Davis' Bipartisan School Meals Bill Included in House-Passed Government Funding Legislation

Statement

Yesterday, the U.S. House overwhelmingly approved legislation to fund the government through the beginning of December. Included in the legislation was a modified version of U.S. Representative Rodney Davis' (R-Ill.) legislation H.R. 8325, the Operation Feed Our Kids Act, which was offered as a bipartisan amendment to the government funding bill. Davis' language ensures that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has funding and authority to continue to provide child nutrition waivers through 2021 to ensure that children have access to nutritious meals amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

"I'd like to thank Congressional leaders for their willingness to compromise and include language from our bipartisan "Operation Feed Our Kids' Act in the must-pass government funding legislation," said Rep. Davis. "With this language, we now give our schools, families, and school nutrition professionals certainty throughout the upcoming school year to ensure kids can continue to get the meals they're used to during a normal school year. I look forward to working with USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue to implement the extension of these waivers, and I urge the Senate to quickly pass this government funding bill. Thank you to our bipartisan group of co-sponsors and the advocates of this legislation."

"School nutrition professionals have been on the frontlines in school cafeterias, at curbside meal pick-up sites and even delivering school meals to ensure students receive the nourishment they need. The waiver authority and funding in this legislation will protect hungry children from losing access to healthy school meals as their families and communities continue to manage impacts of the pandemic," said School Nutrition Association President Reggie Ross, SNS. "School Nutrition Association greatly appreciates Rep. Davis and the co-sponsors' commitment to the well-being of our students and the school nutrition programs they depend on. We are hopeful for prompt Senate action."

"Even amidst a health and economic crisis, childhood hunger is solvable," says Lisa Davis, Senior Vice President of Share Our Strength's No Kid Hungry campaign. "The bipartisan House budget deal removes the last roadblocks to USDA extending critical child nutrition waivers through the end of the academic year, giving schools and community organizations the ability to continue adapting meal programs to ensure the unprecedented number of kids in need are fed during this pandemic. We urge the Senate to quickly pass this legislation and for Secretary Perdue to extend waivers through the end of the 2021 school year."

"School meals have been the best safety net for eliminating food insecurity and childhood hunger since 1946. School nutrition professionals are in an excellent position to use the safest and most plentiful food supply in the world to ensure children across the country, in every community and every neighborhood can access healthy, life sustaining meals. This bill not only gives schools the resources to continue this heroic work, it also sends a clear message that children's basic need for food will not be lost in the stress of this pandemic. The Urban School Food Alliance appreciates Congressman Davis's and all the cosigner's vision to eliminate food insecurity in the lives of our nation's children," said Dr. Katie Wilson, Executive Director of the Urban School Food Alliance.

Rep. Davis spoke in support of the government funding legislation and the inclusion of Operation Feed Our Kids Act language yesterday on the House floor. You can watch his remarks here. Davis also submitted a statement for the Congressional Record regarding the program. You can find that statement here.

Rep. Davis' bipartisan bill included a longer time frame for the USDA to provide waivers that give schools flexibility on several components of school meals program, including allowing schools to utilize the summer meals programs throughout the school year, including the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) and Seamless Summer Option (SSO), which provide the option to serve free meals to all children. The bill also provided and more explicit direction to USDA to continue the program. You can find the language for the government funding legislation here. The language concerning child nutrition waivers can be found on page 97.

As originally introduced, H.R. 8325, the Operation Feed Our Kids Act:

Extends the USDA child nutrition waiver authority provided under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA), which will lapse on 9/30/2020, to 12/31/2021;
-This authority allows all child and adult care centers to operate as non-congregate; allows USDA to waive meal pattern requirements; provides authority to issue nationwide school meal waivers that helps eliminate paperwork for states so schools can quickly adopt and utilize flexibilities.
-Qualified programs include: the school lunch program; school breakfast program; the child and adult care food program; and the summer food service program for children.
Directs USDA to extend at least all of the child nutrition waivers granted under FFCRA authority as of 9/11/2020 within 30 days of enactment for the remainder of the 2020-2021 school year; these waivers are currently granted by USDA, and likely funded, through 12/31/2020.
Authorizes "such sums necessary" to fund the waivers.

Original co-sponsors of H.R. 8325 are Reps. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA), Don Bacon (R-NE), and Jim Costa (D-CA). Also co-sponsoring are Reps. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), TJ Cox (D-CA), Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), John B. Larson (D-CT), Kendra Horn (D-OK), Betty McCollum (D-MN), Joseph P. Kennedy, III (D-MA), Grace Meng (D-CA),and Paul Cook (R-CA).

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