Rokita And Kline Statement On Child Nutrition Bill

Statement

The House Committee on Education and the Workforce, chaired by Rep. John Kline (R-MN), today approved H.R. 5003, the Improving Child Nutrition and Education Act of 2016. Introduced by Rep. Todd Rokita (R-IN), the legislation reauthorizes and reforms federal child nutrition programs to ensure states and schools have the flexibility they need to provide children with access to healthy meals without additional or prohibitive costs. The bill passed the committee by a vote of 20 to 14.

"When it comes to helping students succeed, there are few things more basic than making sure they eat and eat healthily at school. The Improving Child Nutrition and Education Act allows schools to target assistance more effectively while increasing spending on children in actual need, all without adding to our nation's debt problem," Rep. Rokita said. "This is a major step forward in making sure an appropriate safety net exists and that the First Lady Michelle Obama-inspired nutrition standards are revised so that school food is more edible. I look forward to continuing our efforts to improve federal child nutrition programs for children, families, and taxpayers."

"The massive expansion of the federal government's role in child nutrition has made it more difficult for schools to deliver the assistance their students need," Chairman Kline said. "We can do better than prescriptive mandates that lead to higher costs and fewer children being served, and this proposal promises to move us in a better direction. This responsible legislation will improve our investment in nutrition assistance and ensure all children and families in need have access to healthy meals. I'd like to commend Representative Rokita for his hard work and leadership on this issue, and I look forward to continuing to advance this important legislation."

Source