“When a student athlete suffers a concussion, he or she needs support on the field and support in the classroom to ensure a full recovery. Unfortunately, the pressure to play too often outweighs a student athlete’s safety concerns. Thankfully, there is a growing movement among players, coaches, parents and professional athletes to change this old way of thinking,” said Miller, co-sponsor of the concussions legislation. “The legislation we introduced this week recognizes that sports are deeply ingrained in our communities and our culture which is why the safety and well-being of student athletes have to be the top priority.”

“Concussions are an unfortunate reality of all sports at all levels of competition,” said Congressman Tim Bishop.  “Providing athletes, parents, coaches and teachers with the tools to properly diagnose and treat concussions will make sports safer and ensure student athletes are performing at their best in the classroom and on the field.”   

The legislation, the Protecting Student Athletes from Concussions Act, is modeled after recent state action in Washington, Oregon, and other states that have passed laws to help reduce the risk of concussions in youth sports.  It would, for the first time, make sports safer for student athletes by asking school districts to implement a concussion safety and management plan.
 
The plan that school districts develop must educate students, parents, and school personnel about concussion safety and how to support students recovering from concussions.
 
It would require schools to post information about concussions on school grounds and on school websites. It would also support “when in doubt, sit it out” policies for students suspected of sustaining a concussion during a school-sponsored athletic activity.
 
Witnesses discussed the importance of focusing on the student, as well as the student athlete.
 
“The consequences of a concussion, a type of mild traumatic brain injury, can be significant for the academic learning and performance of the student learning,” said Gerard Gioia, Ph.D., Director of Neuropsychology at the Children’s National Medical Center. “The Protecting Student Athletes from Concussions Act places the focus directly on the student side of the student athlete equation. This bill focuses on what schools can do to support the academic return of the injured/recovering student.”
 
Nearly 90 percent of students report significant worsening of post-concussion symptoms when they attempt school tasks, according to Dr. Gioia’s research.
 
Alison Conca-Cheng, a senior soccer player from Centennial High School in Ellicott City, Maryland, discussed how her recent concussion on August 20, has affected her academic performance.

“About 45 minutes into my hour-long class periods, my concentration would be completely gone and I would develop a splitting headache. This has been a big problem for me, as I am taking five Advanced  Placement classes,” said Conca-Cheng. “Reading textbooks and articles for homework was particularly difficult. It would take me twice as long, and it would be a constant battle with my concentration.”

Concussions cause a spectrum of symptoms, commonly including altered mental status, physical symptoms, cognitive problems and difficulty sleeping.  The number, type and duration of symptoms vary widely for each person. In comparison to older athletes, symptoms are intensified and recovery is prolonged for youth.

Without proper identification, multiple concussions can lead to chronic diseases.

In April of 2010, Owen Thomas, a 21-year-old lineman for the University of Pennsylvania who began playing football at age nine, committed suicide. Owen’s autopsy revealed early stages of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a disease linked to depression and impulse control prevalent in National Football League (NFL) players who have also committed suicide over the last 10 years. Owen was never diagnosed with concussion, but the only cause of CTE is repetitive brain injury. Owen’s family was unaware of the dangers of concussion.  
 
“Owen was the funniest, most dynamic person you could ever want to meet. If he had not developed CTE, he would have grown up to be a wonderful contributing citizen,” said Rev. Katherine Brearley, Ph.D., Owen Thomas’ mother. “In speaking out about Owen’s brain disease, it is my hope that parents and coaches will unite to improve the safety of younger players, so football can continue to be a powerful and exciting sport that unites families and communities all across the United States.”

Research shows that youth athletes can fully recover within seven days, but overexertion from physical and cognitive activities exacerbates symptoms and protracts recovery time. Studies estimate that over 40 percent of high school athletes return to play too soon. The “when in doubt, sit it out” philosophy helps prevent further injury by asking players who may have suffered concussions to sit out.    
 
“Playing through a concussion is no longer a badge of honor, it’s reckless,” said Sean Morey, former NFL athlete and executive board member with the NFL Players Association. “Reporting our concussion is not a sign of weakness, it’s a responsibility we share to advocate for our own health and safety.”
 
In addition to recent state action, nationwide organizations are ramping up efforts to improve concussion safety. The NFL has taken steps to reduce the risk of concussions on the professional level and in youth sports.  
 
“The ‘Protecting Student Athletes from Concussions Act’ is a significant step forward in the campaign to protect our kids,” Stanley Herring, M.D., chairman of the Subcommittee on Education and Advocacy of the Head, Neck and Spine Committee of the NFL, and Team Physician for the Seattle Seahawks and Seattle Mariners. “As more has become known about the dangers of head injuries, the NFL has become the leader on concussions not just for the safety of its own players, but for all athletes at all levels of football as well as all other sports.  I see them every day – boys and girls, soccer, basketball and lacrosse players – young athletes who have endured concussions.  Those children can recover and play again if they receive proper treatment.”

For more information on the bill, click here.

“Concussions are an unfortunate reality of competitive athletics,” said U.S. Rep. Tim Bishop (D-NY). “But raising awareness of concussions among student athletes, coaches and teachers will make sports safer and improve classroom performance.”
 
High school athletes are more prone to sport-related concussions than their collegiate or professional counterparts. Surveys suggest that the prevalence of sports related concussions is much higher than reported and occurrence is highest at the high school level.
 
Witnesses discussed the need for comprehensive standards among all schools to ensure student health and protection.
 
“It is absolutely essential that there be a comprehensive concussion program established in all high schools, as well as youth sports,” said Dr. Hayley Queller, a primary care sports medicine physician. “Without such a program, we are putting our youth at risk of experiencing long-lasting emotional, physiological and academic deficits. To ensure that such programs are created, the first step is community-wide education. Injury prevention, early identification and appropriate management are the principal components to ensure the safe return of our high school athletes back to their sports activities.”
 
Studies estimate that over 40 percent of high school athletes return to play too soon.
 
“As an athletic trainer, it is my obligation to pay attention to every play of every game so I may be able to see an injury happen and know the severity,” said Craig LoNigro, the athletic trainer at Comsewogue High School. “It is my job to convince the athlete, his/her parents and the coaching staff that if action is not taken quickly, we could be dealing with a much bigger issue than losing a game.”
 
According to recent research, 400,000 concussions occurred in high school athletics in the 2008-2009 school year. Concussions account for ten percent of all injuries sustained by high school athletes, 60 percent of which occur in football. While the incident rate is highest among high school football players, girls seem more susceptible to concussions, according to the Journal of Athletic Training.
 
“I believe we need to do a better job advocating for the athlete and it starts with educating every party involved – parents, coaches, athletic trainers, teachers, school nurses and the athletes themselves,” said Caitlin Monaghan, a former high school student athlete from Garden City, New York, who suffered several concussions while playing for her high school’s soccer and basketball teams. “The symptoms, dangers and steps to take when a concussion occurs need to be clearly outlined including regulations concerning return to play.”
 
Witnesses also discussed concussion management among professional athletes. The National Football League (NFL) has recently taken steps to reduce the risk of concussions both in the professional league as well as in youth sports. 
 
“Participation in athletics teaches our children essential life lessons,” said Rich Caster, former football player for the New York Jets. “As we learn more about the dangers of head injuries, the NFL has chosen to become the leader on concussions not just for the safety of its own players, but for all athletes at all levels of football as well as other sports.”

In high school, communities have taken unique approaches to improve concussion management for their youth, including basic steps such as educating the students, parents and school personnel about concussions, removing the student from play when a concussion is suspected and providing students recovering from concussions an individualized plan for returning to school activities.

As part of their campaign, the NFL has started putting posters with information about concussion symptoms in every locker room. Witnesses testified that similar practices in schools would help spur education and communication, and support youth athletes.
 
“Football is truly an amazing sport,” said Courtney Hall, former football player for the San Diego Chargers.” But no sport should unduly endanger the lives of its participants. With more research into ways to protect players, all of us – players, coaches and fans – can continue to enjoy this game for years to come.”

More information, including witness testimony, on this hearing

“Our children need healthy meals to be able to grow, thrive and succeed in school and in life. Today, the Senate took an important step forward by passing their bipartisan legislation. I applaud Senator Lincoln and Senator Chambliss for their leadership to help get America’s families and children back on the road to healthy eating and healthier living. By changing the way our children eat in school, after school, in child care and community-based settings, we can make a real difference for our children and for our future.”

The Education and Labor Committee has held several hearings on child nutrition. In June, Miller introduced the Improving Nutrition for America’s Children Act, bipartisan legislation that would dramatically improve the federal child nutrition programs. The Education and Labor Committee passed the legislation in July.

“If we allow our children’s health to suffer, if we allow more children to go hungry by not taking swift action with this legislation, we fail our children, their families and the future of this country,” said U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chair of the House Education and Labor Committee and original co-sponsor of this legislation. “This legislation gives us a real opportunity to make dramatic reforms to help prevent hunger, to improve children’s health and increase access to healthy meals. The health and academic success of an entire generation of children is at stake.”

“Given the serious fiscal challenges facing our country, we must ensure that we devote our limited resources to our nation's most urgent priorities,” said Congressman Todd Platts (R-PA), original co-sponsor of the legislation. “Providing nutritious meals and improving health standards for our nation's children, especially those most in need, are such priorities. I am pleased to be working with colleagues on both sides of the aisle to move this important legislation forward.”

“I am pleased that this legislation calls for common sense action, to protect the health of our children. This bill addresses the need to work with children of all ages, from infants to high school age, to help them form healthy habits” said U.S. Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY), chair of the Subcommittee on Healthy Families and Communities and original co-sponsor of the legislation. “From provisions to encourage mothers to breast feed to infants, to addressing the need to begin working with preschoolers on forming healthy habits and promoting physical activity and quality recess time, this legislation takes a comprehensive approach to improving the health of our children. Simply, this bill emphasizes healthy food and healthy habits, which will make healthy children.”

In addition to other amendments offered by committee Members, the committee voted on a managers amendment, offered by Miller, that would bolster the legislation and help achieve President Obama’s goal of enhancing and improving the federal child nutrition programs. The amendment would expand the national afterschool meals program so more children in afterschool programs can have an additional snack or meal. Among other provisions, it would improve nutrition education and make further enhancements to food safety and food quality.

The managers amendment also strengthens the science-based foundation that ensures the WIC program best meets the nutrition needs of participants by enhancing the Secretary of Agriculture’s existing authority to conduct scientific reviews and ensures that the review considers the modern food environment, including innovations in the marketplace that may enhance WIC foods to better meet nutritional needs.

More information about the bill and amendments offered during the hearing

July 13, 2010

The Honorable Barack Obama
President
United States of America
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

Dear President Obama:

We write to you today regarding the pending reauthorization process for Federal child nutrition programs that we are currently leading in Congress. The support you have provided along with the First Lady’s passion on this issue has been greatly appreciated. As our process moves forward, it is important to highlight the path ahead and the additional steps that must be taken to ensure a successful legislative outcome. To that end, we respectfully request your assistance in ensuring that a strong reauthorization is delivered to your desk for signature before the programs expire on September 30.

As you know, child nutrition programs were extended for one year last fall. Prior to, and since that time, our respective Committees have worked closely together and with your Administration in order to develop reauthorization legislation that mirrors many of your recommendations to address two of the greatest threats to the health and security of America’s children: hunger and obesity. This year represents our best opportunity to see those efforts enacted into law.

Additionally, since last fall both chambers have been actively engaged in a bipartisan fashion to move forward legislation and maintain political momentum for the reauthorization process. In the House of Representatives, a bipartisan majority of 221 members of Congress sent a letter to Speaker Pelosi in strong support of reauthorizing child nutrition programs this year. In the Senate, a bipartisan majority of 53 senators sent a letter to Senate leadership urging swift passage of the child nutrition bill that was unanimously approved by the Agriculture Committee at the end of March.

Despite strong support and the popularity of child nutrition programs, our respective chambers continue to face challenges to enacting reauthorization legislation, the biggest of which is time. There are precious few legislative work weeks available between now and September 30th. Given these circumstances, your assistance in making this legislation a top priority for your Administration and communicating that priority to the leadership in the House and Senate is absolutely critical to ensuring that both chambers are able to send you a full reauthorization this year.

Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, who has been a forceful advocate for child nutrition within the Administration, put it best when he recently testified before Congress. “The bottom line from my perspective is that I can’t think of anything more important than getting [child nutrition] done this year…If we don’t do this this year, this is not going to get any easier. It’s going to get much, much tougher in the future.” We could not agree with Secretary Vilsack more, and Congress and the Administration must work collectively in order to pass the best bill possible and avoid another extension of current law.

