses.
The USA Today says:
Federal agencies that supply food for 31 million schoolchildren fail to ensure that tainted products are pulled quickly from cafeterias, a federal audit obtained by USA TODAY finds.Chairman Miller said, “Ensuring that all children have access to healthy and nutritious meals during the school day is vital to our efforts to help all children learn and succeed. Every possible effort must be made to make sure that the foods served to our schoolchildren are safe to eat. As we work toward reauthorizing the school meal programs, it is clear that further actions must be taken to strengthen the communications, planning and procedures needed to prevent recalled or contaminated foods from entering our cafeterias.”
The delays raise the risk of children being sickened by contaminated food, according to the audit by Congress' Government Accountability Office.
In recent recalls, including one this year in which salmonella-infected peanut butter sickened almost 700 people, the government failed to disseminate "timely and complete notification about suspect food products provided to schools through the federal commodities program," the audit says.
Such alerts sometimes took more than a week to reach schools, "during which time (schools) unknowingly served affected products."
We recommend you read the entire USA Today article, Democratic lawmakers' statements, and the GAO report.
The simple goal, explains David Paine, a co-founder of MyGoodDeed, an important mover behind this initiative, is to pay tribute in a forward-looking way to those lost and injured in the terrorist attacks and to the ongoing sacrifices of members of the armed forces. By joining with those already planning to take all or part of the day to aid their chosen cause or charity, Americans can show their patriotism and help recapture the spirit of community that saw so many people volunteer to help the families who lost loved ones in the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 horror.In the comments, share what you will be doing tomorrow in honor of the 9/11 victims.
“This report should make each and every one of us optimistic about the future of volunteerism. It reminds us that service is a deeply held American value – and that Americans’ desire to help their neighbors and communities only grows stronger in difficult times. Unlike in previous economic downturns, people are turning out in record numbers to volunteer and become a part of the solution to the many challenges we face. Earlier this year, President Obama and Congress took an historic step to unleash this spirit and commitment to service by enacting the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act. This law is already helping to launch a new era of service that will help improve our schools, transition to a green, clean-energy economy, create healthier of communities, and ensure that our nation can emerge from this economic downturn stronger and more vibrant.”
Learn more about how the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act taps into Americans’ growing interest to serve in their communities.
In Washington, the effort to limit the use of such techniques is being championed by Rep. George Miller, chairman of the House Committee on Education and Labor. In January, the California Democrat called for the GAO review, and last month his committee held hearings. What was discovered, he said in an interview, is a system "in which children are unnecessarily dying and being harmed."
In testimony before Congress in May, Education Secretary Arne Duncan called such findings "disturbing" and said he is instructing chief school officers in all 50 states to detail their plans for keeping students safe.
...
The scope of any possible federal law is still uncertain. Mr. Miller and others involved in the discussions say they would like it to be crafted so that states are primarily responsible for developing and enforcing policies.
We encourage you to watch the video testimony and to read the entire Wall Street Journal article.
His case is one of 10 to be highlighted today during a hearing on Capitol Hill over the use of restraint and seclusion in the USA's public and private schools — techniques often used to control children with disabilities.Today the committee will have a hearing examining the abusive and deadly use of seclusion and restraint in schools at 10 am ET.
A new report from the Government Accountability Office, Congress' investigative arm, also out today, finds "widespread" allegations of abuse involving the practices in schools — even when students aren't physically aggressive or dangerous to themselves or others.
Investigators say they uncovered hundreds of allegations of abuse involving restraint or seclusion at public and private schools nationwide between 1990 and 2009.
Additional stories about this subject can be found at NPR, CBS, and CNN. All are worth your time.
On Wednesday, May 20, U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan will testify before the House Education and Labor Committee about President Obama’s agenda for transforming American education. This will mark Secretary’s first appearance on Capitol Hill to outline the President’s education goals.
On Thursday, May 21, the House Education and Labor Committee will hold a hearing to examine proposals that will make historic increases in college aid by enacting reforms that will make the nation’s federal student loan programs more reliable, effective and efficient for students, families and taxpayers.
One of the proposals the committee will examine is President Obama’s FY 2010 budget proposal, which would increase the Pell Grant scholarship and other forms of student aid by almost $100 billion over ten years – and at no cost to taxpayers. The President’s plan would be paid for by ending the subsidies the federal government currently pays to lenders in the federally-guaranteed student loan programs and re-directing those savings back into additional aid for low- and middle-income students.
WHAT:
Full Committee Hearing on “Examining the Abusive and Deadly Use of Seclusion and Restraint in Schools”
WHO:
Witnesses TBA
WHEN:
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
10:00 a.m. EDT
Please check the Committee schedule for potential updates »
WHERE:
House Education and Labor Committee Hearing Room
2175 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C.
Below are estimates of the amount of funding that each state and school district would receive to modernize, upgrade and repair school facilities under the 21st Century Green High-Performing Public School Facilities Act, if it were to be enacted. These are estimates only based on available and current data and may not reflect exact allocations that states or school districts receive when these funds are actually allocated.
Preliminary estimates from the Congressional Research Service (as calculated on May 13, 2009):
Click here to download state-level data (PDF, 10KB) »
Click here to download school district-level data (PDF, 775KB) »
Child nutrition experts across the board agree that childhood obesity poses the greatest threats to the nation’s physical and financial health. Today, one-third of U.S. children and adolescents, about 25 million, are obese or overweight. Child nutrition programs provide children with access to low-cost, nutritious food to support healthy growth and development.
Subcommittee Hearing on “Improving Child Nutrition Programs to Reduce Childhood Obesity”
WHO:
U.S. Rep. Mike Castle (R-DE)
U.S. Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-CA)
Michele Paterson, First Lady of New York, New York City & Albany, NY
Nancy Copperman, director, Public Health Initiatives Office of Community Health, North Shore Long Island Jewish Health
System, Great Neck, NY
Dr. Virginia A. Stallings, MD, chair, Institutes of Medicine (IOM) Committee on Nutrition Standards for National School
Lunch and Breakfast Programs
Dr. Patricia Crawford, MD, director, Atkins Center for Weight and Health, Berkeley, CA
Additional Witnesses TBA
WHEN:
Thursday, May 14, 2009
10:00 a.m. EDT
Please check the Committee schedule for potential updates »
WHERE:
House Education and Labor Committee Hearing Room
2175 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C.
What is the H1N1 Flu?
