Affordable School Lunches

Floor Speech

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Mr. ALFORD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to highlight the importance of ensuring that all students are fed in a nutritious and affordable manner. I am proud to have introduced H.R. 1168, the School Lunch Affordability Act Of 2023.

Every year, schools are forced to raise their school lunch prices to comply with the Paid Lunch Equity program set by the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act. This arbitrary price increase mandated miles away by Congress has no impact on nutritional content and puts unnecessary pressure on hardworking American families and, ultimately, leads to more hungry students.

This legislation would amend the regulation to return local control to schools. Protecting the health and nutrition of our youth is a critical, critical aspect of a strong educational system and it is completely un-American to subject our local schools to the burdensome Federal regulations.

Schools should be able to make these decisions for themselves, not the bureaucrats in Washington. This legislation grants them this ability at the local level.

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