Given the difficult political environment and partisanship within Congress today, child nutrition reauthorization represents one of our best opportunities to enact legislation that enjoys broad bipartisan support. Our children, and their families, deserve nothing less than our strongest leadership to see that bipartisanship passed into law. Through our combined efforts and with a strong push from you, we can maximize the likelihood of Congress passing, and you signing into law, this critically-needed legislation before the programs expire.

Thank you for your attention to this matter, and we look forward to continuing to work with you on this important priority.


Sincerely,

Blanche Lincoln

George Miller

“In mines around the country and in other workplaces as well, worker safety has not been a priority.  Bad actors have put profits ahead of people.  As a consequence, workers have lost vital protections, suffered significant injuries and, in too many cases, lost their lives,” said Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.  “We are determined to put sharper teeth in our workplace safety laws and to step up federal enforcement.  We look forward to working with members on both sides of the aisle to find bipartisan solutions for workers.  These policy ideals start that dialogue.”

“The Upper Big Branch tragedy highlighted significant problems in our nation’s miner safety laws and need substantial reform. Mine operators who callously and repeatedly put their workers in danger must be held accountable,” said U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chair of the House Education and Labor Committee. “It is clear that current law does not provide sufficient protections to miners who go underground every day. Today, we take the first step to ensure that the health and safety of workers are put ahead of production and profit.”

The House Education and Labor Committee, joined by Sen. Jay Rockefeller and the West Virginia congressional delegation, heard testimony in Beckley, West Virginia from miners and families of those who died in the Upper Big Branch Mine about serious shortcomings in miner protections, including threats and intimidation of miners who brought up safety concerns to their bosses.

“Too much hurt and tragedy has touched the lives and families of hard-working coal miners in West Virginia – we must pass laws that put a higher priority on safety day in and day out. In the aftermath of the Upper Big Branch mine disaster, Senator Byrd and I worked together to develop new legislative actions to safeguard our miners and that effect will go on,” said Senator Rockefeller (D-WV). “Even as the investigation of the Upper Big Branch mine continues, we know there are problems we can solve today – and we have an obligation to do just that.  We must tackle the repeat ‘pattern of violations’ in our mines, give MSHA the authority it needs to implement reforms, and further empower our miners with the protections they deserve to speak out when they see a safety problem.”

“This legislation has been crafted, in large measure, to target and rein in the worst of the worst mine safety violators, while also providing for independent investigations of MSHA," said Rep. Nick J. Rahall (D-WV), who represents the District where Massey's Upper Big Branch Mine is located. "I fully intend to keep working with miners, their families, and coal industry members to fine tune this bill to ensure that coal miners have safer, healthier workplaces while they continue their vital work providing for America's energy needs."      

Members of the House and Senate worked closely with the Department of Labor to ensure that the reforms outlined contained all the tools the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) says it needs to provide sufficient protections to miners and save lives.

“We have seen too many accidents over the last few months in workplaces across the country,” said Senator Patty Murray (D-WA).  “Between recent mine disasters and similar tragedies in other industries, it has become clear that Congress needs to act to strengthen protections provided by both MSHA and OSHA.  Some of the country’s workplace fatalities receive national attention – like the explosions at the Tesoro refinery in Washington or Upper Big Branch mine in West Virginia – but the vast majority get little attention beyond the affected family and friends. Workers everywhere and in every industry deserve to be able to feel confident that while they are working hard and doing their jobs, their employers are doing everything possible to keep them safe.”

“In addition to strengthening enforcement provisions, this bill also has strong safeguards to protect workers, including improved whistleblower provisions and penalties for those employers who violate a miner’s right against retaliation,” said Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-CA), chair of the House Workforce Protections Subcommittee. “In this tragic year for miners and other workers, the need for such reforms could not be more urgent. This bill will save lives.”

Among other provisions, the reforms outlined include:

•    Making Mines with Serious and Repeated Violations Safe – Criteria for ‘pattern of violations’ sanctions would be revamped to ensure that the nation’s most dangerous mine operations improve safety dramatically.
•    Ensuring Irresponsible Operators are Held Accountable – Maximum criminal and civil penalties would be increased and operators would be required to pay penalties in a timely manner.  
•    Giving MSHA Better Enforcement Tools – MSHA would be given the authority to subpoena documents and testimony. The agency could seek a court order to close a mine when there is a continuing threat to the health and safety of miners. MSHA could require more training of miners in unsafe mines. Increased rock dusting would be required to prevent coal dust explosions.  
•    Protecting Miners Who Speak out on Unsafe Conditions – Miners would be granted the right to refuse to work in unsafe conditions. Protections for workers who speak out about unsafe conditions would be strengthened, and miners would not lose pay for safety-related closures. In addition, miners would receive protections so they can speak freely during investigations.  
•    Increasing MSHA’s Accountability – The legislative outline provides for an independent investigation of the most serious accidents.  It would require that mine personnel are well-qualified, and ensure that inspections are comprehensive and well-targeted. Additionally, it requires pre-shift reviews of mine conditions and communication to ensure that appropriate safety information is transmitted.  
•    Guaranteeing Basic Protections in All Other Workplaces – To ensure that all  workplaces have basic protections, whistleblower protections would be strengthened, criminal and civil penalties would be increased, and hazard abatement would be sped up. In addition, victims of accidents and their family members would be provided greater rights during investigations and enforcement actions.

More information on these reforms

"Given the serious fiscal challenges facing our country, we must ensure that we devote our limited resources to our nation's most urgent priorities," said Platts. "Providing nutritious meals and improving health standards for our nation's children, especially those most in need, are such priorities. I am pleased to join with Chairman George Miller and Chairwoman Carolyn McCarthy in sponsoring this important legislation."

“This legislation addresses the need to work with children of all ages, from infants to children in high school on forming healthy habits.  Being overweight and obese increases the risk of developing chronic diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, and hypertension, among others,” said McCarthy (D-NY). “It is critically important for us to teach children the importance of healthy lifestyles at an early age, before they enter school when their behaviors are still beginning to form. This bill will encourage the types of activities that will contribute to students’ accumulated physical activity during the school day.”

“There isn't a community in America that's hunger-free,” U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA) said. “This year, with Chairman Miller's leadership, we can make great progress toward President Obama's goal of ending childhood hunger in America by 2015. I am hopeful that Congress -- in a bipartisan way -- will be up to the task.”

“This much-needed Child Nutrition Reauthorization will both increase access to food for hungry school kids and, just as important, improve the nutritional quality of the foods children eat at school. Even as adult obesity has doubled in recent years, we have seen child obesity triple. And given that kids consume roughly 35-50% of their daily calories during the school day, we have to work towards improving the nutritional quality of school food,” said U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT). “This bill takes important steps to address these problems, and will help to ensure all of our kids a healthier future.  I am glad to see this bill introduced today, and I look forward to working with my colleagues to help make it reality.”

The legislation mirrors key investments proposed by President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama in her “Let’s Move” initiative, including reducing childhood obesity and improving school wellness.  It will also provide new school food safety guidelines and encourage public and private partnerships to improve child nutrition.  

Building on the strong investments in child nutrition passed out of the Senate Agriculture Committee earlier this year, this legislation would use Medicaid and SCHIP data to automatically enroll eligible children in the federal school meals programs. It would also make it easier for high-poverty schools to serve meals at no cost to eligible children.

The legislation responds directly to a GAO investigation, conducted at Miller’s behest, regarding the safety of the meals in school. It would expand food safety requirements to extend to all areas where food is stored, prepared and served. It would also strengthen recall procedures to improve communication and speed notification between regulatory agencies and schools to ensure recalled food is not in served in the school meals programs.

Recognizing the need for significant reforms beyond the classroom, this legislation would also, for the first time, create minimum standards for food sold outside the cafeteria, such as through vending machines.

The legislation has the support of anti-hunger, nutrition and education organizations.  

For a fact sheet on the legislation, click here.

To view video excerpts of today’s news conference, click here.

A Government Accountability Office (GAO) report, conducted at the behest of U.S. Rep. George Miller, chair of the Committee, and other bipartisan lawmakers, found that concussions in high school athletes are widely unreported and underappreciated.

Dr. Linda Kohn, Director of Health Care Issues at GAO testified that the available data “may be underestimates of the overall national occurrence of concussion in high school sports.”

“It is clear we need to put more focus on the ‘student’ part of the student athlete. The pressure to play is overriding medical concerns and students’ academic achievement,” said Miller. “A concussion doesn’t have to mean the end of a student’s athletic career, but without the appropriate management and treatment, it could have serious implications.  We need to do more to increase awareness for parents, teachers, coaches and students on the effect of concussions – to ensure success both in the classroom and on the field.”

Concussions account for 10 percent of all injuries sustained by high school athletes. Studies show girls are more susceptible to concussions. Incidence rates in girls’ soccer ranks second only to football. In basketball, girls appear to sustain concussions at three times the rate of male basketball players.

Witnesses testified about the effect concussions have on student achievement.

“There are significant threats to the child and adolescent as a result of an injury to the developing brain from concussion. The effects of a concussion are quite significant and potentially wide ranging, with an adverse impact on the student-athlete’s ability to think and learn and his or her social and emotional functioning,” said Dr. Gerard A. Gioia, Chief  of the Division of Pediatric Neuropsychology at the Children’s National Medical Center.

Gioia also reported that in a recent study, over 80 percent of  students who had suffered concussions reported  “a significant worsening of symptoms over the first four weeks as they attempted school learning activities.”

Michelle Pelton, a former student athlete from Fall River, Massachusetts, suffers from the cumulative effects of the concussions she sustained during her adolescence, five of which occurred while participating in softball and basketball at her school. Pelton retired from sports and sought treatment. She graduated from high school but lost a college scholarship.

“I cannot even begin to explain the daily struggle my life has become and everything I have lost because of my concussions. No one can see my injury but it’s there. I know I have learned to overcome and compensated for my injuries because I am so determined to keep as many of my dreams in my life as possible, but not without a tremendous price,” said Pelton. “Every day I endure memory loss, lack of concentration, depression, slow processing speed and cognitive effects that makes my everyday life a battle.”

Michael Monacelli, Director of Athletics at Caledonia-Mumford Central School in Caledonia, New York, implemented a successful concussion management program to help reduce injury risks after learning of the implications of concussions on student learning.

“We are in a comfort zone with concussion management in our district. We have full confidence in the system. Most assuredly as coaches, we do not want to see these injuries,” said Monacelli. “But we know that now the concussed student can be properly diagnosed and managed. The student-athlete will get better and will play again.”

Only four states, Washington, Oregon, Texas and Virginia, have laws or regulations regarding concussion management in high schools. U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ) introduced the Concussion Treatment and Care Tools Act (H.R. 1347) to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish management guidelines for student athletes.

View witness testimony

“I am encouraged by the Task Force’s meaningful recommended actions to end the childhood obesity crisis that is threatening the future of our country. As we work to rewrite our child nutrition laws this year, this report will inform the important decisions we will make to help ensure all children have access to the healthy meals they need. I commend the First Lady for lending  her leadership, her wisdom and her vision to forge partnerships across all levels of government and in our communities that will reshape children’s health in this country.  It is clear from this report that by working together to improve child nutrition, we can make a real difference in the lives of millions of children and families.”

The FIT Kids Act, H.R. 1585, which passed the House of Representatives yesterday, renews the emphasis on physical education in schools.  The Act would work to ensure kids are active during the school day and are taught to be personally responsible for their health.  The legislation would engage parents and the public by requiring all school districts and states to report on students’ physical activity, including the amount of time spent in required physical education in relation to the recommended national standard.  In addition, the Act would fund research to examine the link between children’s health and their academic achievement and recommend effective and innovative ways to get physical education back into schools.

“This bill gets to the simple truth: in order to develop healthy minds, you need healthy bodies,” said Rep. Ron Kind, co-chair of the Congressional Fitness Caucus.  “Providing increased physical education in public schools will give every child an opportunity – regardless of their background – to learn healthy habits and get moving.  We will see the benefits in their math and reading test scores, get to the root of the obesity epidemic, and get kids on a healthy path early in life.”

