Keep Kids Fed Act of 2022

Floor Speech

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Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 1204, I call up the bill (S. 2089) to amend the Families First Coronavirus Response Act to extend child nutrition waiver authority, and for other purposes, with the Senate amendment to the House amendment thereto, and ask for its immediate consideration.

The Clerk read the title of the bill.

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Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I have a motion at the desk.

Mr. Speaker, we are here, again, to pass legislation to ensure that our Nation's children have access to healthy meals. The Senate amended the bill that we passed yesterday, and so today we are going accept that amendment so the bill can be forwarded on to the President for signature.

S. 2089 would:

Maintain school meal flexibilities that do not increase costs;

Continue flexibilities to support summer food programs this year;

Provide additional support for child and adult care feeding programs; and

Increase school meal reimbursement rates for this upcoming school year.

We know this bill alone will not end hunger in America, nor does it uphold the stronger provisions in the bill that the House passed yesterday, but it is an important step to take for our Nation's children and to fulfill our basic responsibility to keep them from going hungry.

I thank the gentlewoman from North Carolina, the ranking member of the committee, Dr. Foxx, for cooperating and making sure this legislation could come to the floor, along with the Senator Stabenow from Michigan and Senator Boozman from Arkansas.

Mr. Speaker, I urge a ``yes'' vote on the motion, and I reserve the balance of my time.

The reality is that Congress has reached its deadline. We must pass this critical legislation to ensure that children have healthy meals this summer and that schools and daycares have the funding and flexibilities they need to respond to the supply chain challenges and high food costs in the future.

If we do not act, we will jeopardize children's access to nutritious meals.

I wish, again, to thank the ranking member, Dr. Foxx, for her cooperation in bringing this bipartisan, bicameral legislation to the floor, along with Senators Stabenow and Boozman.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support S. 2089, support the motion, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record for S. 2089, as amended, the following letters from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Feeding America, Save the Children, the School Nutrition Association, the Council of the Great City Schools, and the Center for Law and Social Policy in support of the Keep Kids Fed Act of 2022. [June 21, 2022] Protect Nutrition Security for Children: Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Welcomes New Bipartisan Bill

Chicago--The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics strongly supports the new Keep Kids Fed Act, introduced June 21 in Congress, as a crucial step in addressing nutrition security among school-aged children in the United States. The bill was introduced by U.S. Sens. Debbie Stabenow (Mich.) and John Boozman (Ark.) and U.S. Reps. Bobby Scott (Va.) and Virginia Foxx (N.C.).

``Studies have shown that the school cafeteria is the healthiest place for children to eat in the U.S.,'' said registered dietitian nutritionist and the Academy's 2022-2023 President Ellen R. Shanley. ``The Keep Kids Fed Act therefore is more important than ever in providing parents and guardians with the assurance that their children are receiving healthful meals to fuel them throughout this summer as well as the next school year.''

The Academy commends the Keep Kids Fed Act, which grants the U.S. Department of Agriculture the authority to provide temporary waivers that will provide full flexibilities to summer meal programs, eliminate the reduced-price meal category and increase reimbursement rates in response to rising food costs.

``The Academy and our members have tirelessly advocated for the continuation of child nutrition waivers as the country continues to grapple with ongoing supply chain and labor shortages due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as inflation,'' Shanley said.

Because the pandemic has had a disproportionate impact on people from underrepresented communities and those with diet- related disease, access to healthful school meals promotes nutrition security as well as health equity.

While the Academy considers nutrition waivers to be a step in the right direction, the legislation comes late in the process as schools are organizing and operating summer meal programs and planning meal programs for the next school year.

``A better solution is to make school meals free for all children, all year,'' Shanley said. ``The Academy has long advocated for Healthy School Meals for All and will continue to educate members of Congress on its benefits. We look forward to working with Congress on a permanent solution to issues of nutrition security for all, particularly for children.'' ____ [June 21, 2022]

Feeding America Applauds Bi-Partisan Step To Extend Child Nutrition Waivers statement attributed to vince hall, chief government relations officer

``Feeding America, the nation's largest hunger-relief network of 200 food banks, 21 statewide associations and 60,000 faith-based and non-profit partner food pantries and meal programs, applauds Congress for taking the needed steps to extend child nutrition waiver authority, which will help ensure children are able to access much-needed nutrition in the months ahead. Network food banks and partners have been asking for this continued flexibility for many months. The bi-partisan legislation, the Keep Kids Fed Act, was released today by Senators Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and John Boozman (R- AR) and Representatives Bobby Scott (D-VA 03) and Virginia Foxx (R-NC 05) ahead of the June 30th deadline. The bill would provide temporary authority to USDA to provide summer meal program flexibilities, eliminate the reduced-price meal category, and increase reimbursement rates to help offset rising food costs. It will offer much needed stability, predictability, and an assurance that children will be better able to get the meals they need through the coming year. Together, these provisions will provide significant help for children who often do not know where they will get their next meal, particularly in communities of color who experience hunger at a disproportionate rate.