General information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about the H1N1 flu (commonly mis-referred to as "swine flu"), including what the H1N1 flu is, how it spreads and how to take care of people sick with it »
School Preparedness
Checklists and other tools to help schools, child care providers, colleges and universities to delay or reduce the spread of the flu virus »
Workplace Preparedness
Checklists and other guidance for businesses and employers to protect employees' health and safety while limiting negative impacts to the economy and society »
More information from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration »
Family Preparedness
Advice and strategies to delay or reduce the spread of the flu virus »
Your Rights in the Workplace
The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) requires public agencies, all public and private elementary and secondary schools, and companies with 50 or more employees to provide an eligible employee with up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave each year for reasons, including caring for an immediate family member (spouse, child, or parent) with a serious health condition, and taking medical leave when the employee is unable to work because of a serious health condition.
More about FMLA »
![AmericorpApps.jpg](https://webharvest.gov/congress111th/20101205030453im_/http://edlabor.house.gov/blog/images/AmericorpApps.jpg)
According to the AmeriCorps' press release:
AmeriCorps is experiencing a significant surge of applications. Last month, AmeriCorps received 17,038 online applications, nearly triple the 6,770 received in March 2008. In the past five months, AmeriCorps received 48,520 online applications, up 234 percent over the 14,532 that came in during the same five month period a year ago. Many volunteer centers and nonprofit groups are also reporting a “compassion boom” of increased numbers of volunteers.Learn more about the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act.
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School buildings should be safe, healthy and modern learning environments for children and teachers. By helping school districts to make schools environmentally friendly, or “green,” we can create facilities that have tremendous health, educational, financial and environmental benefits.
In addition to the health and learning benefits, green schools use 33% less energy and 30% less water than a conventional school. On average, this saves the typical green school $100,000 each year in reduced energy and water costs. Green schools also reduce harmful carbon dioxide emissions, which helps diminish global climate change and lessen our collective carbon footprint. Additionally, these schools become interactive teaching tools where students see, first-hand, the importance of protecting our planet and build the capacity to solve some of our most pressing environmental challenges.
According to recent estimates, America’s schools are hundreds of billions of dollars short of appropriate facilities funding, and millions of students attend schools that are unhealthy and unsafe. To address these challenges and help to ensure that every child attends a green, high-quality facility, Congressman Ben Chandler (D-KY), Chairman George Miller (D-CA) and I introduced H.R. 3021, “The 21st Century Green High Performing Public School Facilities Act,” in the 110th Congress. This bill, which passed the House last summer, would dedicate billions of dollars to helping school districts implement school facilities projects that meet a recognized green building standard, and it will continue to be a priority for us in this Congress, as well as for Congressman Dave Loebsack (D-IA), another leader in this effort. Additionally, among “The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act’s” historic investments in education are billions of dollars that school districts can use for such projects, among other uses.
I believe that Congress must be a leader in promoting environmental innovation, especially in helping school districts do so. By helping to create environmentally friendly schools, we can foster a green generation prepared to tackle future challenges. I hope you will join with me this Earth Day to support healthy, high-performing, green schools.
Today, President Obama is scheduled to sign the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act into law. This week is also National Volunteer Week (April 19-25).
The idea is to capitalize on the local history of activism and volunteerism and channel New Yorkers’ goodwill into worthy causes that could make a palpable difference in these difficult economic times. One of the initiatives, for example, will create the NYC Civic Corps, which will shepherd volunteers into public agencies and nonprofit groups. Others will expand the city’s auxiliary police force and Block Watch programs, as well as offer legal service and financial counseling to families who are facing foreclosure or otherwise need help managing their debt.Read the rest of The New York Times blog post here.
The Associated Press and The Washington Post also reported on Mayor Bloomberg's service program.
The Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act grows the number of volunteers nationwide to 250,000 – more than triple the current 75,000. These new service opportunities will include the expansion of existing service programs, like AmeriCorps, as well as four new service corps focused on education, health care, energy and veterans. All service programs established under the bill will be overseen by the Corporation for National and Community Service.
Chairmen Miller, McCarthy Join President Obama at Signing Ceremony for Landmark National Service Bill
WHEN:
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
4:00 p.m., EDT
WHERE:
The SEED School
4300 C Street SE
Washington, D.C.
Specifically,
the legislation establishes a separate program, a $1,000 educational stipend called a Silver Scholarship, for adults over 55 who serve 350 or more hours with a qualified organization, Mr. Gomperts said. That money can be transferred to a child, foster child or grandchild.As usual, we recommend you read the entire article.
In addition, AmeriCorps volunteers age 55 and older who serve full time for a year would be able to transfer their education award, which would be increased to $5,350 from $4,725, to a child, foster child or grandchild.
The bill also creates Encore Fellowships matching those age 55 and older with public or private nonprofit organizations for one-year management or leadership positions. Just as internships help younger adults enter a new field, these modestly paid positions provide a bridge for professionals from the for-profit world to second careers in the nonprofit world.
For more information on the role service programs play in each state, click here.
Earlier this month, Chairman Miller hosted a press conference with U.S. Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY), the sponsor of the legislation, House lawmakers and nearly a hundred local area volunteers whose organizations stand to benefit from the Serve America Act. To view footage from the event, click here.
At a hearing in February, the Education and Labor Committee heard from witnesses about the many benefits of service and volunteering, including education initiatives, green service initiatives, veterans work, and more. For more information on that hearing, click here.
In many ways, Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, and dozens of other communities still haven't recovered from the record-setting June 2008 floods that ripped apart homes and lives across eastern Iowa.We encourage you to read the entire article and then read about the recently passed Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act that President Obama will sign upon his return from Europe. What is happening in Cedar Rapids and other communities around the country is exactly why demand to expand this program led to broad bipartisan support in the House and Senate.
But with the help of organizations and programs supported by the AmeriCorps volunteer service program, they are seeing significant improvements.
President Obama has called on Congress to create new service and volunteer opportunities for Americans that will help to build a stronger country. This legislation answers his call. It will launch a new era of service that will give Americans of all ages the opportunity to help our nation recover and make progress on education, health care, energy and other key goals by volunteering, whether it is helping students achieve in school, weatherizing homes and greening communities, rebuilding cities in times of disaster, feeding the hungry, helping seniors live independently, and much more.
The Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act (H.R. 1388), which received final passage by the House on March 31 by a vote of 275-149 and was signed into law in April 2009, includes new changes (highlighted in red below) from the previous version of the bill, the Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education Act. The bill authorizes nearly $6 billion over five years – FY 2010 through FY 2014.
Expanding Service Opportunities for College Students »
Expanding Service Opportunities for Middle and High School Students »
Expanding Service Opportunities for Seniors »
Expanding Green Service for Americans »
Expanding Service Opportunities for Veterans »
Strengthening Volunteer Disaster Relief Efforts »
Find Out About National Service in Your State »
Creates 175,000 New Service Opportunities and Rewards Americans for Commitment
- Grows the number of volunteers nationwide to 250,000, up from 75,000. These new service opportunities will include the expansion of existing service programs, like AmeriCorps, as well as four new service corps focused on education, health care, energy and veterans. All service programs established under the bill will be overseen by the Corporation for National and Community Service.