“Physical Education has been squeezed out of our schools and it needs to be welcomed back in with open arms,” said Rep. Zach Wamp.  “Research shows that children who get a good healthy dose of cardiovascular exercise have better brain functions, test scores and sleep patterns, along with an increased quality of life. Children who are physically well do much better in schools and avoid the chronic health consequences of a sedentary lifestyle, such as type 2 diabetes, obesity and hypertension. The FIT Kids Act will help provide the research and information on what works best to incorporate P.E. into schools. This can be shared with parents, teachers and school directors so they can help our next generation lead an active lifestyle.”
“With one in three children in this country considered overweight or obese, childhood obesity has become a major threat to our nation’s physical and economic health,” said Rep. George Miller, chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee. “The First Lady has rightfully recognized the need to address this epidemic and this bill complements the work of Congress and represents a first step toward improving the health and well-being of our schoolchildren.  By empowering parents, schools and students to lead healthier lives and become more physically active, we can help our kids grow, thrive, and succeed in school and in life.”

"In my heart I knew this day would come,” said Richard Simmons.  “For the last three and a half years I have worked so hard with my team to make the FIT Kids Act a reality.  We will continue to work hard so it will also pass in the Senate, and on the day that President Obama signs the bill in to law, he'll give me one of the pens. I look forward to sharing with he and the First Lady all of my ideas on how we can get our kids more fit."

“House passage of FIT Kids Act reinforces the American Heart Association’s efforts to improve the health and wellness of children,” said Nancy Brown, CEO of the American Heart Association.  “With childhood obesity still a growing national health concern, this bill brings us one step closer to making daily, quality physical education a reality for all America’s kids.”

“The National Football League's youth health and fitness campaign, NFL PLAY 60, recognizes the importance of daily physical activity and encourages children to lead active lifestyles,” said Roger Goodell, NFL Commissioner.  “The Fit Kids Act shares that goal and is an important step in strengthening physical education programs in our schools.

With the continued rise in childhood obesity, it is important that we make physical activity a bigger priority in schools,” said Bill Sells, Vice President of the Sporting Goods Manufacturing Association.  “Active children are much more likely to be active adults.  The Fit Kids Act will be a key part of the solution to sedentary lifestyles by getting America’s young people moving to encourage lifelong activity and health.”

“The passage of the Fit Kids Act supports NASPE’s mission by disseminating crucial information to parents and the public about the quality and quantity of physical education being offered in our schools,” said Dr. Fran Cleland, NASPE Past President. “This information will lead to providing the nation’s students with highly qualified teachers who implement best practices and innovative programming and instilling students with the knowledge, skills and confidence to lead a healthy and active lifestyle.”

The FIT Kids Act has been endorsed by the following organizations: The American Heart Association, American Stroke Association, National Association for Sport and Physical Education, Afterschool Alliance, American Association for Physical Activity and Recreation, American School Health Association, Healthy Schools Campaign, National Association of Health Education Centers, National Association for County and City Health Officials, National Recreation and Park Association, Obesity Action Coalition, Researchers Against Inactivity-related Disorders, SPARK, Shaping America’s Health, Trust for America’s Health, American College of Sports Medicine, and the YMCA.

Childhood Obesity in America

Childhood obesity in the United States has reached epidemic proportions.  Recent studies indicate that 17 percent of 6 to 11 year olds and 17.6 percent of 12 to 19 year olds are considered obese. Furthermore, 33 percent of 6 to 11 year olds and 34 percent of 12 to 19 year olds are overweight; these rates have roughly doubled since 1980.

Overweight children and teens are much more likely to develop cardiovascular disease, type II diabetes, asthma, sleep apnea, and various forms of cancer.  This is a costly expense to our health care system; obesity related medical costs totaled $147 billion in 2008.  

Researchers suggest that the childhood obesity epidemic is largely due to a decline in regular physical activity and a diet high in empty and fat-laden calories.  A lack of regular physical activity not only hurts a child’s health, it can also affect his/her academic development, as research also shows that healthy children learn more effectively and are higher academic achievers.  

Increasing physical activity is the most important component of any initiative to combat childhood obesity and promote the health of students. Unfortunately, many schools are being forced to cut back on PE programs because of lack of resources and competing academic demands and testing. Between 1991 and 2003, enrollment of high school students in daily PE classes fell from 41.6% to 28.4%.

“By focusing early on to support youth with the right tools and resources, we can achieve the dual goal of both helping children at-risk become productive citizens and keeping our communities safe,”  said U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chair of the committee. “We can do this with by pursuing an evidence-based, comprehensive approach to juvenile justice that works to prevent juvenile delinquency as well as intervene with services and treatments when appropriate.”

The Juvenile Justice Delinquency Protection Act (JJDPA) was originally passed in 1974 to support state and local justice systems specifically focused on the unique needs of youth. The law was last reauthorized in 2002 and promotes the humane treatment of children in the juvenile justice system through four “core protections” and authorizes grants to states and communities for prevention and intervention initiatives.

The protections include a requirement that prohibits states from detaining status offenders --  juveniles charged with crimes that wouldn’t be prosecuted if not for their age; removing youth under the jurisdiction of the juvenile court from adult lock ups; sight and sound protections to ensure juveniles held in adult lock ups have no sight or sound contact with adults and requirements for states to address the disproportionate number of minority youth at all points in the juvenile justice system.

Witnesses discussed the need to fix loopholes in the core protections, especially in regards to status offenders and jail removal.

“The underlying causes of status offenses are typically linked to problems at home and school, and to unmet trauma and mental health needs of young people. Locked detention is not designed to treat or to resolve such causes,” said A. Hasan Davis, Deputy Commissioner for Operations for the Kentucky Department of Juvenile Justice. “More importantly, the negative outcomes that can arise from detention far outweigh any benefits of short-term confinement without access to critical services necessary to eliminate the reasons for the status offense.”

Tracy McClard of Jackson, Missouri urged the panel to consider completely removing youth from adult facilities. McClard’s son Jonathan hung himself after suffering abuse and torture at the hands of the adult inmates.

“Jonathan’s experience taught me that no child should be placed with adults no matter what, because when children are put in with adults they die - physically or mentally,”  said McClard. “[I]f the goal of the juvenile and criminal justice system is to keep our communities safe, how safe can our communities be if a kid in Jonathan’s position would have spent five, ten, fifteen or more years in the conditions Jonathan faced and with the role models he had.”

Every year, 200,000 youth in this country are held, sentenced or incarcerated as adults. Children in adult jails are eight times more likely to commit suicide than in juvenile facilities, and 50 percent more likely to be attacked with a weapon, and much more likely to be raped.

Witnesses testified that a comprehensive approach, focusing on evidence-based alternatives to detention, can better serve juveniles and the community. In Clayton County, Georgia, for example, juvenile delinquency decreased by over fifty percvent after officials within the juvenile hjystice system changed their approach and started making more collaborative and evidenced-based decisions that focused on community-based alternatives to detention.

“Too often, the juvenile justice system is viewed as a single agency that exists separate and apart from other state agencies that work with youth,” said Steven C. Teske, a Judge for the Clayton County Juvenile Court in Georgia. “However, in order to achieve the desired outcome of the juvenile justice system - preventing delinquency for youth not involved in the system and keeping youth already in the system from re-offending - we must understand why youth are getting into trouble in the first place. By using a collaborative approach, we can identify the root causes for youth coming.”

Minority youth are disproportionally represented within the juvenile justice system. Specifically, in 2006, data show black youth were five times more likely to be detained than white youth. Witnesses testified that youth of color receive more harsh responses than white youth and the committee should take efforts to reduce the racial and ethnic disparities in the system.

“The extent of disproportionate minority contact and racial and ethnic disparities has reached a level crisis that must be addressed, and it is a crisis that can be addressed with a strategic and intentional approach,” said Michael Belton,  Deputy Director of Juvenile Corrections in Ramsey County, MN.

Belton also discussed the need to properly use data to inform policies and practices, suggesting the committee’s reauthorization must include developing and implementing data systems that “identify where racial and ethnic disparities exist.”

Witness testimony and an archived webcast of the hearing are available here

 “For millions of children, the meals they eat at school, in afterschool programs or child care are their nutritional safety net. Senator Lincoln and I both know we need to do everything we can to help all eligible children have access to healthy, safe and nutritious meals. Senator Lincoln's focus on improving access and nutrition quality rightfully address many of the concerns I often hear from parents, stakeholders and school leaders. I look forward to working with her as we continue our efforts to strengthen and improve child nutrition for kids across the country.”

The Education and Labor Committee recently held a hearing about improving the federal child nutrition programs.

A U.S. Government Accountability Office report released last spring exposed hundreds of alleged cases of schoolchildren being abused as a result of inappropriate uses of restraint and seclusion, often involving untrained staff. The victims were children as young as three and four, students with disabilities and without disabilities, who attended both public and private schools. In a number of cases, children died. In some of the cases GAO investigated, ropes, duct tape, and chairs with straps and bungee cords were used to restrain or isolate young children.

“It’s time to end this nightmare of abuse that has hurt too many students, classmates, families and school communities,” said U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee. “This bill simply says that every child, in every school, in every state deserves the same basic level of protections that they currently receive in hospitals.”

“I am genuinely pleased by the House’s bipartisan support for H.R. 4247, the Keeping All Students Safe in Schools Act,” said U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), original sponsor of the legislation. “This critical piece of legislation confronts the unimaginable situation in schools across the country whereby some of our nation’s most vulnerable children are treated in an inhumane and degrading manner. The thousands of incidents reported by GAO and others together with the piecemeal approach taken by the states demonstrates the need for federal guidance. I’ve been proud to work with many organizations and this is a victory for them. I thank Chairman Miller for his leadership and my colleagues for their support. Together, we will work to ensure this bill is passed by the Senate.”

Unlike in hospitals and other community-based facilities that receive federal taxpayer dollars, there are currently no federal laws that address how and when restraint and seclusion can be used on children in public and private schools. GAO also found that improperly trained teachers were too often using these practices as frequent discipline.

Seclusion, as the term is used in this context, means the act of involuntarily confining a student in an area by himself. Restraint is used to restrict an individual’s freedom of movement.

According to a recent report from the U.S. Department of Education, state laws on restraint and seclusion vary widely. Nineteen states have no laws at all. Of the 31 states that do have laws in place, many are not comprehensive enough to protect all students, in every kind of school.

The Keeping All Students Safe Act would establish, for the first time, minimum federal standards to provide equal protections to all students, in every state across the country. It would make clear that physical restraint or locked seclusion should be used only when there is imminent danger of injury and only when imposed by trained staff. It would prohibit mechanical restraints, such as strapping children to chairs, misusing therapeutic equipment to punish students or duct-taping parts of their bodies and any restraint that restricts breathing.

It would also prohibit chemical restraint, which are medications used to control behavior that are not consistent with a doctor’s prescription.

The bill would prohibit school staff from including restraint or seclusion as planned interventions in student’s education plans, known as Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). It would also require schools to notify parents immediately after incidents when restraint or seclusion was used.

In many of the cases GAO examined, parents only learned that their child was being restrained or secluded from a whistle-blowing teacher – or when their child came home bruised.

The legislation would also allow states the flexibility to tailor their individual laws based on their needs: It would ask states to have their own laws in place, within two years, that either meet or exceed these basic federal standards.

Full list of supporters

Read the GAO’s investigation

Learn more about the bill

“Children who are served healthy and balanced meals are better poised for success in school and in life,” said U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee. “Making sure children have access to the foods they need well before they enter kindergarten will be critical as we work to improve our federal child nutrition laws this year.”

Improving the federal school meal and child nutrition programs is one of four key strategies of First Lady Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” campaign to end childhood obesity within a generation.

Witnesses today echoed the First Lady’s goal and urged Congress to consider strengthening several policy areas to improve child nutrition.

The school meal programs have the greatest reach of all the child nutrition programs.  In over 100,000 schools across the country, more than 31 million children rely on the federal school meal programs each day.

“It will not be easy to reconcile the needs of our children with the massive public debt we face as a country,” said Dora R. Rivas, President of the School Nutrition Association and Executive Director of Food and Child Nutrition Services at the Dallas Independent School District. “Investing in our children and preparing them to learn and compete in a global economy must remain one of the country’s highest priorities.”

Rivas specifically asked Congress to help improve children’s access to the school meal programs and to support high quality nutrition. 

Studies have shown that early access to good nutrition can have a positive effect on children’s development and achievement.  The Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) reimburses program participants, such as child care centers, family child care homes, Head Start, after school programs and shelters for food and meal preparation costs, ongoing nutrition training and more.  Each day, about three million children receive meals and snacks under the CACFP while in child care.

“CACFP is a vital source of support for family child care providers, centers and Head Start Programs,” said Carolyn L. Morrison, President of the National Child and Adult Care Food Program Forum. “CACFP sponsoring organizations play a critical role in ensuring child care providers can participate in this program and serve healthful meals to children under their care.
 