``Originally granted as part of the pandemic response to ensure access to meals for children in need during the school year and in the summertime, waivers allowing flexibilities for child nutrition program operators remain essential to addressing child food insecurity, particularly amid continued supply chain disruptions and ongoing barriers to reaching kids in rural areas. As it stands, schools and communities need continued flexibilities to safely plan for and offer summer meal programs and nutrition assistance during the next school year.

``For millions of school children, school meals are often their only reliable nutrition source. Feeding America stands ready to work with Congress to ensure this important bill passes both chambers and is signed by President Biden, and we look forward to working with them on future legislation to ensure child nutrition programs remain strong and responsive to local needs in the months and years ahead.'' ____ [June 22, 2022] Bipartisan `Keep Kids Fed Act' Would Prevent Millions of Children From Going Hungry Save the Children--together with our political advocacy arm, Save the Children Action Network--urges Congress to swiftly pass this bipartisan legislation

Washington, DC--After yesterday's release of the bipartisan Keep Kids Fed Act (H.R. 8150), Cassidy Pont, Lead Policy Advocate for Domestic Child Nutrition at Save the Children, issued the following statement:

``We wholeheartedly welcome the release of the bipartisan and budget-neutral Keep Kids Fed Act, which will temporarily extend some child nutrition waivers, preventing nearly 7 million children from losing access to nutritious meals this summer alone. In the midst of increasing supply chain challenges and rising food and gas prices, this support will be a life-line for school nutrition programs and child care providers, enabling them to stay financially afloat while continuing to serve children the nutritious foods they need to grow, develop, learn and thrive. While we are disappointed the legislation doesn't extend the USDA Secretary's full waiver authority through the next school year, the Keep Kids Fed Act is an important step in the right direction. We urge Congress to act quickly to pass this legislation. If not, millions of children could go hungry, and we cannot let that happen.'' ____ [June 22, 2022] SNA Urges Passage of School Meals Agreement

Arlington, VA--The School Nutrition Association (SNA) praised a new agreement to provide critical support to school meal programs prior to the expiration of federal pandemic waivers. Set to expire June 30, the waivers have ensured students can access healthy school meals despite persistent supply chain, food cost and labor burdens. SNA urges Congress to swiftly pass The Keep Kids Fed Act of 2022.

The $3 billion package will provide the following assistance through School Year 2022/23:

Allow students eligible for reduced-price meals to receive free meals

Increase federal reimbursements for every school lunch by 40 cents and every school breakfast by 15 cents, above the annual inflationary adjustment scheduled for July 1

Extend no-cost waivers, including those for schools unable to meet nutrition standards due to supply chain disruptions and to reduce administrative and reporting burdens

Extend waivers for 2022 summer meal programs

``School nutrition professionals have withstood crippling supply chain breakdowns, rising prices and labor shortages in their efforts to provide students healthy meals, at a time when families are struggling with higher costs. With crucial federal waivers on the verge of expiring, this agreement offers school meal programs a lifeline to help build back toward normal operations,'' said SNA President Beth Wallace, MBA, SNS.

``SNA members are extremely grateful to Senate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow, Ranking Member John Boozman, House Education and Labor Committee Chairman Bobby Scott and Ranking Member Virginia Foxx for their consistent efforts to support school meal programs and to Congressional leaders for bringing this critical agreement to the floor,'' said Wallace.

SNA members have reported an ongoing struggle to obtain sufficient food and supplies for their programs, as manufacturers discontinue products ranging from low-sodium chicken breasts to low-fat milk cartons and yogurt cups. Members have reported shortages of as many as 150-200 menu items per order, which send short-staffed school nutrition teams scrambling to secure healthy menu substitutions for their students. School nutrition directors across the country report unprecedented price increases, including a 280% increase in the cost of a case of gloves and 137% increase on whole grain bread.