- Increases the full-time education award service members receive in exchange for their work to $5,350 for 2010. This award would also be linked to match future increases in the Pell Grant scholarship in order to keep up with rising college costs.
- Establishes four new service corps to address key needs in low income communities, including a Clean Energy Corps to encourage energy efficiency and conservation, an Education Corps to help increase student engagement, achievement and graduation, a Healthy Futures Corps to improve health care access, and a Veterans Service Corps to enhance services for veterans.
- Establishes the Summer of Service program that engages middle and high school students in volunteer activities in their communities and allows them to earn a $500 education award to be used for college costs. Students will be eligible to participate in two terms of service and earn up to a total of $1,000.
- Establishes Youth Engagement Zones, a new service-learning program to engage low-income high school students and out-of-school youth in volunteer efforts that address challenges in their local communities. The program will encourage partnerships between community-based organizations and schools in high-need communities and apply real world activities to teach students about a certain topic. For example, volunteering in a homeless shelter could supplement a class about poverty.
- Expands opportunities for disadvantaged youth, including doubling the resources available to engage youth with disabilities, to become more involved with service and offers people of all ages and those from diverse backgrounds introduction to service.
- Encourages adults to serve as mentors for foster youth.
- Establishes a new office for service opportunities for Native Americans.
- Expands the focus of the National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) to include disaster relief, infrastructure improvement, environmental and energy conservation, and urban and rural development.
- Encourages service partnerships with other federal agencies and increases the participation of disadvantaged youth to 50 percent of program participants by 2011.
- Establishes an alumni corps of former participants who can be called to service during times of disaster and other emergencies.
- Encourages scientists, technicians and mathematicians to participate in service programs to help keep our nation competitive.
- Creates two new fellowships to engage social entrepreneurs, boomers and retirees, the private sector and Americans from all generations into service. Older Americans will be allowed to transfer their awards to a child, foster child or grandchild to help them pay for college.
Creates a nationwide community-based infrastructure to leverage investments in service
- ServeAmerica Fellowships: ServeAmerica Fellows are individuals who propose their own plans for serving in their communities to address national needs and are matched up with a service sponsor.
- Silver Scholarships and Encore Fellowships: These programs offer Americans, age 55 or older, post-career service opportunities as well as entrance into new careers in the public or nonprofit sector. Silver Scholars will be able to earn up to $1,000 in exchange for 350 hours of service.
- Builds a nationwide service infrastructure through community-building investments, social entrepreneurship, and programs to support and generate new volunteers.
Encourages Highly Skilled Professionals to Help Improve Global Health
- Community Solutions Fund: Creates a Community Solutions Fund pilot program that awards competitive matching grants to social entrepreneur venture funds in order to provide community organizations with the resources to replicate or expand proven solutions to community challenges, including a new focus on leveraging public private partnerships in small communities and rural areas. (Examples of service organizations that were launched by social entrepreneurs include Teach for America, City Year, Citizen Schools, Jump Start, Working Today, an organization that provides affordable, portable health benefits to 100,000 Americans, and the SEED school, the nation’s first public urban boarding school.)
- Volunteer Generation Fund: Provides grants to improve the quality and capacity of organizations to work with volunteers, and to create innovations in volunteerism in the areas of recruitment, training and management.
- Expands the Volunteers for Prosperity program which encourages highly skilled professionals to serve internationally in targeted areas of need such as global health.
- Includes a Call to Service Campaign to launch a national campaign encouraging all Americans to engage in service and to observe September 11th as a National Day of Service and Remembrance
- Establishes the Campuses of Service to support and recognize institutions of higher education with exemplary service-learning programs and assists students in the pursuit of public service careers.
The recession is affecting artists, dancers and musicians everywhere, including the Bay Area, but hope is on the way. A House committee in Washington is examining how communities everywhere are being affected. $50 million has been set aside to give a boost to the arts and entertainment industry. The arts are big business generating 5.7 million jobs and $166 billion in economic activity each year. The House Education and Labor Committee, chaired by Congressman George Miller (D) of Concord, was told artists are unemployed and need their share of the stimulus package.
Watch the full report here.
Recent news reports have highlighted the tough economic realities arts and music organizations are facing – many are cutting budgets and programs that are the engine of the local economy and provide meaningful employment opportunities for workers. According to research conducted by the National Endowment for the Arts, unemployment for artists rose at a higher rate than the overall workforce in 2008.
Full Committee Hearing on “The Economic and Employment Impact of the Arts and Music Industry”
WHO:
U.S. Rep. Louise M. Slaughter (D-NY), co-chair, Congressional Arts Caucus
Michael Bahr, Education Director, Utah Shakespearean Festival, Cedar City, UT
Tim Daly, actor and co-president, The Creative Coalition
Joanne Florino, executive director, Triad Foundation, Inc., Ithaca, NY
Robert L. Lynch, president and CEO, Americans for the Arts, Washington, DC
Michael Spring, director, Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs, Miami, FL
Bruce Ridge, musician and chairman, International Conference of Symphony and Opera Musicians, Raleigh, NC
John Thomasian, director, National Governors' Association, Center for Best Practices, Washington, DC
WHEN:
Thursday, March 26, 2009
10:00 a.m. EDT
WHERE:
House Education and Labor Committee Hearing Room
2175 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C.
The nation is close to a major civic breakthrough. By a 321-to-105 vote last week, the House approved an ambitious bipartisan measure to enlarge the opportunities for Americans of all ages and income levels to participate in productive national and community service.This editorial sums up the importance of this bi-partisan effort like this:
A similar plan is now before the Senate. A favorable vote this week would help speed a worthy initiative to President Obama’s desk.
Essentially, the measure is an expansion of AmeriCorps, the existing domestic service program. It would increase the number of full-time and part-time service volunteers to 250,000 from 75,000 and create new programs focused on special areas like strengthening schools, improving health care for low-income communities, boosting energy efficiency and cleaning up parks.
This is a chance to constructively harness the idealism of thousands of Americans eager to contribute time and energy to solving the nation’s problems — a chance not to be missed.We recommend you read the entire editorial.
In Saturday’s edition of the Navy Times, Rick Maze highlights one of the provisions of the GIVE Act that would create a separate Veterans’ Corps designed to help veterans meet the needs of their fellow servicemen and women.