Another key program, WIC, provides supplemental foods, health care referrals and nutrition education for low-income pregnant, breastfeeding and infants and children up to age five who are at a nutritional risk. Studies show breastfeeding is the best source of nutrition for infants, but low-income women are significantly less likely to breastfeed. As witnesses explained today, low-income women who participate in WIC are more likely to breastfeed – setting their children on a path to lead healthier lives.

“Appreciating the external challenge we face in the WIC Program, Congress has recognized the importance of WIC breastfeeding promotion and support and has steadily increased the funding available to support this effort,” said Kiran Saluja, Deputy Director of Public Health Foundation Enterprises, Inc. “WIC staff has not only embraced, but championed breastfeeding personally and professionally. Within WIC we have clearly established breastfeeding as the expectation and the norm.”

More information about recent investments in child nutrition

More information about the First Lady’s effort to end childhood obesity

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“The First Lady has set the stage for dramatic improvements in children’s health by lending her leadership, credibility and great ideas to help end the U.S. childhood obesity crisis. Making sure that our school cafeterias serve healthy and nutritious foods and that children and their families have access to these foods will be critical as we work to improve our federal child nutrition laws. Access to affordable, safe and healthier meals should be the rule – not the exception – for children and families across our nation.”

The “Let’s Move” initiative will focus on reaching the goal of ending childhood obesity in four ways: getting parents more involved and informed about nutrition and exercise; making healthy foods more accessible and affordable; increasing attention to physical activity; and improving the quality of food in the school meal programs. The federal school meal programs serve 31 million students each day.

“Making sure the foods we serve our schoolchildren are safe must be a top priority for USDA, especially since several rounds of recalled beef have made their way into school cafeterias in recent years.  This announcement is a meaningful step toward putting effective systems in place for ensuring the safety, quality and integrity of the foods we serve our students.”
 
While schools generally have a strong record on providing safe school meals, Miller has become increasingly concerned by the numerous ground beef recalls from the commercial market and has worked to fully examine the integrity of the system responsible for ensuring that contaminated products are not being served to children.
                                                                                                      
More than 31 million children participate in the school meal programs each day.  Schools are responsible for providing high-quality and safe meals, which includes foods obtained through the USDA commodity program and from the commercial market. In order for schools to fully meet their responsibilities, however, every other supplier in the food chain system – from farm to fork – must also do their part to keep food safe.

Miller has been closely monitoring President Obama’s work to increase coordination and improve communication among the numerous federal agencies with responsibility for ensuring food safety.  In a letter to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack in January, he urged the USDA to fully meet its responsibility to keep adulterated ground beef out of commerce and out of schools.   Specifically, he asked the Department to identify strategies to reduce the complexity and increase the transparency of the food safety system in a manner that will assure the public that the foods they consume at school are safe. 

To see a copy of Miller’s letter, click here.
 
The Education and Labor Committee has jurisdiction over the federal school meal and child nutrition programs.

A U.S. Government Accountability Office report released last spring exposed hundreds of cases of schoolchildren being abused as a result of inappropriate uses of restraint and seclusion, often involving untrained staff. In some cases, children died. A disproportionate number of these victims were students with disabilities. In some of the cases GAO investigated, ropes, duct tape, chairs with straps and bungee cords were used to restrain or isolate young children.

“This bill makes clear that there is no place in our schools for abuse and torture,” said U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee. “The egregious abuse of a child should not be considered less criminal because it happens in a classroom -- it should be the opposite. I’m proud that this bill has bipartisan support and I hope the full House will vote on it soon.”

“I’m pleased that H.R. 4247, the Preventing Harmful Restraint and Seclusion in Schools Act, was reported out of Committee today. This is a victory for students, parents, families, educators, and advocates who have worked tirelessly to ensure the health and safety of children in schools,” said U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), a member of the House Education and Labor Committee and vice chair of the House Republican Conference. “When I send my son Cole to school, I send him with the expectation that he is safe from danger.  Yet, there have been hundreds of cases in which schoolchildren were harmed as a result of inappropriate uses of restraint and seclusion.  Our bill is a long stride forward in ensuring that our tax dollars are not used to abuse children.  I look forward to working with Chairman Miller and my colleagues to pass this bill through Congress this year, and have it signed into law.”

Unlike in hospitals and other medical and community-based facilities that receive federal health funding, there are currently no federal laws addressing restraint and seclusion in schools. While the Children’s Health Act of 2000 regulates how and when restraint and seclusion can be used on children in these other settings, this bill would cover schools for the first time.  State regulation and oversight varies greatly; many states provide no guidance or assistance regarding these behavioral interventions.

The Preventing Harmful Restraint and Seclusion in Schools Act will, for the first time, put in place minimum safety standards to prevent abusive restraint and seclusion in schools across the country, similar to protections already in place in medical and community based facilities. After two years, states will need to have their own policies in place to meet these minimum standards. It would apply to public schools, private schools and preschools receiving federal education support. Specifically the legislation would:
• Limit physical restraint and locked seclusion, allowing these interventions only when there is imminent danger of injury, and only when imposed by trained staff;
• Outlaw mechanical restraints, such as strapping kids to chairs, and prohibit restraints that restrict breathing;
• Require schools to notify parents after incidents when restraint or seclusion was used;
• Encourage states to provide support and training to better protect students and prevent the need for emergency behavioral interventions; and
• Increase transparency, oversight and enforcement tools to prevent future abuse.
The legislation embodies principles outlined by the Obama administration in December. It has the support of nearly 100 organizations, including the National School Boards Association, the National Education Association, and the American Federation of Teachers. See a full list of supporters here: http://edlabor.house.gov/blog/2010/01/supporters-of-the-preventing-h.shtml

Miller first requested the GAO investigation in January 2009, after the National Disability Rights Network released a report highlighting these abuses.

For more information about the bill, click here.

To learn more about definitions in the bill, click here.

To learn more about the myths/facts in regards to this bill, click here.

“Nothing is more important than our children’s health, but for too many families, healthy meals fall to the wayside as they struggle to make ends meet.  Our nation’s school meal and child nutrition programs provide millions of children with nutritious meals and help them develop healthy life habits – and will be critically important in the fight against childhood obesity. As we work to rewrite our child nutrition laws this year, we must focus on eliminating any barriers to these programs, so that all eligible children have access to healthier foods and nutrition education whether in school, child care, or at home.

“Improving child nutrition and tackling childhood obesity will be a challenge, but no one is better equipped to take it on than our First Lady. She has already done wonders to raise public awareness of the benefits of gardening and healthy eating and I applaud her for choosing this as her first key policy initiative. I look forward to working with the First Lady on this initiative and am committed to working with my colleagues in Congress on a bipartisan, comprehensive reauthorization of our child nutrition laws.”

The Education and Labor Committee has jurisdiction over federal school meal and afterschool meal programs, the Special Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), and community-based programs such as the summer meals program and the child and adult care food program.

 "This report shows us the haunting realities facing far too many Americans who can’t meet their families’ basic needs. More than one in five households in this country struggled to put food on their table last year – the highest number in more than a decade. As we work to reauthorize child nutrition laws, we need to keep our focus squarely on ensuring more eligible children are participating and have access to healthy meals through the federal child nutrition programs.  These programs serve as a nutrition safety net for millions of children and can have a central role in reducing hunger among children."

To read the full study, click here.

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A recently issued GAO report identified standards and procedures to help reduce the risk of school children consuming recalled food purchased as commodities to use in school meals. The report specifically focused on eliminating contaminated food provided to schools through the commodity food program for use in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) school meal programs. In his letter today, Miller asked GAO to also examine what protocols exist to ensure foods, specifically processed meat, that schools purchase on the commercial market, outside of USDA’s commodity program, is safe. 

“I write because I remain concerned about the safety of our nation’s food supply and whether there is an undue risk for food contaminated with dangerous pathogens to be unknowingly purchased by schools for use in the school meal programs,” wrote Miller, whose committee has jurisdiction over school nutrition programs. “Recent media reports have drawn our attention yet again to significant recalls of contaminated ground beef that was available in the commercial marketplace. Although there are no reports of schools being implicated in any of the food safety illnesses related to this latest wave of recalls, I am concerned that the systems in place do not adequately minimize schools’ risk for procuring and providing contaminated products purchased through commercial channels for use in the school meal programs.”

Earlier this month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that beef contaminated with E. coli, produced at a New York meat processing plant, killed two people and sent 16 others to the hospital. That outbreak led to the recall of over 500,000 pounds of ground beef from retailers, including Trader Joe’s, Price Chopper’s and Giant Foods.  While the U.S. Department of Agriculture requires that all ground beef made available to schools through the commodity program be tested for E.coli, ground beef processed and sold to schools on the commercial market is not subject to the same minimum standards.  It is currently up to local school districts to decide whether to require ground beef products purchased from the commercial market to undergo similar quality and safety testing as USDA commodity products.
                           
The full text of the letter is below. 

Mr. Gene L. Dodaro
Acting Comptroller General
U.S. Government Accountability Office

Dear Mr. Dodaro:

I write because I remain concerned about the safety of our nation’s food supply and whether there is an undue risk for food contaminated with dangerous pathogens to be unknowingly purchased by schools for use in the school meal programs.  In light of this concern, I ask that GAO investigate the food safety standards and procedures within the complex partnership of federal, state, and local entities responsible for ensuring the safety of food procured through commercial channels for use in the school meal programs.
 
In response to a request several fellow lawmakers and I made in the wake of highly publicized food recalls early last year, GAO issued a report in September focused upon food purchased for use in schools through the federal commodities program.  While this report provides important information to help ensure the safety of the school meal programs, I am especially concerned about beef purchased on the commercial market and not through the federal commodity program that GAO focused upon in its September report.  Recent media reports have drawn our attention yet again to significant recalls of contaminated ground beef that was available in the commercial marketplace.  Although there are no reports of schools being implicated in any of the food safety illnesses related to this latest wave of recalls, I am concerned that the systems in place do not adequately minimize schools’ risk for procuring and providing contaminated product purchased through commercial channels for use in the school meal programs.
                                                 
Accordingly, I respectfully request that GAO investigate whether sufficient protocols and standards exist at the federal, state, and local levels to ensure the safety of meat and other food procured by schools through commercial channels.  Specifically, I ask that GAO compare the protocols and standards for ensuring the safety of foods made available to schools purchased through the federal commodity program to the protocols and standards for similar foods purchased from the commercial market.  I also ask that GAO investigate whether there is any deficiency in the safety and quality of ground beef sold or made available to schools in the commercial marketplace compared to the safety and quality standards demanded by other buyers of the same product in the marketplace. 

Thank you for your attention to this issue.

Sincerely,

 

GEORGE MILLER                                                
Chairman                                                                    
Committee on Education and Labor   

Cc:     Richard Durbin
          Senator

          John Kline
          Ranking Member, Committee on Education and Labor

Carolyn McCarthy
Chairwoman, Subcommittee on Healthy Families

          Rosa DeLauro
          Chairwoman, House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture

               
               
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The report, Direct Certification in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP): State Implementation Progress, released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), examined the effectiveness of states and school districts in helping to eliminate barriers to direct enrollment in the NSLP. The Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004 required school districts to create systems to automatically enroll children for free school meals whose families receive benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly called Food Stamps.

“There are millions of children who rely on school meals as a nutritional safety net and millions more who are eligible but are not receiving their due benefits. This report shows us the important progress schools are making to use direct certification systems to increase children’s access to school meals, but there is more work to be done to continue to improve these systems  and provide critical nutrition support to working families and their children,” said U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee.  “The school meal programs ensure that families don’t have to choose between paying their bills and feeding their children. Direct certification helps ease that burden even more.”

“Last month, Congress made important investments to help more schools to directly certify their eligible students, which will be a big step forward toward reducing this hunger risk – and in a fiscally responsible way,” Miller continued. “President Obama, Secretary Vilsack and I know that one of the most important things we can do to help our most vulnerable children succeed is to ensure they have access to healthy, safe, nutritious – and affordable – meals.”

"This report highlights what we heard last month from witnesses before our subcommittee that if we are to ensure all eligible kids have access to these important meal programs, we need to improve our direct certification capabilities," said U.S. Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY), chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Healthy Families and Communities.

For more information about the investments in child nutrition, click here. 

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“This report shows us the first steps we need to take to raise the overall quality of the foods in schools for the millions of families who rely on the federal child nutrition programs as a nutritional safety net for their kids. It is clear the meals children eat at school play an important role in improving overall child nutrition and promoting healthy eating habits," said Miller. "These recommendations will help guide future conversations about how to ensure states, schools and food service directors have the resources and support they need to provide the healthy, nutritious and affordable meals our students need to thrive in school and in life.”

