The leaders of the Senate Agriculture Committee said they will ask committee approval of a bipartisan bill in January to reauthorize child nutrition programs costing $22 billion a year. School lunch is the largest of the programs. Chairman Pat Roberts said the child nutrition bill “will be the committee’s first priority in the new year. We have combed through these programs to increase efficiency, effectiveness, flexibility and integrity.” The committee leaders did not set a date for the bill-drafting session.
The lead Democrat on the committee, Debbie Stabenow, said the bill would build on the successes of the 2010 child nutrition law, which required schools to serve more whole grains, dairy, fruit and vegetables and less salt, fat and sugar. Stabenow said she and Roberts are working with committee members on elements of the bill. “I am committed to moving forward as soon as possible next year,” she said.
The Obama administration has said it wants to expand enrollment in school breakfast and summer food programs and to see more schools enlist in a program that offers free meals to all children in neighborhoods with high poverty rates.