A new national service program in which veterans would help other veterans was approved by the House of Representatives this week after an amendment was approved ensuring that volunteers earn extra education benefits — without risking GI Bill benefits already earned — for their additional service.
The Veterans’ Corps is part of a larger national service bill, the Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education Act, or GIVE Act, which passed the House on Wednesday by a 321-105 vote. The bill, HR 1388, now goes to the Senate, where there is also interest in creating a special national service program for veterans.
Read the rest of the article for additional information about the Veterans’ Corps.
In this spirit, Congress is now poised to send me bipartisan legislation — the Serve America and GIVE Acts — that, if passed, will usher in a new era of service in this new century.
This legislation will help connect people at all stages of life with opportunities to serve. It will establish an army of 250,000 Americans a year who are willing to serve part time or full time working to meet our most pressing challenges, from modernizing our schools to building homes for those in need. And this legislation will provide new support for social entrepreneurship, identifying and nurturing promising new service programs around the country.
Members of Congress from across the political spectrum — from Senators Orrin Hatch and Mike Enzi and Representative Howard (Buck) McKeon to Senators Ted Kennedy and Barbara Mikulski and Representative George Miller — have pledged their support for this legislation. I urge Congress to follow their lead and move quickly to pass it so that I can sign it into law. And I pledge that my Administration will also do its part to help more Americans serve their communities. At this time of economic crisis, when so many people are in need of help, this work could not be more urgent.
We encourage you to read the entire column here and learn more about the GIVE Act here.
It will also expand the focus of the National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) to include environmental and energy conservation efforts. Many of the new service and volunteer programs it will establish for younger students could include opportunities that enhance climate change education and introduce young Americans to the green-collar jobs of the future by performing energy audits and retrofits, weatherizing homes, rebuilding trails and parks, building and maintaining gardens and green spaces in communities, managing recycling programs, and more.
Green service programs are already making a big difference in communities across the country. Currently, more than a hundred energy conservation service programs operate in 46 states and serve 26,000 young Americans each year. For example, the Montana Conservation Corps have weatherized and retrofit more than 4,000 homes in low income communities and reservations. In Colorado, the Mile High Youth Corps – 50 percent are high school dropouts – perform energy audits and retrofits that save families in Denver $110 a year in utility costs. For more examples of similar initiatives, click here.
American service organizations and volunteers have played a vital role in relief and recovery efforts in the wake of tragedies. For example, since August 2005, the Corporation for National and Community Service, has provided more than $130 million worth of relief to Gulf Coast states devastated by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and deployed nearly 92,000 national service volunteers who have put in over 3.5 million hours helping communities rebuild. This doesn’t include the additional 260,000 community volunteers involved in the recovery.
Even before floods devastated homes and businesses in southeast Iowa, volunteers were on the ground. To date, AmeriCorps has coordinated over 800,000 volunteer hours to help the state recover.
The Serve America Act creates a greater infrastructure and capacity for respond to disasters by growing the number of volunteers nationwide to 250,000, up from 75,000. The bill also makes it possible for existing programs to respond more effectively by expanding the focus of the National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) to include disaster relief and infrastructure improvement. The bill also establishes an alumni corps of former participants who can be called to service during times of disaster and other emergencies.
Americans’ desire to give back is growing. In the five year after September 11th, the percent of college students who volunteer increased to over 30 percent. In 2007, more than 61 million Americans spent over 8 billion hours volunteering, generating $158 billion worth of benefits.
National and community service and volunteerism among college students is especially high. From September 2001 to 2006, the overall percent of college students who volunteer has increased to over 30 percent, exceeding the volunteer rate for adults. According to a 2006 report by the Corporation for National and Community Service, college students are twice as likely to volunteer as Americans of the same age who are not enrolled in an institution of higher education.
Specifically, the bill (H.R. 1388) will more than triple the number of volunteer opportunities for Americans, from 75,000 to 250,000, in key areas like education, clean energy, health care, and assistance for veterans. The bill will also increase the education reward they receive from $4,725 to $5,350 for next year, the same as the maximum Pell Grant scholarship award. The education award will be linked to match future boosts in the Pell Grant scholarship in order to keep up with rising college costs.
It will help our nation get through the economic crisis by making Americans of all ages a part of the solution to the many challenges facing the nation, including education. The bill will both increase opportunities for students to get involved with service and boost service initiatives focused on education, including mentoring programs and programs that help boost student achievement. This is the largest expansion of national service since President Kennedy issued his call to service over fifty years ago.
To give more young Americans the opportunity to get involved, the GIVE Act will create a Summer of Service Program to engage middle and high school students in volunteer activities in their communities. In return for their service contributions, students will earn a $500 education award to put toward getting a college education.
It also will establish new Youth Engagement Zones, service learning programs that will build partnerships between community-based organizations and schools to help high school students and out-of-school youth address specific challenges, especially in low-income communities.
Overall, the bill (H.R. 1388) will more than triple the number of volunteer opportunities for Americans of all ages, from 75,000 to 250,000, and establishes a new service corps focused on education. It will also increase the education reward participants receive from $4,725 to $5,350 for next year, the same as the maximum Pell Grant scholarship award.
In 2005, nearly a third of all baby boomers volunteered with formal organizations -– the highest volunteer rate of any group of Americans according to the Corporation for National & Community Service. The bill will create Silver Scholarships and Encore Fellowships that will create opportunities for seniors to transition into service after they have retired. Silver Scholars will be able to earn up to $1,000 in exchange for 350 hours of service. For seniors who may need to re-enter the workforce to make ends meet, these programs can also help them transition into new careers in the public or nonprofit sector.
Veterans are uniquely situated to understand and meet the special needs of those returning home from war. The Veteran’s Corps will function similarly to AmeriCorps or Senior Corps by creating opportunities for veterans to continue serving their country. The Serve America Act will support programs that help provide education, mentoring, and job training to fellow veterans. It will be the first program of its kind.
We consider this bill at a time when our nation faces enormous challenges. Families are losing jobs, health care, child care, and other key services. Schools and colleges are seeing their budgets evaporate.
Our public needs are growing while our resources for meeting them are disappearing.
This legislation will make Americans a part of the solution to getting our country back on track.
Service is the lifeblood of this country. We have seen this throughout history. In times of crisis, Americans stand up to help.
We saw this during World Wars I and II, when the Red Cross helped soldiers, their families, and returning veterans and later led relief efforts during the Great Depression.
We saw this after September 11th, when our citizens, young and old, sprung to action to help their fellow neighbors.
We saw this in the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, when volunteers were on the ground before the federal government.
They were a beacon of hope amidst serious despair. Today, volunteers continue to play a huge role in Gulf Coast relief efforts.
We’ve seen this in my state of California, where communities have been ravaged by floods, earthquake and wildfires.
