Committee Statement of Senator Lugar Opening Statement for Child Nutrition Reauthorization Hearing Wednesday, March 24, 2010 I believe the nutrition legislation before us today is another strong step in the right direction to improve nutrition programs and address childhood obesity. In particular, I am happy to note the inclusion of legislation I introduced with Senator Stabenow that will allow for the nationwide offering of afterschool meals. I also note the important inclusion of new standards for competitive foods served in schools and improvements to CACFP nutrition guidelines.   However, I am also hopeful that from now until this legislation is signed into law by President Obama we can continue to make improvements. As we are all aware, a child’s need for nutritious food and learning opportunities does not subside when the school day ends and during the summer months. Most children access these needs at home, but unfortunately many cannot. Research reported by the National Summer Learning Association states that more than half of the achievement gap between lower- and higher-income youth can be explained by unequal access to summer learning opportunities. As a result, low-income youth are less likely to graduate from high school or enter college. Indeed, summer nutrition and educational opportunities during summer months are paramount to breaking the cycle of under education and subsequent poverty.   In 1999, I authored the Simplified Summer Food Service Pilot Program to reduce the administrative requirements for schools and other organizations that wish to supply children with government funded summer lunches. This program has been an unqualified success, with participation increases in Indiana alone of 80 percent. I am pleased that Congress recognized this success and expanded the simplified approach nationwide.    And yet, as the Food Research and Action Center reported, only 17 percent of the millions of children who qualify for free or reduced price school meals participate in summer and afterschool meal programs due to lack of access or because they fall just outside the current eligibility requirements. Similar hurdles exist for the Child and Adult Care Food Program.   This is why I recently introduced legislation with Senators Leahy, Casey, and Cochran to lower area eligibility requirements nationwide. The legislation would establish eligibility for children in an additional 321 school districts in Indiana, and 3.2 million children nationwide.    We may have an opportunity to vote on an amendment containing these policies later this morning. I hope my colleagues agree that expanding access for children in impoverished areas when they are not in school is an appropriate and worthwhile policy and commit to finding ways in which to move forward in a fiscally responsible manner.   ###