April 8, 2009 -- The 111th Congress kicked off in early January and is expected to address child nutrition reauthorization before the end of the federal fiscal year on September 30, 2009. So far, ten bills have been introduced that affect school nutrition issues, eight in the House and two in the Senate. Many more are expected in the next several months on topics ranging from posting nutrition information on school meals to universal school breakfast and increased funding for school meals.

Here is a run down of the legislation introduced to date:

S.581 Military Family Nutrition Protection Act of 2009
This bill introduced and co-sponsored in the Senate by Senators Bennet (D-Col.,) Collins (R-Maine,) Johanns (R-Neb.,) Casey (D-Penn.,) and Sanders (I-Vt.,) would amend the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act and the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 to require the exclusion of combat pay from income for purposes of determining eligibility for school-based child nutrition programs and the special supplemental nutrition program for women, infants, and children.

S.456 Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Management Act of 2009
Originally sponsored by Senator Dodd (D-Conn.) this bill was also introduced last Congress. The bill directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, in consultation with the Secretary of Education, to develop guidelines to be used on a voluntary basis to develop plans to manage the risk of food allergy and anaphylaxis in schools and early childhood education programs, and to establish school-based food allergy management grants. The bill currently has fourteen additional co-sponsors.

H.R.1869 The White House Conference on Food and Nutrition
Co-sponsored by Representatives McGovern (D-Mass.) and Emerson (R-Mo.,) this bill requires the President to call a White House Conference on Food and Nutrition not later than December 31, 2010. The Conference would make fundamental policy recommendations on ways to end hunger and to improve nutrition in the United States and to implement the purposes described in the bill. 

H.R.1585 Fitness Integrated with Teaching (FIT) Kids Act
Representative Ron Kind (D-Wisc.) introduced this bill in mid-March and the legislation now has 42 co-sponsors. The bill amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to improve standards for physical education. Read more about the bill here.

H.R.1403 School Food Recovery Act
Representative Wolf (R-Va.) and eight other members of Congress are co-sponsoring this bill that would amend the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to require schools participating in the school lunch program to donate any excess food to local food banks.

H.R.1378 Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Management Act of 2009
Nineteen bi-partisan members of Congress are co-sponsoring this bill introduced by Representative Nita Lowey (D-NY) that is a companion bill to S. 456 and would direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services, in consultation with the Secretary of Education, to develop guidelines to be used on a voluntary basis to develop plans to manage the risk of food allergy and anaphylaxis in schools.

H.R.1324 Child Nutrition Promotion and School Lunch Protection Act of 2009
Representative Lynn Woolsey (D-Calif.) reintroduced this legislation in early March that would regulate the sale of foods sold outside of the federal school nutrition programs.  Approximately 120  members of Congress are co-sponsoring H.R. 1324. The current bill is very similar to bills introduced in the 109^th and 110^th Congresses.  The legislation would update the definition of Foods of Minimal Nutritional Value to correspond with current nutrition science.  This bill would also expand the time and place rule, allowing the Secretary of Agriculture to have authority over competitive foods (foods and beverages sold on the school campus during the school day that compete with the nutritious offering of the National School Lunch Program.) Read about SNA's support for the bill and view an Action Alert.

H.R.540 Summer Food Service Rural Expansion Act
Representative Platts (R-Penn.) introduced this bill to amend the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to make permanent the summer food service pilot project for rural areas of Pennsylvania originally authorized in the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004. The bill would also apply the change to rural areas of every State.

H.R.501 America's Right-to-Eat Rescue Act of 2009
Representative Joe Baca (D-Calif.,) Chairman of the Agriculture Committee's Subcommittee on Department Operations, Oversight, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee, reintroduced this legislation in January. The bill would address income eligibility for federal child nutrition programs by requiring that the poverty line determined for the State of Alaska be used for all the States and the District of Columbia, during a 6-month period for the purpose of carrying out the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 and the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act.  

H.R.176 Anti-Hunger Empowerment Act of 2009
Representative Jose Serrano (D-NY) and fourteen Democrat cosponsors support this bill that primarily offers increased access to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (formerly known as the Food Stamp Program.) The bill also provides grant funding to promote participation in Summer Feeding and school-based child nutrition programs.  

For an updated listing of all school nutrition related bills introduced in Congress, along with access to bill text and co-sponsorship information, please see the Issues and Legislation page of SNA's website.