"The IOM's report points out that today there are more overweight children in our nation than undernourished children," said McCarthy. "While there is no silver bullet to solving the obesity crisis, the recommendations in this report - such as maximum calorie levels and nutritious diet- will go a long way to support our fight against childhood obesity."

To learn more about the recent investments in child nutrition to improve access to healthy and nutritious school meals, click here.

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“With unemployment and health care costs on the rise, millions of families are relying on the federal child nutrition programs as the nutritional safety net for their children.” said U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee. “Giving our most vulnerable children access to healthy, safe, nutritious and affordable meals is one of the most important things we can do to help them thrive in school and in life.”

 “I am pleased the bill included onetime spending initiatives that will provide an outstanding opportunity for children of all ages to have better access to healthier food,” said U.S. Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY), chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Healthy Families and Communities. “Although there is no silver bullet to fighting obesity, I am proud that our bill provides support to outstanding WIC breastfeeding programs.  Breastfeeding is associated with lower rates of obesity as well as respiratory infections, sudden infant death syndrome, and type 2 diabetes and I believe we must do everything we can to support mothers who are breastfeeding.”
The investments in this legislation, which are fully paid for, will strengthen the child nutrition programs by building program capacity and expanding children’s access to benefits and services. Over 32 million children receive healthful meals and snacks through the federal child nutrition programs. This extension provides $85 million for pilot summer food service program projects that will help expand nutrition benefits for low-income children during the summer. It also provides support to states to help increase the number of children who are automatically enrolled for free school meals and to help reduce administrative errors in the program.

Additionally, the legislation includes funding for school food service equipment grants, building on investments included as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to provide schools with the necessary equipment to help store, prepare and serve healthy foods. It also promotes healthy and nutritious meals in child care settings and rewards states that are making strides in encouraging more low-income women to breast feed. Studies show that breast feeding can lead to increased immunity and reduce risks for obesity.

Every day, 13 million U.S. children are at risk of food insecurity. Research shows children who are hungry have a harder time paying attention in school. President Obama has outlined eliminating hunger and improving nutrition for all children as top priorities for his administration. The Education and Labor Committee is continuing to work toward a comprehensive reauthorization of the child nutrition programs before the end of this Congress. 

For more information about the investments in the child nutrition program, click here.

Tomorrow, the House Education and Labor Committee will hold a hearing on child nutrition. To learn more, click here.
 

The investigation by the U.S. Government Accountability Office found that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Services (FNS), the government agency which oversees the federal school meals program, “did not always ensure that states and schools receives timely and complete notification about suspect food products provided to schools through the federal commodity program.” In some cases, it took states and schools several days to a week or more to fully determine which products were recalled. During that time, the recalled products may have been served in the school meals.  The investigation was requested by U.S. Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL), and U.S. Reps. George Miller (D-CA), Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), and Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY).

“This report underscores the need for comprehensive reform of our food safety structures,” said Durbin. “The 30 million students in the national school lunch program, their parents, and the country at large, deserve to know that the food they eat is safe and free of contaminants.”

“Ensuring that all children have access to healthy and nutritious meals during the school day is vital to our efforts to help all children learn and succeed. Every possible effort must be made to make sure that the foods served to our schoolchildren are safe to eat,” said Miller, the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, which has jurisdiction over the Child Nutrition Act. “As we work toward reauthorizing the school meal programs, it is clear that further actions must be taken to strengthen the communications, planning and procedures needed to prevent recalled or contaminated foods from entering our cafeterias.”

“It is absolutely essential that food recalls affecting schools are carried out quickly and effectively because children are most vulnerable to becoming seriously ill from food-borne illness outbreaks,” said DeLauro. “This report demonstrates that much work needs to be done to ensure that adequate monitoring and notification procedures are in place to remove recalled food products from school cafeterias.  I will work with USDA and FNS to ensure that our school children our protected from unsafe foods.”     

“This report shows us that school safety doesn’t just mean stopping violence and bullying. It also means ensuring our students have access to healthy, and safe school meals,” said McCarthy. “It is clear there is no silver bullet solution but I hope the administration will take the appropriate action to keep the school meal program safe for all our children.”

Foods from the commodity market account for 15 to 20 percent of school meal products.  The process in place to notify schools of contaminated or recalled products starts first with FNS, who contacts state agencies; state agencies then notify school districts. FNS must notify states within 24 hours of learning of a recall, and then states are expected to notify school districts within 24 hours of receiving the notice. When states or school districts purchase food commercially, which accounts for the remaining 80 to 85 percent of products in school meals, the school district is typically notified directly by a distributor, wholesaler, or whoever sold the school district the food.

The report highlights the lack of communication among the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and FNS. The gaps in communication among these agencies ultimately leads to delays in schools and school districts receiving the information they needed to take timely action. Gaps also meant school districts did not receive appropriate guidance on how to dispose of recalled products, which could increase the risk for those products to be “inadvertently consumed.”

In some instances, school districts initiated the hold on potentially contaminated products themselves while they waited for confirmation from USDA.

The lawmakers requested the probe initially in February 2008, after an undercover video by the Humane Society of the United States revealed egregious abuses of cattle at a California meatpacking plant, which led to the largest beef recall in U.S. history. A significant portion of the recalled meat had been supplied to school and other federal nutrition programs.

The report also looked into contaminated peanut products, after information was revealed about the unsanitary conditions at the Peanut Corporation of America in Blakely, Georgia that led to a salmonella outbreak. According to new reports, the plant’s outbreak was linked with sickness in more than 500 people; including eight deaths.

To view the full GAO report, click here.

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“Schools must be safe places for all students, regardless of sexual orientation, so that they can learn without fear of being bullied or attacked,” said U.S. Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY), chairwoman of the Healthy Families and Communities Subcommittee. “I am grateful for the witnesses who came today to testify about school safety, and I was especially pleased that Ms. Sirdeaner Walker could join us. She told the heartbreaking story of her 11 year old son Carl who committed suicide after being the victim of anti-gay harassment. I pledge to work with my fellow members of Congress to decrease incidents of bullying, harassment, and violence in our schools.  We need to do more to prevent school violence and we must start by finding better means of collecting and analyzing data so we can learn more about the problem and find ways to fix it once and for all.”

“As a father, a grandfather and a former teacher I believe that nothing is more important than the safety and wellbeing of our school children,” said U.S. Rep. Dale Kildee (D-MI), chairman of the Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education Subcommittee. “Our schools must be places where children feel secure and where their future potential can be nurtured. Violence or harassment of any kind has no place in our educational institutions and I look forward to working with my colleagues to address this serious problem.”  

“We can no longer look at bullying as just kids being kids,” said U.S. Rep. Linda Sánchez (D-CA), sponsor of the Safe School Improvement Act (H.R. 2262) and the Bullying and Gang Reduction for Improved Education Act (H.R. 1589). “When we empower schools to teach both children and adults to prevent and address bullying, we not only make schools safer, we make learning happen, and we even save lives. I hope the testimony given at today's hearing showed the desperate need to make sure that schools address bullying and harassment as part of their overall safe school strategies."

Witnesses testified about the tragic consequences of bullying and unsafe school environments. In April 2009, Carl Walker-Hoover committed suicide after being ruthlessly bullied, called “gay”, and threatened by other kids that. His mother, Sirdeaner Walker, called the school when she discovered this and was told the situation was normal and would work itself out.

“I know now that bullying is not a gay issue, or a straight issue. It’s a safety issue,” said Walker. “It’s about what kind of learning environments we want for our children and how far we’re willing to go to protect and teach them.”

Witnesses explained that a safe learning environment is a key factor in helping students achieve academically. Research shows that students who do not feel safe are less likely to have academic success and graduate.

“Does a feeling of safety help a student concentrate on schoolwork?  Some may say no, but as a student, I feel that safety is one of the most important things,” said Cassady Tetsworth, a rising high school senior and vice chair of the National Youth Advisory Board for Students Against Violence Everywhere (SAVE). “When a student feels safe, when tolerance overcomes bullying and harassment, and when there is respect in student-to-student, teacher-to-student, and adult-to-adult interactions, students don’t have to worry about anything but their classes.”

Other student witnesses echoed the importance of peer-to-peer programs that encourage student safety. Josie and Jackie Andrews, students who advocate for safer schools, highlighted their efforts to create curriculum and a screenplay that teach kids not to be bystanders when bullying occurs.

Witnesses also explained that schools should be held accountable for their safety efforts, just as they currently are for students’ learning. Better data and more accurate reporting on safety should be a part of any comprehensive approach to keep kids safe while at school.

“It is essential for school safety to become a priority in every school, and the best evidence-based practices need to be implemented to ensure the safety of all students,” said Dr. Scott Poland, Coordinator of the Office of Suicide and Violence Prevention and Nova Southeastern University. “This will only happen when every school board, superintendent, and state and national entity requires the same accountability for school safety that we currently require for academic performance.”

“Federal school safety policy, programs, and funding, just like that at the state and local education level, must therefore be based upon an approach and framework which is comprehensive and balanced,” said Kenneth Trump, president and CEO of National School Safety and Security Services, Inc.. “Too often, school safety advocates call for ‘more prevention’ OR ‘better security.’  The real answer should be ‘more prevention’ AND ‘better security.’  Effective approaches to school safety include prevention, security, and preparedness measures, not a curriculum-only or security-only approach.”

“I applaud President Obama for taking this next step to tap into Americans’ talents, skills and desire to give back. The United We Serve campaign will help Americans become a part of the solution to the many challenges we face – health care, energy and education – and help our economy recover. Service is a fundamental American value, and President Obama deserves great credit for recognizing that it can be a valuable tool for rebuilding our country at a critical moment.

“Earlier this year, President Obama launched a new era of American service to build a stronger, vibrant America and harness the energy we see across this country in the same way that President Kennedy first did nearly fifty years ago. This effort, just like the law that inspired it, will create a continuum of service for Americans of all ages and walks of life – from middle school through retirement – to help transform our nation by making a difference in their communities.”

This campaign comes after President Obama enacted legislation, co-authored by Miller, to create the most significant expansion of community service and volunteer opportunities since President Kennedy issued his call to serve nearly fifty years ago. Among other things, the law established a call to service campaign and encouraged Americans to recognize September 11th as a National Day of Service and Remembrance. Building on this, the United We Serve Campaign will run from June 22 through September 11.

America’s children currently have a one in five risk of becoming obese before reaching kindergarten.

The healthy or unhealthy habits children develop during their earliest years can last a lifetime. An obese teenager, for example, has an 80 percent chance of being an obese adult.

“The link between early behaviors and obesity later in life leads to the conclusion that successful obesity prevention strategies must begin at a very young age. In fact, they should begin prenatally and in the first hour of life,” said Dr. Lorrene Ritchie, director of the Atkins Center for Weight and Health at the University of California, Berkeley. “If we do not take bold steps now to improve nutrition and prevent obesity, the present generation of young children will likely be the first in our nation’s history to live a shorter life than their parents.”

Schools and other community based programs such as WIC, a comprehensive health and wellness  program for women and children who are at nutritional risk,  are uniquely placed to use integrated approaches to teach students and families about healthy living and give them the opportunity to experience it through integrated education programs, nutritious meals, and physical education.

Nancy Copperman, director of the Public Health Initiative at North Shore-LIJ Health System in Long Island, told the committee about their partnership with schools called the Activity Works Program. The program is focused on integrating physical activity into the classroom by creating CDs and DVDs that combine education with getting children moving.

Witnesses urged lawmakers to apply the lessons from successful programs as it works to improve federal child nutrition laws, so that more children have access to programs that promote physical health and sound nutrition. Reauthorizing the Child Nutrition Act is one of several priorities for the House Education and Labor Committee for the 111th Congress.

“While these successes are significant, working with one community, one school, or one childcare provider at a time is not going to end the obesity epidemic,” said First Lady of New York, Michelle Paterson of programs in New York.  “We need federal policies, standards, regulations and commitments that help make the healthy option the easy choice for New Yorkers and all Americans.”

“This is a historic day for all Americans. By signing this law, President Obama has launched a new era of service and volunteerism that will help our nation emerge stronger from this crisis. We’re empowering new generations of Americans to meet growing needs in their communities, to learn skills for the jobs of the future, and to become part of the solution to the key challenges we face – health care, energy and education. This law will make Americans of all ages, from middle school through retirement, the backbone of our nation’s recovery and revival.

“There is something intrinsically American about giving back. Service is not a Democratic or Republican issue – it is an American value – and an ideal that we can all embrace. We are proud to stand with President Obama, Senator Kennedy, and so many of our friends and colleagues to share in this historic occasion.”

