WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Chairman of the Senate Agriculture Subcommittee on Hunger, Nutrition, and Family Farms, issued the following statement today after House passage of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010. The Senate passed the legislation in August, and the bill will now go to the President for his signature.

“No child should ever have to go hungry—and this bill guarantees that more children will have access to the healthy, nutritious foods they need to thrive, both during the school year and during the summer,” Brown said. “With our economy still on the mend, ensuring that children can still receive a low-cost or free school lunch is critically important, and that’s exactly what this bill does. It also helps ensure that those foods are healthier and more appealing and sets important standards for foods not in the school lunch program.”

Brown is a leading voice in the U.S. Congress for eradicating hunger and improving childhood nutrition. As Chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Hunger, Nutrition, and Family Farms, he wrote the Hunger-Free Schools Act, which would help reduce paperwork and enroll already eligible students in childhood nutrition programs through direct certification, was the centerpiece of the anti-hunger component of the bill passed by both the House and the Senate. Brown’s bill would help more families enroll in the National School Lunch Program, one of the most important programs aimed at combating childhood hunger. Nearly 20 million children participated in the free or reduced price lunch program in the 2009 school year. 

A recent U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) report, however, found that in 23 states, up to 20 percent of eligible children are not getting enrolled. For these students and for many school administrators, the often complicated and redundant application process deters potential enrollment.

Brown's legislation would utilize direct certification—a streamlined approach to determining family eligibility—to enroll more students in nutrition programs. This approach relies on existing data and is utilized to promote broader participation in the national school lunch program. Brown's bill would help automatically enroll children for a free or reduced price lunch if their families have already filled out paperwork for  the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), or Medicaid.

During Agriculture Committee consideration of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, Brown successfully passed two bipartisan amendments to the legislation. One of those amendments, a bipartisan piece of legislation offered with Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN), ensures greater access to summer feeding programs for children. Another amendment, offered with Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT), authorizes a pilot program to provide affordable organic choices in school feeding programs. This program is a crucial first step in proving the viability and value of organic foods in the over 30 million school lunches served each day.

In August, Brown joined community leaders and anti-hunger advocates in Youngstown to discuss legislative efforts aimed to combat childhood hunger and promote access to nutritious foods in Ohio schools and underserved communities.

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