And we saw this last June, when floods devastated homes and businesses in southeast Iowa. Even before the storms came, volunteers were there. To date, AmeriCorps has coordinated over 800,000 volunteer hours in Iowa.
Volunteers play many roles. They teach in our classrooms, clean up our trails, build and weatherize homes, shelter the homeless and feed the hungry. All the while, they learn valuable skills that will help them throughout their lives.
Interest in service is growing. In 2008, more than 61 million Americans spent over eight billion hours volunteering.
More than a quarter of Americans over the age of 16 have volunteered.
In 2008, Teach for America, an AmeriCorps program which recruits teachers to high-need schools, saw its highest number of applicants.
These are students who are often recruited by leading firms, but instead decide to teach in some of our most impoverished and rural communities.
Service also yields impressive economic returns.
In 2006, Americans who served generated benefits worth $158 billion.
A cost-benefit analysis of AmeriCorps shows that every $1 invested can produce almost $4 in returns.
In Denver, the Mile High Youth Corps, half of whom are high school dropouts, perform energy audits and retrofits that save families $110 a year in utility bills.
In Louisiana, the Saint Bernard Project, a volunteer program that rebuilds homes destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, will welcome their 200th family back to a home today.
The GIVE Act will renew America at a time when our citizens and our communities want to help. It will create a continuum of service for Americans of all ages, from middle school through retirement.
It builds on the effective service initiatives out there today. It establishes service corps targeting critical needs by:
Boosting student achievement in low-income communities; improving energy-efficiency, which saves families and taxpayers money, while introducing Americans to green jobs; providing services and care to veterans; expanding access to affordable health care coverage.
A big focus throughout this bill is education. We think this is the right way to leverage our young people’s interest in service, and to help them get a good education.
In exchange for doing a term or a year of service, middle school, high school and college age students can earn money to pay for college or repay debt.
Another big focus of this bill is our veterans. Many members of our armed forces or the National Guard are already volunteering abroad as engineers, electricians and plumbers.
It’s time to create more opportunities that harness the skills they’ve fine-tuned abroad for the public good here at home.
And this legislation puts seniors and retirees at the front lines of service. Seniors are already making enormous volunteer contributions.
In this economy, with incomes and retirement savings plummeting, many seniors may need additional income after they retire, or need to learn new skills to re-enter the workforce. This bill gives them that chance.
Ultimately, this legislation is about the American community.
Service dots the entire American landscape.
Go into any neighborhood, and you’ll find Americans of all ages, races, religions and backgrounds coming together to change lives.
As Richard Stengell, of Time recently told our committee, “At a time like this, service is not a luxury but an effort that can help us rebuild, restore confidence and prepare for the future.”
Service is an American value. Our President recognizes that we should be tapping into this at a pivotal moment.
I’d like to thank Congresswoman McCarthy, Congressman McKeon and his staff, and our colleagues on the committee for all their hard work on this legislation.
I’d also like to thank Denise Forte, Stephanie Moore, Alex Ceja, Margaret Young, Fred Jones, Melissa Salmanowitz and Jessica Kahanek on my staff for their tireless efforts.
I urge my colleagues, in the spirit of bipartisanship to support this bill.
![map-of-national-service-by-state.jpg](https://webharvest.gov/congress111th/20101205030453im_/http://edlabor.house.gov/blog/assets_c/2009/03/map-of-national-service-by-state-thumb-300x199-312.jpg)
The GIVE Act will create new service opportunities for Americans by more than tripling the current number of volunteers, raising the number to 250,000. It will also boost the education awards volunteers receive in exchange for their service - encouraging more young students to get involved in service while helping them pay for college. And it will help prepare current and future generations for jobs in the green economy, and establish a Veterans Corp to meet the unique needs of veterans and military families.
President Obama called on Congress to send him similar legislation in his first major address to Congress; the House is expected to consider the measure in the coming weeks.
The Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education (GIVE) Act will create new service opportunities for Americans by more than tripling the current number of volunteers, raising the number to 250,000. It will also boost the education awards volunteers receive in exchange for their service - encouraging more young students to get involved in service while helping them pay for college. And it will help prepare current and future generations for jobs in the green economy, and establish a Veterans Corp to meet the unique needs of veterans and military families.
Education and Labor Committee Mark-Up of H.R. 1388, the GIVE Act
WHEN:
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
10:00 a.m. EDT
WHERE:
Education and Labor Committee Hearing Room
2175 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C.
Calling Americans to Serve at a Critical Time
America is facing unprecedented challenges – the economy, health care, energy, schools in need of improvement and more. With our public needs intensifying in this recession, there’s no better time to support and energize community service and volunteerism to help our country get through this economic crisis, restore confidence and prepare our nation for the future.
President Obama has called on Congress to create new opportunities for Americans to build a stronger country by helping students perform better in school, prepare Americans for green and innovative 21st century jobs, rebuild cities in times of disaster, improve communities and much, much more. This legislation, passed by the Committee by a vote of 34-3 on March 11, 2009, answers his call. It will launch a new era of service that will give Americans of all ages an opportunity to invest through service in our nation’s recovery.
Expanding Service Opportunities for College Students »
Expanding Service Opportunities for Middle and High School Students »
Expanding Service Opportunities for Seniors »
Expanding Green Service for Americans »
Expanding Service Opportunities for Veterans »
Strengthening Volunteer Disaster Relief Efforts »
Find Out About National Service in Your State »
Creates 175,000 New Service Opportunities and Rewards Americans for Commitment
- Grows the number of volunteers nationwide to 250,000, up from 75,000. The bill also links the full-time education award to the maximum authorized Pell Grant award amount in order to keep up with rising college costs.
Provides Incentives for Middle and High School Students to Engage in Service
- Establishes the Summer of Service program that engages middle and high school students in volunteer activities in their communities and allows them to earn a $500 education award to be used for college costs.
Makes High School Students Part of Solution to Challenges in their Communities
- Establishes Youth Engagement Zones, a new service-learning program to help bridge partnerships between community based organizations and schools in high-need, low-income communities to engage high school students and out-of-school youth in service-learning to address specific challenges their communities face.
Recognizes and Supports Colleges and Universities Engaged in Service
- Establishes the Campuses of Service to support and recognize institutions of higher education with exemplary service-learning programs and assists students in the pursuit of public service careers.
Boosts Opportunities for Disadvantaged Youth
- Expands opportunities for disadvantaged youth, including those with disabilities, to become more involved with service and strives to include people of all ages and those from diverse background in volunteerism.