Background:

The Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act will provide the largest expansion of national service and volunteer opportunities since President John F. Kennedy issued his call to serve nearly 50 years ago. Among other things, the bill will more than triple the current number of volunteers serving in America to support health care, energy, education and our veterans, and the education award Americans receive in return for their service will now be linked with the value of the Pell Grant scholarship – so that it rises with college costs. This award can be used to help pay for college or pay down student debt.

To learn more about the law, click here.

The legislation makes good on President Obama’s call for Americans to do their part to help the nation’s economy recover by making a difference in their communities. When enacted, this will be the first major piece of the President’s agenda to receive overwhelming bipartisan support in both chambers of Congress.

“History has shown that in times of crisis, Americans turn to service and volunteering for healing, for rebuilding and for hope. The spirit and generosity of the American people is one of our nation’s greatest assets,” said U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee. “This legislation is just what we need, at this pivotal moment, to get our nation back on track.”

“I am pleased that the Senate has moved this bill so quickly and that we are getting closer to being able to send it to President Obama for his signature,” said U.S. Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY), sponsor of the legislation. “With the passage of this bill today, a new and vibrant national service and volunteerism program will be developed in our county, creating a system that will provide opportunities for Americans to serve their nation while improving their communities.”

Americans’ desire to serve is growing with the economic crisis, with many displaced workers joining the ranks of citizens looking to give back. In 2007, more than 61 million Americans spent over 8 billion hours volunteering. Young Americans are also serving in record numbers: more than a quarter of Americans over the age of 16 have volunteered.

Investing in service also yields enormous economic returns. In 2007, volunteers generated $158 billion worth of economic benefits. A cost-benefit analysis of AmeriCorps, for example, shows that every $1 invested produced returns of $1.50 to $3.90 in direct measurable benefits.

To meet this growing demand, the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, H.R. 1388, will provide the greatest expansion of national service since President John. F Kennedy first issued his call to serve over 50 years ago. Among other things, the bill will create 175,000 new volunteer opportunities for Americans to help meet the nation’s pressing challenges, including energy, education, health care, veterans’ needs, and more.

It will also strengthen our nation’s disaster relief efforts – a need highlighted by the severe flooding overwhelming North and South Dakota. Officials estimate that tens of thousands of volunteers are already giving of their time and effort to help with local recovery efforts. In Fargo, a city with a population of 90,000, 80,000 volunteers arrived to help.

The Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act will engage Americans of all ages, from middle school through retirement, in service and volunteerism. The legislation will:

• More than triple the number of volunteers serving in this country from 75,000 to 250,000 and establish four new service corps: a Clean Energy Corps to increase energy efficiency and conservation, an Education Corps to help increase student engagement, achievement and graduation, a Healthy Futures Corps to help improve health care access, and a Veterans Service Corps to enhance services for veterans.   These 175,000 new volunteer opportunities will expand current AmeriCorps programs and provide members for these four new service corps.
• Increase the education award service members receive in exchange for their contributions to $5,350 for next year, the same as the maximum Pell Grant scholarship. The award will also be  permanently linked to match any future increases in the Pell Grant;
• Create new opportunities for older Americans and retirees and allows them to transfer their education awards – up to $1,000 for at least 350 hours of service – to a child, foster child or grandchild;
• Establish a new Summer of Service program  to engage middle and high school students in service and allows them to earn a $500 education award to put toward college;
• Double the resources available to engage youth with disabilities in service;
• Strengthen disaster relief efforts and establish an alumni corps of former service participants who can help respond during natural disasters and other emergencies;
• Bolster students’ education by establishing service-learning opportunities that use real world service activities to teach students about a certain topic; and
• Establishes a call to service campaign that encourages Americans to volunteer and observe September 11th as a National Day of Service and Remembrance.

For a summary of this legislation, click here.

For more information on the role service programs play in each state, click here.

Earlier this month, Chairman Miller hosted a press conference with U.S. Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY), the sponsor of the legislation, House lawmakers and nearly a hundred local area volunteers whose organizations stand to benefit from the Serve America Act. To view footage from the event, click here.

At a hearing in February, the Education and Labor Committee heard from witnesses about the many benefits of service and volunteering, including education initiatives, green service initiatives, veterans work, and more. For more information on that hearing, click here.

“Today’s Senate vote comes at a time when Americans are facing unprecedented challenges – and asking for help. This legislation will answer President Obama’s call to begin a new era of national service that will help communities across the country emerge from this crisis stronger. In the coming days, Congress must work to finalize and send this legislation to President Obama’s desk as soon as possible, so that we can give Americans of all generations the opportunity to help our nation rebuild and thrive.”

For more information on the House-passed legislation, click here.

 

The hearing is the first in a series the Committee will hold this spring as Congress renews its focus on how the economy is impacting the arts and music and the role these sectors play in local communities, schools, and the broader economy.

“Arts and music organizations are facing tough realities, which has a multiplier effect on workers and communities who rely on these sectors to create jobs and generate local revenue,” said U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the committee. “These are industries that can help breathe new life into communities, towns and cities, spur economic growth and help us build a stronger America.”


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Witnesses explained that non-profit organizations, theatres, symphonies, orchestras, and arts and music festivals are all facing extreme job losses, in fields ranging from actors and musicians to accountants, builders, seamstresses, janitorial staff, plumbers and more.

The arts and music sectors generate critical benefits for our nation’s economy. Last year, the non-profit arts and culture industries generated over $166 billion, supported 5.7 million jobs and over $104 billion in household income last year, according to a recent study by the Americans for the Arts.

“They create a hub of economic activity that helps an area become an appealing place to live, visit and conduct business,” said U.S. Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-NY), co-chair of the Congressional Arts Caucus. “These industries also create jobs, attract investments, generate tax revenues and stimulate local economies through tourism and urban renewal.”

The Utah Shakespearean Festival, for example, generates up to $35 million in local revenue through lodging, dining and other local activities. In 2009, sales are already 20 percent behind last year’s sales, three full time and 55 seasonal positions were cut, and the summer and fall seasons were reduced by one week.

“Art in Cedar City is not a luxury; it is business. It feeds our souls and our families. It informs and educates our citizens. But it also fills our dinner plates, pays our mortgages, and enhances our standard of living,” said Michael Bahr, education director for the Festival. “It hires an educated and talented workforce. It fills our hotels, our restaurants, our shops. It provides positive economic impact far beyond the theatre.”

In Miami-Dade County, more than 1,000 arts businesses help to employ 23,000 workers, 12 million attendees spend more than half a billion dollars in ticket purchases. The economic crisis has hit the area particularly hard, forcing the local government to make budget cuts. Michael Spring, director of  Miami-Dade County’ s Department of Cultural Affairs testified that while the budget was cut by more than $200 million, his department saw no reduction.

“Our local elected officials, our business leaders and the public understand that a community’s culture is a cornerstone of its economic vitality,” Spring argued.

Tim Daly, actor and co-president of the Creative Coalition, discussed the economic impact the entertainment industry can have on a community. On his show, Private Practice, it takes nine days to film one-hour long episode. This one episode employs approximately 200 people a day, spending $20,000 on food from local caterers, up to $40,000 on clothes and costumes, $2,500 on dry cleaning, and $15,000 on furniture for the sets.

“We must take steps to ensure the continued vibrancy of our arts and entertainment,” said Daly.  “We have to invest in the future.”

Daly suggested three investments – including federal support, arts programs in schools and a new type of discussion about the arts.

Bruce Ridge, chairman of the International Conference of Symphony and Opera Musicians, highlighted several orchestras across the country, including Baltimore, Santa Clarita, Honolulu and Cincinnati who are facing increasing financial challenges, many of whom are closing their doors, noting “for musicians, the losses are immeasurable.”

To view witness testimonies, click here.

This is the most significant expansion of national service since President John F. Kennedy issued a call to serve more than 50 years ago. Last month, President Obama called for Congress to take quick action on legislation to strengthen service

“Service is a fundamental American value. In times of crisis, Americans always show up to help,” said U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chair of the House Education and Labor Committee, and a key cosponsor of the bill. “Today, the House voted to create a continuum of service for Americans of all ages and walks of life – from middle school through retirement – who can help transform our nation by making a difference in their communities. We look forward to working with the Senate and President Obama in the weeks ahead to make Americans a part of the solution to getting through this crisis and building a stronger future.”


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“Last month, President Obama called on Congress to pass legislation that would inspire a new generation of service and volunteerism in our nation. In calling for a national service bill, President Obama has renewed the spirit of a practice in our country that is as old as the Union itself: the call to public service. The GIVE Act answers that call,” said U.S. Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY), sponsor of the bill. “Public service and volunteerism provide the means through which Americans can give back to their communities while gaining the tools they need to achieve their own goals.  The GIVE Act will create a frame work to develop national service programs that will improve their communities and enrich the lives of all of those who answer the call to serve.  The GIVE Act is a once-in-a-generation bill that will change the fabric of our nation for decades to come.”

The GIVE Act will more than triple the number of volunteers serving in this country, from the current 75,000 to 250,000. It will establish new service corps to help build a green and energy-efficient economy, enhance services for veterans when they return home, expand access to affordable health care, help increase student achievement, and more.

The bill will also increase the education reward these service participants receive in exchange for their contributions to $5,350 for next year, the same as the maximum Pell Grant scholarship award. The education award would also be linked to match future boosts in the Pell Grant scholarship in order to keep up with rising college costs.

The legislation will also provide new incentives for middle and high school students to volunteer in their communities. It would create a Summer of Service program to engage students in service and allows them to earn a $500 education award to be used for college costs.

In addition, the GIVE Act will create a new national Call to Service campaign to encourage all Americans to get involved in service and would encourage Americans to observe September 11th a National Day of Service and Remembrance.

Investing in service can yield enormous returns. In 2008, more than 61 million Americans spent over eight billion hours volunteering – generating $158 billion worth of benefits. A cost-benefit analysis of AmeriCorps, for example, shows that every $1 invested produced returns of $1.50 to $3.90 in direct measurable benefits.

Earlier in the day, Chairman Miller hosted a press conference with U.S. Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY), the sponsor of the legislation, House lawmakers and nearly a hundred local area volunteers whose organizations stand to benefit from the GIVE Act. To view footage from the event, click here.

For a summary of this legislation, click here.

For more information on the role service programs play in each state, click here.

 

“Service is a fundamental American value, in every neighborhood and every community,” said U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee and a co-sponsor of the bill. “With President Obama’s leadership and support, this week the House will take a key step toward launching a new era of service that will rebuild and strengthen our country for years to come. We look forward to working with the Senate in the days ahead to send President Obama a bipartisan bill that taps into our greatest reserve – Americans’ commitment to giving back – at this pivotal moment in history.”

The House will begin considering the legislation tomorrow; a vote is expected within the next two days. The House Education and Labor Committee passed the legislation last week by an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote of 34-3. For more information on the GIVE Act, click here.

The White House SAP is below.


                                                                                                                                                                                    March 17, 2009
                                                                                                                                                                                    (House Rules)
STATEMENT OF ADMINISTRATION POLICY
H.R. 1388 – Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education (GIVE) Act
(Rep. McCarthy (D) NY and 37 cosponsors)


The President is committed to promoting civic participation and service across the country, and has called on Congress to send him bipartisan legislation to encourage a renewed spirit of national service.  The Administration commends the House for acting promptly to move bipartisan legislation to expand high-quality service opportunities and position the Corporation for National and Community Service to support both growth and excellence in the programs it oversees.  The Administration strongly supports House passage of H.R. 1388, which will expand national service programs and strengthen the capacity of the Corporation to manage a dramatic increase in service opportunities.  

The Administration is pleased that H.R. 1388 would set the Corporation on a path toward 250,000 members.  The Administration is strongly committed to this growth, and at the same time, supports measures that enable the Corporation to maintain high-quality programs and manage growth effectively.

The Administration applauds the bill's focus on service learning and provisions that would increase the Eli Segal Education award and link future increases in award amounts to the maximum Pell Grant awards.  The Administration has called upon Americans from all walks of life to take part in civic renewal, and is therefore pleased that H.R. 1388 also would expand and improve service opportunities for seniors.  In particular, the Administration applauds the responsible and balanced introduction of competition into the Retired Senior Volunteer Program, which would better position the program for expansion.  Competition should be introduced across all of the Senior Corps programs, improving the quality of service opportunities for seniors while introducing greater accountability and innovation.

