Press Releases

On Wednesday, June 24 at 10:00 a.m., the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education, chaired by Rep. Todd Rokita (R-IN), will hold a hearing entitled, “Child Nutrition Assistance: Looking at the Cost of Compliance for States and Schools.” The hearing will take place in room 2175 of the Rayburn House Office Building.

Following the 2010 reauthorization of the national school lunch and breakfast programs, the Department of Agriculture issued a number of prescriptive regulations governing what types of food can be served in schools and how often, the maximum number of calories students are allowed to eat per meal, and the price a student must pay per meal. State and local leaders have raised a number of concerns with these regulatory changes, including higher compliance costs, more administrative burdens, and fewer children being served. According to the department, schools are serving 1.4 million fewer students each day and are expected to take on $3.2 billion in additional compliance costs over a five-year period.

As Congress works to strengthen these programs, Wednesday’s hearing will provide members an opportunity to hear from education leaders about their concerns with the new regulations, as well as their ideas for improving the programs to better meet the needs of students.

To learn more about this hearing, visit www.republicans-edlabor.house.gov/hearings. 

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WITNESS LIST

Dr. Melody Schopp
Secretary of Education
South Dakota Department of Education
Pierre, SD 

Mr. John Payne
President
Blackford School Board of Trustees
Hartford City, IN

Ms. Donna Martin
Director of the School Nutrition Program
Burke Country Public Schools
Waynesboro, GA                                                                                                            

Dr. Lynn Harvey
Chief of School Nutrition Services
Safe and Healthy Schools Support Division
North Carolina Department of Public Instruction
Raleigh, NC