Creates Green and Other New Service Corps to Meet Key Needs in Low-Income Communities
- Establishes four new service corps to address key needs in low income communities, including a Clean Energy Corps to encourage energy efficiency and conservation measures, an Education Corps to help increase student engagement, achievement and graduation, a Healthy Futures Corps to improve health care access, and a Veterans Service Corps to enhance services for veterans.
Broadens Scope of Collaborative Service Efforts
- Expands the focus of the National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) to include disaster relief, infrastructure improvement, environmental and energy conservation, and urban and rural development.
- Encourages service partnerships with other federal agencies.
Recruits Scientists and Engineers to Service to Keep America Competitive
- Recruits scientists, technicians, mathematicians and engineers into national service to help keep America competitive.
Establishes an Alumni Reserve to Respond in Emergencies
- Establishes an alumni corps of former participants who can be called to service during times of disaster and other emergencies.
Expands Service Opportunities for Older Americans and Public-Private Partnerships
- Creates two new fellowships to engage social entrepreneurs, seniors and retirees, the private sector and Americans from all generations in service.
- ServeAmerica Fellowships: ServeAmerica Fellows are individuals who propose their own plans for serving in their communities to address national needs and are matched up with a service sponsor.
- Silver Scholarships and Encore Fellowships: These programs offer seniors, age 55 or older, opportunities to transition into service post-career as well as entrance into new careers in the public or nonprofit sector.
Creates a Nationwide Community-Based Infrastructure to Leverage Investments in Service
- Builds a nationwide service infrastructure through community-building investments and social entrepreneurship.
- Community Solutions Fund: Creates a Community Solutions Fund pilot program that awards competitive matching grants to social entrepreneur venture funds in order to provide community organizations with the resources to replicate or expand proven solutions to community challenges.
- Volunteer Generation Fund: Provides grants to improve the quality and capacity of organizations to work with volunteers, and to create innovations in volunteerism in the areas of recruitment, training and management.
Establishes Call to Service Campaigns
- Includes a Call to Service Campaign to launch a national campaign encouraging all Americans to engage in service and to observe September 11th as a National Day of Service and Remembrance.
Support for the GIVE Act (H.R. 1388)
"We, the undersigned Mayors, support expanding community and national service opportunities for Americans of all ages. In this difficult time for our country, service remains an enduring American value that brings people together and reminds us of the strength of our common bond. As mayors, we have seen first hand how important community and national service can be to help us address pressing challenges in our cities and towns...
"We urge the Congress to promptly pass and fully fund the bi-partisan Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education (GIVE) Act – H.R. 1388."
U.S. Mayors
Click here to read full letter of support (PDF, 13KB)»
"We write in support of reauthorizing and expanding AmeriCorps and other national service and volunteer programs that the Corporation for National and Community Service administers. Accordingly, we support the passage of the House Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education (GIVE) Act and the Senate Serve America Act. In this difficult time for our country, service remains an enduring American value that brings communities together and reminds us of the strength of our common bond.
"As Governors, we witness firsthand the positive effects that national service and volunteerism have in communities throughout our states. Through outstanding state-federal partnerships, we have a unique opportunity to support service and volunteering through Corporation for National and Community Service programs. Additionally, Governor-appointed state commissions oversee and administer AmeriCorps, promote national service and volunteering, and develop innovative volunteer opportunities to meet the needs of our communities and our states."
U.S. Governors
Click here to read full letter of support (PDF, 520KB)»
"I too agree with President Obama's call to Congress to invest in our nation's recovery through service. The time is now! Today's challenges are why the work of those who choose to serve their communities through programs such as those supported by the GIVE Act is so crucial."
Usher Raymond IV, Chairman and Founder
Usher's New Look Foundation
Click here to read full letter of support (PDF, 231KB) »
“Students graduating from high school and college face two of the greatest challenges in our nation’s history – an economic crisis and global warming. This legislation will jumpstart a new generation of green leaders by teaching them skills needed to develop clean energy and improve our nation’s energy efficiency, which is the cheapest, fastest, and cleanest way to reduce global warming pollution and save money.”
Jim Presswood, Federal Energy Policy Director
Natural Resources Defense Council
"On behalf of the Coalition of Urban Serving Universities (USU), thank you for including provisions in the GIVE Act (H.R. 1388) that support community service and service learning efforts by universities. We endorse the overall purpose of the legislation to encourage more Americans to serve and volunteer in areas of national need...
"As anchors for our nation’s cities, USU institutions are engaged in partnerships and outreach within our local communities and metropolitan areas, including community service and service learning."
Nancy L. Zimpher, Chair
Coalition of Urban Serving Universities
Click here to read full letter of support (PDF, 93KB) »
"The GIVE Act will dramatically improve the national service field’s ability to meet our nation’s most challenging needs. Jumpstart applauds the inclusion of provisions to strengthen national and community service, including the provisions to create new Corps to address particular challenges, increase in the Segal AmeriCorps Education Award amount, allow individuals to be eligible to receive an aggregate of two full-time service awards, and establish a Community Solutions Fund to support the growth of innovative programs.
"The call for national service has never been more important."
James Cleveland, President
Jumpstart
Click here to read full letter of support (PDF, 32KB) »
"On behalf of over 40 million members, AARP writes in support of an amendment to incorporate the Volunteer Generation Fund in H.R. 1388, the Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education Act (G.I.V.E. Act), and to support enactment of H.R. 1388 with the inclusion of the Volunteer Generation Fund...
"This legislation will strengthen and expand civic engagement and volunteer opportunities at a time when many communities are in great need."
David P. Sloane, Senior Vice President
Government Relations and Advocacy
AARP
Click here to read full letter of support (PDF, 787KB) »
"NCOA’s work in national and community service clearly demonstrates that adults approaching retirement age are concerned about the future of the country and want to give back – but in new ways with more impact. Many of them will be interested in exploring service opportunities, but may need some incentive and encouragement to get involved. NCOA believes that our nation should adopt public policies that empower older adults to make a
commitment to remain active citizens in their communities in ways that address critical human needs. We believe the provisions of the GIVE Act with its recommendations for modernizing the National Senior Corps does just that."
James P. Firman
National Council on Aging
Click here to read full letter of support (PDF, 94KB) »
"The GIVE Act includes many important programmatic adjustments that will help to make the benefits of service available to more participants and more communities, improve program quality, provide a mechanism for appropriate evaluation of programs, ensure participant diversity, recalculate the value of the AmeriCorps Education Award, and address a host of other structural and programmatic issues...
"By reauthorizing these national service programs, you can ensure that every American has an opportunity to serve in his or her community. Our communities, our states, and our entire nation will benefit from the continued services that these volunteers provide."