As the Federal investment in national service programs increases, the Administration is committed to making the programs more accountable and cost-effective, and supports the many ways in which H.R. 1388 would foster this.  In particular, the Administration supports the bill's provisions to consolidate funding in AmeriCorps, giving the Corporation flexibility to support the best programs.  The Administration is also pleased that the Committee on Education and Labor added to the bill expanded authority for fixed-amount grants that simplify reporting requirements, ease burdens on grantees, and strengthen accountability for performance.  

The Administration is pleased that the Committee added to the bill the President's Budget initiative to create a "Social Innovation Fund" to provide seed money and scale up innovative and evidence-based efforts in the nonprofit sector to address social problems, leveraging private and foundation capital to meet major social challenges.  

H.R. 1388 couples expanded and improved national service with the structural changes needed to support growth and produce excellent results for the participants and our Nation.  The Administration looks forward to working with Congress to perfect the bill and get this important legislation enacted.
     

“We can’t afford for any of our children or at-risk youth to fall through the cracks. Addressing the educational needs of students from the beginning of a child’s school career is not only economically sound, but it is simply the right thing to do,” said U.S. Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY), the chair of the Healthy Families and Communities Subcommittee.


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“Families and educators alike are concerned that instead of addressing the individualized needs of children, these alternative schools are pushing students out of school and into the juvenile and criminal justice system.” said U.S. Rep. Robert “Bobby” Scott (D-VA), the chair of the House Crime Terrorism and Homeland Security Subcommittee.  “The school system has become a gateway into the juvenile justice system through disciplinary policies such as “zero tolerance” that require school suspension, expulsion, and arrest for an increasing number of common student behaviors and rule violations. All students must have a challenging curriculum that will prepare them to pass state standardized tests and in many states allow them to graduate from high school.”

As witnesses explained today, letting at-risk students slip through the cracks poses severe economic losses to society. The economic cost of losing a single student, for example, is $2.2 million over a lifetime.

Dr. Thomas Blomberg, professor of criminology at Florida State University, who testified about the economic loss of letting youth slip through the cracks, estimated that preventing just 1 percent of students in juvenile facilities from becoming career criminals could generate $4.6 billion in economic gain for one year, and over $46 billion for a 10-year period.

Oversight for these alternative programs varies largely by state, county and school district – making it unclear if at-risk youth are receiving the same quality of education as they would in traditional schools. Consistent regulations are needed to make sure that students can transition more smoothly between alternative education facilities and traditional schools – or that students don’t fall through the cracks.

“The transitions from a school to a detention center or juvenile justice facility and back to a local school can result in lost academic progress, disengagement from school, and less resilience to risk factors,” said Dr. Cynthia Cave, director of the Office of Student Services for Virginia. “One noted result of the regulations (in Virginia) has been the building of a deeper understanding of the released student by the receiving school division, and adequate time to prepare for his or her enrollment, educational program, and support.”

Witnesses also explained today that early identification and assessments of problems of these students are crucial to make their time in these facilities successful.

“What I have found in my 29 years of working with kids is that they want three things: a safe environment, caring adults in their lives and a way of sustaining themselves (i.e. employment). Youth with access to these supportive resources and positive relationships are less likely to experience school failure, substance abuse and delinquency,” said Leonard Dixon, executive director of the Wayne County Juvenile Detention Facility in Detroit.

To view all of the testimonies from today’s hearing, click here.

 

The committee passed the legislation, the Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education (GIVE) Act, H.R. 1388, by a strong bipartisan vote of 34 to 3. The bill is expected to be voted on by the full House as early as next week. The Senate is also moving forward on similar legislation.

“The President has asked us to quickly get this legislation to his desk and today we took the first important step toward building a stronger, vibrant America through service and volunteerism,” said U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the Committee. “National and community service can help make Americans a part of the solution to get our country through this economic crisis. I hope the House and Senate will join us in moving as quickly as possible to help President Obama sign this critical bill into law.

“I am encouraged that the GIVE Act is moving forward and that this historic national service bill is one step closer to becoming a reality.  The GIVE Act will give thousands of Americans opportunities to serve and strengthen their communities while encouraging a new and vigorous culture of volunteerism in our nation,” said U.S. Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY), chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Healthy Families and Communities. “I am grateful for President Obama’s leadership in calling for a strong national service bill and I look forward to working with Chairman Miller on the GIVE Act to forward this ambitious and exciting agenda.”  
The GIVE Act would more than triple the number of volunteers, from the current 75,000 to 250,000, and increase the education reward they receive to $5,350 for next year, the same as the maximum Pell Grant scholarship award. The education award would also be linked to match future boosts in the Pell Grant scholarship in order to keep up with rising college costs.

It would create a new national Call to Service campaign to encourage all Americans to get involved in service and would encourage Americans to observe September 11th a National Day of Service and Remembrance.

The legislation would also provide new incentives for middle and high school students to volunteer in their communities. It would create a Summer of Service program to engage students in service and allows them to earn a $500 education award to be used for college costs.

In addition, the legislation would:

• Strengthen existing service programs and create new innovative programs to help improve student achievement and graduation in low-income schools, expand health care access, provide seniors with help living independently, enhance services for veterans, and help build a green, energy-efficient economy;
• Establish a Veterans Corp to meet the unique needs of veterans and military families;
• Expand the focus of the National Civilian Community Corps to infrastructure improvement, environmental and energy conversation, and urban and rural development, in addition to disaster relief;
• Create new opportunities for Baby Boomers and seniors to serve and volunteer;
• Recruit scientists and engineers into service to keep America competitive; and
• Build a nationwide community-based infrastructure to leverage investments in service.

 
In late February, the committee held a hearing to examine the importance of national and community service in meeting critical economic needs across the country. The hearing came a day after President Obama’s address to Congress where he called for bipartisan legislation “to encourage a renewed spirit of national service for this and future generations.”

For a more detailed fact sheet, click here.

In his address to a joint session of Congress last month, President Barack Obama made national service a key priority and asked Congress to take quick action. This legislation, the Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education Act, answers his call. It builds on proposals Obama laid in his budget blueprint, similar legislation that has been introduced in the Senate by U.S. Sens. Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA) and Orrin Hatch (R-UT), and a measure that was passed by the House Education and Labor Committee last year with unanimous bipartisan support. Miller, the chair of the committee, announced today that the committee will vote on the bill Wednesday. The House and Senate are expected to take act on it in the next few weeks.

“With this legislation, Congress will help President Obama create a new legacy for service and volunteerism in the same way that President Kennedy first did fifty years ago,” said Miller. “President Obama understands that we can harness Americans’ desire to serve to build a green economy, prepare workers for jobs, provide opportunities for older Americans who have been laid off or need additional employment post-retirement, and help students get a good education. This bill will help make Americans a part of the solution to get our country through this economic crisis.”

“The GIVE Act contains important provisions that will help strengthen communities and provide real opportunities for Americans to serve in meaningful ways.  I am pleased to see that the bill has a strong focus on helping disadvantaged youth, strengthening mentoring programs and increasing service opportunities in cities and urban centers.  The bill also includes a call for a National Day of Service and Remembrance on September 11, which uses national service as a sentimental memorial and a fitting tribute” said McCarthy. “The GIVE Act will create an important frame work to develop national service programs that will improve their communities while enriching the lives of all of those who answer the call to serve.”     

The GIVE Act will launch a new era of national service by more than tripling the number of volunteers, from the current 75,000 to 250,000, and by increasing the education reward they receive to $5,350 for next year, the same as the maximum Pell Grant scholarship award. The education award would also be linked to match future boosts in the Pell Grant scholarship in order to keep up with rising college costs.

It would create a new national Call to Service campaign to encourage all Americans to get involved in service and would designate September 11th as a National Day of Service and Remembrance.

The legislation would also provide new incentives for middle and high school students to volunteer in their communities. It would create a Summer of Service program to engage students in service and allows them to earn a $500 education award to be used for college costs.

In addition, the legislation would:

• Strengthen existing service programs and create new innovative programs to help improve student achievement and graduation in low-income schools, expand health care access, provide seniors with help living independently, enhance services for veterans, and increase energy-efficiency and conservation;
• Expand the focus of the National Civilian Community Corps to infrastructure improvement, environmental and energy conversation, and urban and rural development, in addition to disaster relief;
• Create new opportunities for Baby Boomers and seniors to serve and volunteer;
• Recruit scientists and engineers into service to keep America competitive; and
• Build a nationwide community-based infrastructure to leverage investments in service.

In late February, the committee held a hearing to examine the importance of national and community service in meeting critical economic needs across the country. The hearing came a day after President Obama’s address to Congress where he called for bipartisan legislation “to encourage a renewed spirit of national service for this and future generations.”

For more information on the hearing and to watch witness testimony, click here.

“In his first joint address to Congress, President Obama made service a key part of his bold agenda to revive and rebuild our country. Today’s budget proposal shows he’s serious by creating 175,000 new service opportunities for Americans, expanding ways for retirees to give back to their communities, and integrating service in schools. This blueprint rightly recognizes that we can make Americans a part of the solution to the enormous challenges facing our country by harnessing their skills, experience, hope and desire to serve.

“There is no question that improving service will help our country get through this economic crisis. With today’s proposal, President Obama has put us on the right track. I look forward to working with him, in a bipartisan way, in the coming weeks on comprehensive legislation that will launch a new era of American service.”

Yesterday’s hearing was the first held in this Congress to examine ways to bolster service. For more information, click here.

“President Obama is exactly right: Service can help our nation get through this economic crisis,” said U. S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chairman of the Committee. “We can’t afford to delay. We must work as quickly as possible, in a bipartisan way, to send him legislation that will launch a new era of American service to build a stronger, vibrant America.”


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“I was pleased to hear the testimony of today’s witnesses.  They all offered great insight into the importance of service programs and I am grateful for all the work they have done to help get more Americans involved in public service, especially our nation’s youth,” said U.S. Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY), the chairwoman of the Healthy Families and Communities subcommittee.  “I was particularly impressed with the testimony of James Harris and how his involvement in Usher’s New Look program opened new doors for him, setting Mr. Harris on the path to a bright future.  It is vital that we move forward on passing a strong national service bill to create new opportunities for young people like Mr. Harris to serve our communities and give them the chance to reach their full potential.”

Americans’ interest in serving or volunteering is at an all time high. In 2008, over 61 million adults volunteered. From 2002 to 2007, the number of volunteers across the country grew by more than a million, according to a report by the Corporation for National and Community Service. Despite these growing trends, it’s been over fifteen years since Congress last reauthorized the nation’s bedrock service and volunteer programs.

As witnesses explained today, service and volunteerism programs meet a broad range of public needs that increase in tough economic times, including improving student achievement in low-income schools, providing seniors with help paying the bills, running errands and other services to help them live independently, feeding the hungry, and increasing the nation’s energy-efficiency.

These programs also yield significant public returns for each dollar invested, according to Richard Stengel, managing editor of TIME magazine.

 “A cost-benefit analysis of AmeriCorps programs has concluded that every $1 in investment results in $1.50 to $3.90 of direct measurable benefits to the community: children tutored, playgrounds built, homeless people fed,” said Stengel.  “Today, we are at a unique moment in our history when we have an opportunity to mobilize Americans to help address critical issues facing our republic.”  

 “We need to engage more youth in service, and we can do this by empowering them with the tools they need to lead,” said Usher Raymond IV, recording artist and chairman of Usher’s New Look Foundation, an organization that mentors disadvantaged youth. “Any true change has always come about because people have come together to make their voices heard, and young people have always been among the first to lift their voices.”

James Harris, a student from Kansas City, Kansas explained how his involvement in Usher’s New Look Foundation, changed his life: “I learned not to let my situation or other people’s labels hold me back from my dreams. I credit my mentors at Camp New Look for inspiring me to earn a college degree. They got my gears going in reverse and I started thinking differently. They believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself.  Even today, Usher’s New Look continues to play a role by paying for my books and tuition.”

Witnesses also discussed how public-private partnerships with state and local governments can leverage opportunities to prepare disadvantaged youth for careers in growing industries and the green economy.

“For low-income, low-skilled young people, the emerging green economy offers pathways out of poverty,” said Van Jones, the president of Green for All. “We simply need to put the pieces together with a unifying, mobilizing call for national service to join the urgent effort to curb global warming and help build a green economy, supported by adequate funds to ramp up models that have proven their effectiveness and develop new ones where necessary.”  

Engaging older Americans in service also bears enormous benefits, especially as there are millions of workers near retirement age or who have recently lost jobs due to the economy. Research shows that active and engaged adults are healthier and rely less on federal programs like Medicare and Medicaid.

