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S 2183 IS
108th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 2183
To amend
the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 to create team nutrition networks to promote
the nutritional health of school children.
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
March 9,
2004
Mr. BINGAMAN
(for himself, Mr. LUGAR, and Mr. DODD) introduced the following bill; which
was read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition,
and Forestry
A BILL
To amend
the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 to create team nutrition networks to promote
the nutritional health of school children.
Be it enacted
by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America
in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1.
SHORT TITLE.
This Act may
be cited as the `Early Attention To Nutrition (EATN) Act of 2004'.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
(1) heart disease,
cancer, stroke, and diabetes are responsible for 2/3 of deaths in the
United States;
(2) the major
risk factors for those diseases and conditions are established in childhood
through unhealthy eating habits, physical inactivity, obesity, and tobacco
use;
(3) obesity
rates have doubled in children and tripled in adolescents over the last
2 decades;
(4) today,
1 in 7 young people are obese, and 1 in 3 are overweight;
(5) obese children
are twice as likely as nonobese children to become obese adults;
(6) an overweight
condition and obesity can result in physical, psychological, and social
consequences, including heart disease, diabetes, cancer, depression,
decreased self-esteem, and discrimination;
(7) only 2
percent of children consume a diet that meets the 5 main recommendations
for a healthy diet from the Food Guide Pyramid published by the Secretary
of Agriculture;
(8) 3 out of
4 high school students in the United States do not eat the recommended
5 or more servings of fruits and vegetables each day; and
(9) 3 out of
4 children in the United States consume more saturated fat than is recommended
in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans published by the Secretary of
Agriculture.
SEC. 3. TEAM
NUTRITION NETWORK GRANTS.
Section 19 of
the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1788) is amended to read as
follows:
`SEC. 19. TEAM
NUTRITION NETWORK GRANTS.
`(a) PURPOSES-
The purposes of this section are--
`(1) to promote
the nutritional health of school children through nutrition education
and other activities that support healthy lifestyles for children;
`(2) to provide
grants to States for the development of statewide, comprehensive, and
integrated nutrition education programs; and
`(3) to provide
training and technical assistance to States, school and community nutrition
programs, and child nutrition food service professionals.
`(b) DEFINITION
OF TEAM NUTRITION NETWORK- In this section, the term `team nutrition network'
means a multidisciplinary program to promote healthy eating to children
based on scientifically valid information and sound educational, social,
and marketing principles.
`(c) GRANTS-
The Secretary is authorized to make grants to State educational agencies
to promote the nutritional health of school children through the establishment
of team nutrition networks.
`(1) IN GENERAL-
Subject to paragraph (2) and subsections (g) and (h), the Secretary
shall allocate funds made available for a fiscal year under subsection
(i) to make grants to eligible State educational agencies for a fiscal
year in an amount determined by the Secretary, based on the ratio that--
`(A) the
number of lunches reimbursed through food service programs under the
Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1751 et seq.)
in schools, institutions, and service institutions in the State that
participate in the food service programs; bears to
`(B) the
number of lunches reimbursed through the food service programs in
schools, institutions, and service institutions in all States that
participate in the food service programs.
`(A) IN GENERAL-
The amount of a grant made to a State educational agency for a fiscal
year under this section shall not be less than $500,000.
`(B) INSUFFICIENT
FUNDS- If the amount made available for any fiscal year is insufficient
to pay the amount to which each eligible State educational agency
is entitled under subparagraph (A), the Secretary shall select, on
a competitive basis, eligible State educational agencies that will
receive, at least, the minimum amount of grants required under subparagraph
(A).
`(e) ELIGIBILITY-
To be eligible to receive a grant under this section, a State educational
agency shall submit a State plan to the Secretary for approval, in such
manner and at such time as the Secretary determines, that includes information
regarding how the grant will be used in accordance with this section.
`(f) USES OF
GRANT- Subject to subsection (g), a grant made under this section may
be used to--
`(1) instruct
students with regard to the nutritional value of foods and the relationship
between food and human health;
`(2) promote
healthy eating by children;
`(3) provide
assistance to schools in the adoption and implementation of school policies
that promote healthy eating;
`(4) foster
community environments that support healthy eating and physical activities;
`(5) provide
training and technical assistance to teachers and school food service
professionals consistent with this section;
`(6) evaluate
State and local nutrition education programs;
`(7) disseminate
educational materials statewide through the use of the Internet, mailings,
conferences, and other communication channels;
`(8) provide
subgrants to school and school food authorities for carrying out nutrition
education activities at the local level; and
`(9) conduct
programs and education for parents and caregivers regarding healthy
eating for children.
`(1) IN GENERAL-
The Secretary shall ensure that at least 10 percent of a grant made
to a State educational agency for each fiscal year is used by the State
educational agency to appoint a team nutrition network coordinator for
the State.
`(2) ROLE OF
STATE COORDINATORS- A team nutrition network coordinator for a State
shall--
`(A) develop
and administer the team nutrition network in the State; and
`(B) coordinate
the team nutrition network of the State with--
`(i) the
Secretary (acting through the Food and Nutrition Service);
`(ii) State
agencies responsible for children's health programs (including school-based
children's health programs); and
`(iii)
other appropriate Federal, State, and local agencies.
`(h) NATIONAL
ACTIVITIES-
`(1) IN GENERAL-
The Secretary shall reserve 20 percent of the amount of funds made available
for each fiscal year under subsection (i) to promote team nutrition
networks nationally in accordance with this subsection.
`(2) ACTIVITIES-
Of the amount of funds that are reserved for a fiscal year under this
section, the Secretary shall use--
`(A) 50 percent
of the reserved funds for--
`(i) evaluation
of activities funded under this section; and
`(ii) development
of a clearinghouse for collecting and disseminating information
on best practices for promoting healthy eating in school and community
child nutrition programs; and
`(B) 50 percent
of the reserved funds to carry out national activities to support
team nutrition networks through the Secretary, acting through the
Undersecretary of Food and Nutrition Services.
`(1) IN GENERAL-
On October 1, 2004, and on each October 1 thereafter through October
1, 2007, out of any funds in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated,
the Secretary of the Treasury shall transfer to the Secretary of Agriculture
to carry out this section $50,000,000, to remain available until expended.
`(2) RECEIPT
AND ACCEPTANCE- The Secretary shall be entitled to receive, shall accept,
and shall use to carry out this section the funds transferred under
paragraph (1), without further appropriation.'.
END
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