Tom Branen, Executive Director
America’s Service Commissions
Click here to read full letter of support (PDF, 108KB) »
"On behalf of the students, families, staff, and supporters of Citizen Schools, I offer our strong support for the Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education (GIVE) Act (H.R. 1388)...
"This legislation will allow organizations like Citizen Schools to serve more children, more effectively. Citizen Schools is a leading national education initiative that uniquely mobilizes thousands of adult volunteers to help improve student achievement and close the achievement gap by teaching skill-building apprenticeships after school."
Eric Schwarz, President and CEO
Citizen Schools
Click here to read full letter of support (PDF, 64KB) »
"Through our work at the Connecticut Commission on Community Service, we have seen how service can be a powerful strategy for meeting growing needs, giving Americans meaningful work in a difficult climate, and getting our economy moving again. That is why I am writing to urge you to support swift passge and full funding of the GIVE Act (H.R. 1388)."
Jacqueline Johnson, Executive Director
Serve Connecticut
Click here to read full letter of support (PDF, 1.35MB) »
"We are deeply grateful that the House Education and Labor Committee has recognized the pivotal moment we are in as a country and responded by passing H.R. 1388, The GIVE Act. Service can play a critical role in getting our economy moving again, engaging Americans in productive work in difficult times and meeting the growing needs in communities. We need to reinvest in service, starting with the reauthorization of national and community service programs operated by The Corporation for National and Community Service, which have not been reauthorized in 16 years.
"We believe that the provisions in H.R. 1388 will make it possible for more Americans to serve, stimulate more volunteering and increase the diversity of those serving. We also believe that the reforms contained in the bill will ensure accountability, transparency, and results, while providing administrative simplification to help faith and community-based organizations—particularly those smaller nonprofits operating in rural areas and in economically disadvantaged communities—to more effectively meet community needs."
National Service Organizations
Click here to read full letter of support (PDF, 176KB) »
"Thank you for your leadership in the face of such unprecedented economic challenges. We are writing to express our strong support for the Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education Act of 2009 (GIVE Act). The GIVE Act will reauthorize the National and Community Services Act of 1990 by making key reforms to the Americorps program. Community challenges such as rising unemployment and the current foreclosure crisis have disproportionately affected our most vulnerable communities, which is why the work of those who choose to serve these communities through programs such as the ones supported by the GIVE Act is so crucial."
Michael Rubinger, President and Chief Executive Officer
Local Initiatives Support Corporation
Click here to read full letter of support (PDF, 76KB) »
"We are deeply grateful that the House Education and Labor Committee has recognized the pivotal moment we are in as a country and has responded by passing H.R. 1388, The GIVE Act. The Act recognizes that we need to reinvest in service, starting with the reauthorization of national and community service programs operated by the Corporation for National and Community Service, which have not been reauthorized in 16 years."
W. David Mallery, Executive Director
Mississippi Commission for Volunteer Service
Click here to read full letter of support (PDF, 410KB) »
"Responding to systemic problems and crises that face our country, young Americans are giving back in record numbers (nearly a quarter of those over age 16 have volunteered). The Millennial Generation, growing up in the wake of the September 11th attacks, is leading a movement of citizen-centered change and joining together across generational, cultural and socio-economic bounds in a shared sense of ownership and national responsibility. It is in this spirit of renewed civic engagement and service that we urge your support of The Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education (“GIVE”) Act."
Chris Golden & Nick Troiano
Co-Founders, myImpact
Click here to read full letter of support (PDF, 29KB) »
"I hope that you will support swift passage of the GIVE Act and the Volunteer Generation Fund amendment when both come to the House floor this week."
Rachel A. Chadderdon, Executive Director
ServeWyoming
Click here to read full letter of support (PDF, 42KB) »
On Monday, Miller will announce that the GIVE Act (don't ask what the acronym means; too clunky) is on its way to passage by the House. Because representatives of the House, Senate and White House have been working together on a bipartisan basis for weeks, the skids are now greased for quick Senate passage of the Kennedy-Hatch Act for national service, the only specific piece of legislation the president mentioned in his address to Congress last month. Differences between the House and Senate versions will be minor.
In addition to Mr. Alter's story, ABC has a short story to accompany a two-minute video on Good Morning America this morning.
WHAT:
Hearing on “Lost Educational Opportunities in Alternative Settings”
WHO:
Dr. Thomas Blomberg, Professor of Criminology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL
Ms. Linda Brooke, Director of Government Relations and Education Services, Texas Juvenile Probation Commission, Austin, TX
Dr. Cynthia Cave, Director, Office of Student Services, Richmond, VA
Leonard Dixon, M.S., Executive Director, Wayne County Juvenile Detention Facility, Detroit, MI
Janeen Steel, Esq., Executive Director, Learning Rights Law Center, Los Angeles, CA
Additional Witnesses TBA
WHEN:
Thursday, March 12, 2009
10:00 a.m. EDT
WHERE:
House Education and Labor Committee Hearing Room
2175 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C.
Please check the Committee's schedule for updates.
Created with flickrSLiDR.
Chairman George Miller's opening statement:
Usher's testimony:
Richard Stengel's testimony:
James Harris' testimony:
Van Jones' testimony:
(More videos from the hearing will be posted as they become available.)
Tomorrow, Thursday, February 26th, the Subcommittee on Higher Education, Lifelong Learning, and Competitiveness will hold a second hearing about New Innovations and Best Practices Under the Workforce Investment Act at 10:00 am in 2175 Rayburn House Office Building. The hearing will be broadcast live here.
Tomorrow, Thursday, February 26th, the Subcommittee on Higher Education, Lifelong Learning, and Competitiveness will hold a second hearing about New Innovations and Best Practices Under the Workforce Investment Act at 10:00 am in 2175 Rayburn House Office Building.
All hearings will be broadcast live here.
The U.S. Government Accountability Office uncovered thousands of cases and allegations of physical, emotional and sexual abuse and neglect at residential treatment facilities across the country. In some cases, this abuse resulted in the death of a child. This legislation, the Stop Child Abuse in Residential Programs for Teens Act of 2009 (H.R. 911) is similar to legislation the House passed with overwhelming bipartisan support in the 110th Congress.
Investigations conducted by the Government Accountability Office during the 110th Congress uncovered thousands of cases and allegations of child abuse and neglect since the early 1990’s at teen residential programs. Currently, these programs are governed only by a weak patchwork of state and federal standards. A separate GAO report, also conducted last year at the committee’s request, found major gaps in the licensing and oversight of residential programs – some of which are not covered by any state licensing standards at all. More »
Tens of thousands of U.S. teenagers attend private and public residential programs – including therapeutic boarding schools, wilderness camps, boot camps, and behavior modification facilities – that are intended to help them with behavioral, emotional, mental health, or substance abuse problems. Depending on the state in which the program operates, some of these programs are subject to State law or regulation, while others are not. As a result of this loose patchwork of state oversight, children at some the programs have been subject to abuse and neglect with little to no accountability.