“The potential for drawing millions of boomers into serving local communities is one of the promising elements in national service legislation,” said former Senator Harris Wofford, (D-PA). “We know that 10,000 boomers turn 60 every day.  Some of them have already retired, some are facing involuntary retirement due to the economic downturn, and some will continue to work full-time for many years.  They should be able to serve for one or many years, there should be part-time and full time opportunities; education awards should be available for transfer to a grandchild or a child they have tutored or mentored.”

Last year, the committee laid the groundwork for reauthorizing the nation’s bedrock service programs, such as AmeriCorps, SeniorCorps, Learn and Serve America, and more by passing the Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education Act with overwhelming bipartisan support.

At today’s hearing, Miller announced plans to move legislation through Congress in the coming weeks.

For more information on service and volunteerism, click here.

The Stop Child Abuse in Residential Programs for Teens Act of 2009 would establish minimum health and safety standards for preventing child abuse and neglect at teen residential programs. It prohibits physical, mental, and sexual abuse and requires programs to provide children with adequate food, water, rest, and medical care. The bill allows for civil penalties against programs that violate the new standards.  It also requires states, within three years, to take on the role of setting and enforcing standards for both private and public youth residential programs.  

The legislation would also help ensure that parents have the information about teen residential programs that they need to make safe choices for their children.

“These horrific abuses continue to put the lives of far too many children in jeopardy,” said Miller, “Today the House took a critical step toward finally ending this culture of abuse and neglect at residential programs for teens. I hope that the Senate will now join us in approving these common-sense protections to keep our children safe no matter what setting they are in.”

“With passage of H.R. 911 today, the House took bold action to protect the welfare of children in the care of residential treatment programs,” said U.S. Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY), the chairwoman of the Healthy Families and Communities subcommittee.  “This bill will establish important protections from the deceptive and malicious practices that have impacted far too many American families.”

Among other things, H.R. 911 would create a toll-free national hotline for individuals to report cases of abuse and a website with information about substantiated cases of abuse at residential programs. And to prevent deceptive marketing practices and create transparency to help parents make safe choices for their children, it would require, among other things, that programs inform parents of their staff members’ qualifications, roles, and responsibilities.

The House passed similar legislation last June by a bipartisan vote of 318 to 103, with the support of the American Association of Children’s Residential Centers, American Bar Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Psychological Association, the Child Welfare League of America, Children’s Defense Fund, Easter Seals, Mental Health America, Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law, the National Child Abuse Coalition and many other organizations.

For more information on this legislation, click here.

To read a letter of support for this legislation from families whose children have died at these programs, click here.

For more information on the committee’s past hearings on these abuses, at which GAO released its reports, click here.

Investigations conducted by the Government Accountability Office during the 110th Congress uncovered thousands of cases and allegations of child abuse and neglect since the early 1990’s at teen residential programs. Currently, these programs are governed only by a weak patchwork of state and federal standards. A separate GAO report, also conducted last year at the committee’s request, found major gaps in the licensing and oversight of residential programs – some of which are not covered by any state licensing standards at all.

GAO concluded that without adequate oversight “the well-being and civil rights of youth in some facilities will remain at risk.”

State reported data to the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System in 2005 found that 34 states reported 1503 incidents of youth maltreatment by residential facility staff.  Of the states surveyed by GAO, 28 reported at least one youth fatality in a residential facility in 2006. GAO concluded both of these statistics understate the incidents of maltreatment and death.

The Stop Child Abuse in Residential Programs for Teens Act of 2009 (H.R. 911) would establish minimum standards for preventing child abuse and neglect at teen residential programs. It would require states to inform the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) of reports of abuse and neglect at covered programs, require investigations of such programs and require the HHS to issue civil penalties against programs that violate the new standards. The bill also calls for states, within three years, to take on the role of setting and enforcing standards for both private and public youth residential programs.  

“Today, we are taking an important, common-sense step toward finally ending this culture of abuse and neglect that has put thousands of teens in jeopardy,” said U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chairman of the Committee, and one of the bill’s authors. “Parents deserve every assurance that their child will be safe when attending a residential program intended to help them build a better life.”

“I am pleased to see that we are moving one step closer to making residential treatment facilities safer and better regulated,” said U.S. Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY), the chairwoman of the Healthy Families and Communities subcommittee.  “Hopefully, as a result of the Committee’s actions today, we will be able to move forward with the necessary reforms to end the deceptive marketing practices and patterns of abuse that have already impacted so many families and make residential treatment facilities safer places for children to get the help they need.”

In addition, the legislation would also ensure that parents have the information needed to make safe choices for their children about teen residential programs.

Among other things, H.R. 911 would create a toll-free national hotline for individuals to report cases of abuse and a website with information about substantiated cases of abuse at residential programs. The bill would require programs to provide children with adequate food, water, medical care, and rest. And to prevent deceptive marketing practices and create transparency to help parents make safe choices for their children, it would require, among other things, that programs inform parents of their staff members’ qualifications, roles, and responsibilities.

The House passed similar legislation last June by a bipartisan vote of 318 to 103, with the support of the American Association of Children’s Residential Centers, American Bar Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Psychological Association, the Child Welfare League of America, Children’s Defense Fund, Easter Seals, Mental Health America, the National Child Abuse Coalition and many other organizations.

For more information on this legislation, click here.

For more information on the committee’s past hearings on these abuses, at which GAO released its reports, click here.

Investigations conducted by the Government Accountability Office during the 110th Congress at the lawmakers’ request have uncovered thousands of cases and allegations of child abuse and neglect since the early 1990’s at teen residential programs, including therapeutic boarding schools, boot camps, wilderness programs and behavior modification facilities. Currently, these programs are governed only by a weak patchwork of state and federal standards. A separate GAO report, also conducted last year at the committee’s request, found major gaps in the licensing and oversight of residential programs – some of which are not covered by any state licensing standards at all.

In addition, the GAO’s investigation revealed that many teen residential treatment programs have been using deceptive marketing practices and questionable tactics to lure vulnerable parents desperate to find help for their children.

“For far too long, these abuses, neglect and mistreatment of children – some of the most horrific violations of trust imaginable – have been allowed to go on completely unchecked,” said Miller, the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee. “Parents deserve every assurance that their children will be safe and protected when attending a program intended to help improve their lives.”

"It is no doubt a painful and difficult decision for parents to send their children to residential treatment facilities and the last thing they should have to worry about is the possibility of unknowingly putting their kids in harms way,” said McCarthy, chairwoman of the Healthy Families and Communities subcommittee. “It is crucial that federal standards are set in place to prevent the abuse, neglect and deceptive marking practices that have devastated so many children and families.”

To address these problems, the Stop Child Abuse in Residential Programs for Teens Act of 2009, would:

• Establish, for the first time, minimum federal standards for preventing child abuse and neglect at teen residential programs. The bill would require the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to inspect all programs around the country every two years and to issue civil penalties against programs that violate the new standards. The bill also calls for states, within three years, to take on the role of setting and enforcing standards for both private and public youth residential programs.
• Strengthen protections for children attending these programs. The bill would require programs to provide children with adequate food, water, medical care and rest.
• Ensure that programs are transparent and provide parents with information about teen residential programs that enable them to make safe choices for their teenagers. The legislation would create a toll-free national hotline for individuals to report cases of abuse and a website with information about substantiated cases of abuse at residential programs, including programs locations, owners, and history of violations and child fatalities. Programs would also be required to inform parents of their staff members’ qualifications, roles and responsibilities.

 
The House passed similar legislation last June by a bipartisan vote of 318 to 103, with the support of the American Association of Children’s Residential Centers, American Bar Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Psychological Association, the Child Welfare League of America, Children’s Defense Fund, Easter Seals, Mental Health America, the National Child Abuse Coalition and many other organizations.

For more information on this legislation, click here.

For more information on the committee’s past hearings on these abuses, at which GAO released its reports, click here.

“Like so many other sectors of our economy, the arts and music are suffering greatly – hurting millions of workers and families who depend on these industries for good jobs and the students who benefit from participation in arts and music education in school. Research shows that when students are exposed to arts and music, they perform better in other subjects,” said Miller. “In states and communities around the country, like my home state of California, these industries are vital engines for local economies – making up a large share of revenue and providing employment for a wide array of jobs, from construction to musicians to art teachers to sound editors.”

“President Obama has made it clear that arts and music have a critical role to play in improving our schools, our workforce and our overall quality of life. These hearings will give Congress the opportunity to hear from experts in these fields about how supporting the arts and music can help us build a stronger America.”

Arts organizations generate $166.2 billion in economic activity, support 5.7 million jobs, and return nearly $30 billion in revenue to the government each year, according to a 2007 study by The Americans for the Arts.

Recent news reports have highlighted the tough economic realities arts organizations are facing – many are cutting budgets and programs that provide important services to local communities. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, unemployment in certain arts fields was far higher than the overall workforce in 2008.

The goal of the House Education and Labor Committee in the 111th Congress is to rebuild and strengthen America’s middle class by improving the lives of students, workers and families. For more information on the committee’s work, click here.

 

The letter, sent by U.S. Reps. George Miller (D-CA) and Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY), comes after new information was revealed about the unsanitary conditions at the Peanut Corporation of America in Blakely, Georgia that led to the outbreak. According to new reports, the plant’s outbreak has been linked with sickness in more than 500 people; including eight deaths.

“Our ongoing concern with the efficacy of recalls and their impact on federal child nutrition programs is heightened by the hundreds of salmonella poisoning incidents connected to the consumption of peanut products reported in recent weeks. Responding to the salmonella outbreak, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) inspectors found roaches, mold, a leaking roof and other sanitation problems at the PCA facilities,” Miller and McCarthy wrote in the letter.

Although the Blakely plant makes up a relatively small portion of the peanut market, its peanuts are frequently used in other products. Federal officials have already recalled 800 consumer products that were linked to the PCA outbreak, and USDA has acknowledged that the agency purchased and distributed products involved in the recall.

“This outbreak offers more damaging evidence of the failure of previous federal policy to make sure that the foods served to our nation’s schoolchildren are safe and healthy,” Miller and McCarthy said. “President Obama has made it clear the federal agency tasked with safeguarding this program needs serious improvements. With school food programs across the country working hard to keep nutritious and healthy meals on the lunch menu, the government needs to do its part to make sure that schoolchildren, school staff and American consumers aren’t at risk.”

As Miller and McCarthy noted in their letter, GAO is already investigating the safety of meat products used in the nation’s schools. The lawmakers requested that probe last February, after an undercover video by the Humane Society of the United States revealed egregious abuses of cattle at a California meatpacking plant, which led to the largest beef recall in U.S. history. A significant portion of the recalled meat had been supplied to school and other federal nutrition programs. For more information on the meatpacking investigation, click here.  
Miller is the chair of the House Education and Labor Committee and McCarthy is the chair of the panel’s Subcommittee on Healthy Families and Communities. The Committee has jurisdiction over school nutrition programs.


Below is the full text of their letter to GAO.

 
***

February 4, 2009

Mr. Gene L. Dodaro
Acting Comptroller General
U.S. Government Accountability Office
441 G Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20548

 
Dear Mr. Dodaro:

Last February, Senator Richard Durbin, Representatives Rosa DeLauro, Carolyn McCarthy, and I requested that the Government Accountability Office (GAO) examine school food safety issues in the wake of reports that federal school nutrition programs distributed potentially contaminated beef products from the Westland/Hallmark Meat Company to schools nationwide (see enclosed).  Some of this meat was later recalled causing confusion, extra expense, and difficulties in managing the recall in many schools that participate in federal school nutrition programs.

Unfortunately, our ongoing concern with the efficacy of recalls and their impact on federal child nutrition programs is heightened by the hundreds of salmonella poisoning incidents connected to the consumption of peanut products reported in recent weeks.  These incidents led the Peanut Corporation of America (PCA) to issue a series of recalls last month.  Responding to the salmonella outbreak, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) inspectors found roaches, mold, a leaking roof and other sanitation problems at the PCA facilities.

The FDA has now confirmed that schools received peanut products subject to this latest wave of recalls. Accordingly, I ask that the GAO expand the examination already underway to incorporate any issues specific to the recent contamination of peanut products.  

Thank you for your attention to this issue.  Please direct your staff to coordinate GAO’s investigation with the Education and Labor Committee’s Senior Investigator, Ryan Holden, who may be reached at (202) XXX-XXXX.

 
Sincerely,

 

GEORGEMILLER	CAROLYN McCARTHY
Chairman	Chairwoman
Committee on Education and Labor	Subcommittee on Health Families

Enclosure

cc:        Howard “Buck” McKeon
            Senior Republican Member

            Rosa DeLauro
            Chairwoman
            House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture

            Richard Durbin
            Senator