Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2025

Floor Speech

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Mr. CARTER of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act, as amended by the Senate, which allows for plant-based milk alternatives to be more easily and readily available for children with lactose intolerance.

This is especially important because the rates of some degree of lactose intolerance in minority communities are startlingly high, more than most people would realize, with approximately 65 percent of Latino students, 75 percent of Black students, 90 percent of Asian students unable to digest dairy milk without detrimental effects.

This portion does, in fact, follow the science. These statistics are real, and they are played out every single day in the classroom.

Not long ago, I had a young lady from Louisiana, a precious little baby girl, who had a horrible accident because the teacher would not allow her to go to the restroom again after complaining of a tummy ache. Unfortunately, this did not end well for this student. She is a beautiful child. She has rebounded wonderfully, and she will be happy to know that going forward she will have an alternative. She doesn't have to contend with her belly aching after consuming something her body simply couldn't digest. Because the school offered no alternative, it was this or nothing. As you know, in many cases, our young people will get nothing if they don't enjoy some nutritional values at school.

Many children may not make the connection between consumption of milk and their feelings of discomfort and even illness. Lactose intolerance causes a range of health effects including stomach pain, severe bloating, gas, diarrhea, and even exacerbated asthma symptoms. These symptoms can hinder a child's ability to concentrate in the classroom, to perform in the classroom, to be attentive in the classroom, and to learn in the classroom.

We should do everything in our power to make sure our children have the best opportunity to concentrate, to learn, to do well, and to be healthy in the classroom.

Currently, children who suffer adverse reactions from traditional milk must produce a doctor's note to receive an alternative beverage, which places an unfair burden squarely on minority children, children of working parents, children whose parents simply don't have the time or the ability, because of the healthcare system crisis, to even see a doctor, let alone get a note from a doctor.

This bill fixes that issue. It contains a provision from bipartisan legislation I filed in each of the last three Congresses to remove the doctor's note requirement for receiving milk alternatives. This bill folds in those measures from my previously filed bill.

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Mr. CARTER of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this commonsense, bipartisan reform that will allow our children to receive the nutrition they need to feel healthy and have successful lives in and out of school.

While I understand that this bill may not capture every need that is out there--I concede to our ranking member, who I respect greatly, that we have much work to do. However, this bill goes a long way to fix an issue that can simply not wait any longer to be addressed. I urge support for this measure.

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