The Government Accountability Office found thousands of allegations of child abuse and neglect at residential programs for teens since the early 1990s. Tragically, in a number of cases, this abuse and neglect led to the death of a child. To address this urgent problem, the “Stop Child Abuse in Residential Programs for Teens Act of 2009” would:
- Prohibit programs from physically, mentally, or sexually abusing children in their care;
- Prohibit programs from denying children essential water, food, clothing, shelter, or medical care – whether as a form of punishment or for any other reason;
- Require programs to provide children with reasonable access to a telephone and inform children accordingly;
- Require programs to train staff in what constitutes child abuse and neglect and how to report it;
- Require that programs only physically restrain children if it is necessary for their safety or the safety of others, and to do so in a way that is consistent with federal law already applicable in other contexts; and
- Require programs to have plans in place to provide emergency medical care.
Prevent deceptive marketing by residential programs for teens
- Require programs to disclose to parents the qualifications, roles, and responsibilities of staff members;
- Require programs to notify parents of substantiated reports of child abuse or violations of health and safety laws; and
- Require programs to include a link or web address for the website
of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which will carry
information on residential programs.
Hold teen residential programs accountable for violating the law
- Require states to inform the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services of reports of child abuse and neglect at covered programs and require HHS to conduct investigations of such programs to determine if a violation of the national standards has occurred; and
- Provide HHS the authority to assess civil penalties up to $50,000 for every violation of the law.
Ask states to step in to protect teens in residential programs
Within three years, states must require all public and private programs to be licensed, meet standards that are at least as stringent as the national standards, and implement a monitoring and enforcement system. The Department of Health and Human Services would continue to inspect programs where a child fatality has occurred or where a pattern of violations has emerged.
Background
- February 23, 2009: House passes Stop Child Abuse in Residential Programs for Teens Act of 2009, by a vote of 295-102 »
- February 11, 2009: Committee passes Stop Child Abuse in Residential Programs for Teens Act of 2009, by a vote of 32-10 »
- Full Committee Hearing: "Child Abuse and Deceptive Marketing by Residential Programs for Teens" »
- GAO Audio Clips: Examples of Deceptive Marketing Practices »
- Full Committee Hearing: "Cases of Child Neglect and Abuse at Private Residential Treatment Facilities" »
- Frequently Asked Questions About the Stop Child Abuse in Residential Programs for Teens Act of 2009 »
Support for H.R. 911
- Parents of victims »
(PDF, 8KB) - American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry »
(PDF, 282KB) - American Academy of Pediatrics »
(PDF, 36KB) - American Association of Children's Residential Centers »
(PDF, 106KB) - American Bar Association »
(PDF, 59KB) - American Humane Association »
(PDF, 34KB) - American Psychological Association »
(PDF, 48KB) - Association of University Centers on Disabilities »
(PDF, 171KB) - Bazelon Center »
(PDF, 85KB) - Child Welfare League of America »
(PDF, 54KB) - Coalition of groups serving children and adolescents with mental health or substance use conditions »
(PDF, 10KB) - Community Alliance for the Ethical Treatment of Youth »
(PDF, 26KB) - Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates »
(PDF, 23KB) - Disability Policy Coalition »
(PDF, 29KB) - Easter Seals »
(PDF, 132KB) - National Alliance on Mental Illness »
(PDF, 28KB) - National Child Abuse Coalition »
(PDF, 17KB) - National Disability Rights Network »
(PDF, 56KB) - TASH »
(PDF, 35KB)
Boosting community service is a key priority for President Obama, whose official Inauguration activities included a “National Day of Service” where hundreds of thousands of Americans volunteered in their communities. Among other things, the hearing will focus on reinvigorating civic engagement across all levels of society, expanding opportunities for young people to participate in service, and how national and community service can help “green” America.
WHAT:
Hearing on Improving America’s Commitment to Service and Volunteerism
WHO:
Usher Raymond IV, recording artist, chairman, Usher’s New Look Foundation
James Harris, youth participant, Usher’s New Look Foundation
Richard Stengel, managing editor, TIME Magazine
Van Jones, founder and president, Green for All
Other Witnesses TBD
WHEN:
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
10:00 A.M. EST
WHERE:
House Education and Labor Committee Hearing Room
2175 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C.
In addition, the bill would also increase transparency at the Department of Health and Human Services and provide funding for local community programs that help homeless and runaway youth. In 2005, these programs served more than 500,000 homeless and runaway children.
“We must protect our nation’s most vulnerable children, especially those who have been pushed out and are living on the streets. This legislation will give them the physical shelter and emotional support they need to start rebuilding their lives. I commend Rep. Yarmuth for his leadership and dedication to providing runaway and homeless children across the country with the attention, stability, and hope they deserve.” -- Chairman George Miller
“This legislation will bring us significantly closer to ensuring that, in America, no child ever has to grow up without a home. For more than a million children each year, this legislation could mean the difference between continuing to live on the streets without hope and finding a path to successful adulthood.” -- Rep. Yarmuth
“I would like to congratulate Rep. Yarmuth on this bill and commend him for his commitment to helping our nation’s runaway and homeless youth. It is crucial that we do everything in our power to help the thousands of vulnerable young people in this country that are without a home. The programs that are reauthorized in this bill will give runaway and homeless children a real chance at getting a new start in life and help them get on track to a better future.” -- Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, chairwoman of the House Subcommittee on Healthy Families and Communities
Witnesses today told the Healthy Families and Communities Subcommittee that the field of social work affects the lives of Americans from all walks of life on a daily basis, and though the field faces some challenges, it is expected to grow in the coming years.
Social workers provide critical services across rural, urban and suburban areas. They work with a wide variety of people, from children, families and the elderly, to those with mental health problems or substance abuse issues, to those who are incarcerated. As baby boomers age, they will increasingly require more social work services, said Gary Bailey, associate professor at the Graduate School of Social Work at Simmons College in Boston, MA.
A master's degree in social work or a related field is now standard for many positions. Dr. Robin Mama, dean of the School of Social Work at Monmouth University in Monmouth, NJ, said recruitment is the biggest challenge facing undergraduate social work programs, in part because of negative associations. Mama also said there is a need for bilingual and trilingual social workers and cultural awareness and sensitivity. More »
Healthy Families and Communities Subcommittee Hearing on “Caring for the Vulnerable: The State of Social Work in America”
Tuesday, July 29, 2008, 3:00 p.m. EDT