``SNA appreciates ongoing efforts of U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack to address persistent supply chain challenges and USDA's commitment to avert penalties for schools unable to comply with meal pattern requirements due to these disruptions,'' said Wallace. ``We will continue to work with USDA next school year as we seek solutions to support school nutrition professionals and ensure the financial sustainability of meal programs for the students they serve.''

SNA's 2022 Position Paper, released in January, urged Congress to extend pandemic-related child nutrition waivers and to permanently increase school meal reimbursement rates, offer free school meals to all students and ease regulatory requirements. ____ Council of the Great City Schools, Washington, DC, June 22, 2022. Hon. Bobby Scott, Chairman, Committee on Education and Labor, House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Hon. Virginia Foxx, Ranking Member, Committee on Education and Labor, House of Representatives, Washington, DC.

Dear Chairman Scott and Ranking Member Foxx: The Council of the Great City Schools, the coalition of the nation's largest central-city school districts, writes to offer our support for the Keep Kids Fed Act of 2022. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, urban districts have worked tirelessly to ensure that all of our students have safe access to healthy meal options, both during school closures and while on campus. Since March 2020, the COVID-19 waivers approved by Congress provided our Food Service departments with the additional funding and flexibility needed to get meals to students wherever they are and to deal with rising costs, personnel shortages, and supply chain issues.

Even though schools have been open this spring and are expecting to offer in-person instruction this fall, our child nutrition programs are still in crisis and have not returned to pre-pandemic normal. Supply chain and staffing issues persist and the need to relieve school districts from meal pattern, non-congregate feeding, and mealtime requirements remains essential. The Keep Kids Fed Act will provide school districts with the flexibility needed for continuity of operations next school year and offers additional funding to help serve more students and alleviate rising costs for meal items, food service supplies, and personnel.

With summer programs already operating and fall planning well-underway, school districts are facing enormous challenges in serving nutritious meals to students every day. The Council appreciates the bipartisan solutions offered in the Keep Kids Fed Act of 2022 to help mitigate some of these issues and urges a YES vote. Sincerely, Ray Hart, Executive Director. ____ The Center for Law and Social Policy, Washington, DC, June 23, 2022.

Dear Members of Congress: The Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) expresses our support for H.R. 8150, the Keep Kids Fed Act of 2022, which would extend key flexibilities for school meal provisions enacted under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). As a national, nonpartisan anti-poverty organization that places racial equity at the center of our work, we understand how failing to extend this successful policy would harm food security in marginalized and low-income communities. The COVID-19 pandemic is ongoing, and schools are struggling to manage rising food costs and clogged supply chains. Congress' failure to extend the waivers and flexibilities the FFCRA provides would mean schools not having the tools they need to continue providing consistent and reliable meals to students. If Congress fails to extend these flexibilities beyond the current expiration date of June 30, 2022, millions of children face the possibility of losing access to healthy meals.

CLASP is pleased to see the inclusion of the waiver ensuring all family child care homes qualify for the highest reimbursement rate under the Child and Adult Food Care (CACFP) program. This waiver eliminates the usual area eligibility requirement that limits this rate to providers in areas meeting a 50 percent low-income threshold. This threshold excludes many providers serving children in families with low incomes, especially in rural and suburban areas, where poverty is often less concentrated than in urban areas. In addition, the area eligibility test completely neglects providers and families struggling in areas with a high cost-of-living. CLASP recommends permanently eliminating the area eligibility test permanent. This change would bring more child care providers who serve low-income children into CACFP, ensuring many more children in need would receive healthy CACFP meals and snacks.

The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated child hunger in the U.S., but did not create it. Prior to the pandemic, almost 1 in every 7 households struggled with food security, a rate that spiked to 1 in 3 with the onset of the pandemic. The policies enacted through the FFCRA, namely the nationwide waiver authority and expanded reimbursement rates, has enabled schools to meet the immense challenge of heightened demand and costs. As long as pandemic-related economic pressures remain, these flexibilities should as well. Many children in this country rely on meals through schools and child care programs as a source of reliable and nutritious food. These meals can support their development and represent a wise investment from policymakers. CLASP encourages Congress in the future to support universal school meals so that all students can receive the nutrition they need without stigma or burdensome paperwork.

CLASP thanks Sens. Stabenow and Boozman and Reps. Scott and Foxx for their bipartisan work on this important piece of legislation. CLASP urges swift passage and looks forward to working with your office on legislative matters reducing poverty in this country. For more information, or to help answer any questions, please contact Tralonne Shorter, Director of Legislative Affairs. Sincerely, Indivar Dutta-Gupta, Executive Director. ____

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