2009 Reauthorization
In 2009, Congress will review the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004. This legislation, which is set to expire on September 30, 2009, includes all the Federal child nutrition programs, including the School Breakfast and the National School Lunch Programs, the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC).
Take Action now: Currently, there are two ways you can take action for these programs:
1. Testify at one of the upcoming USDA Listening Sessions.
2. Organize a Congressional or other public official site visit to your nutrition program.
These programs touch millions of children each day. They are shown to improve educational achievement, nutrition, and overall health. Reauthorization provides the opportunity to improve and strengthen these programs so they better meet the needs of our nation’s children.
The House Education and Labor Committee and the Senate Agriculture Committee have jurisdiction over these programs.
Below, you will find resources, links and other information on Reauthorization, continually updated.
- Guide to Planning A Summer Food Site Visit (pdf) - Developing Members of Congress and state and local elected officials into champions for your summer food program.
USDA Listening Sessions and Written Comments:
Upcoming Opportunities to Offer Recommendations for Improving
the Child Nutrition and WIC Programs
Midwest Region | Mountain Plains Region
Southwest Region | Mid-Atlantic Region Western Region | Southeast Region
USDA has begun to take two steps to obtain public recommendations for the 2009 Child Nutrition Reauthorization. (1) It is going to be holding regional listening sessions. (2) It will be requesting written public comments.
These will be important opportunities for anti-hunger, healthy eating, children’s health and education advocates, service providers, program administrators and others to provide recommendations on improving access, meal quality and nutrition in the programs that are due for reauthorization: school breakfast and lunch, summer feeding, afterschool and child and adult care food programs, and WIC.
USDA will compile the results of the sessions and comments into a report for the coming Presidential Administration to use in the 2009 reauthorization of the Child Nutrition and WIC Programs.
FRAC will keep you updated with reauthorization materials, themes, talking points, model recommendations and additional information as these USDA plans proceed.
Upcoming Opportunities for Action
USDA Listening Sessions
USDA/FNS Current information on listening sessions
Mountain Plains Region Listening Session
The Mountain Plains Region Listening Session will be held in Denver, Colorado, on Thursday, September 11, 2008, from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m., at the Boettcher Auditorium at the Colorado History Museum, 1300 Broadway.
- Invitation Letter (pdf)
- Agenda (pdf)
- Registration Form (pdf)
Midwest Region Listening Session
The Midwest Region Listening Session will be held on September 10, 2008, from 1:00 – 4:00 pm at the Ralph Metcalfe Federal Building, 77 W. Jackson Blvd., Room 331, Chicago, IL.
- Invitation Letter (pdf)
- Agenda (pdf)
- Registration Form (pdf)
Southwest Region Listening Session
The next listening session (AR, LA, NM, OK, TX ) will be on July 15th at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin, TX from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Mid-Atlantic Region Listening Session
The Mid-Atlantic listening session (DC, DE, MD, NJ, PA, VA, WV) will be held in Baltimore, Maryland on August 6, 2008 from 9:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Enoch Pratt free Library, Wheeler Auditorium, 400 Cathedral Street.
- Agenda (pdf)
- Invitation Letter (pdf)
- RSVP Form (pdf)
Western Region Listening Session
The Western Region listening session (AK, AZ, CA, HI, ID, NV, OR, WA, Guam) will be held in San Francisco on August 6, 2008 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the San Francisco Federal Building 90 Seventh St Rooms B020 and B040.
- Agenda (pdf)
- Invitation Letter (pdf)
- RSVP Form (pdf)
Southeast Region Listening Session
The Southeast Region listening session (AL, FL, GA, KY, MS, NC, SC, TN) will be held in Altanta, GA on August 20, 2008 from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the USDA/Food and Nutrition Service office, 61 Forsyth Street, S.W., Room 8T36.
- Invitation Letter (pdf)
USDA Request for Public Comments
The comment period will end October 15, 2008. FRAC will provide model comments and various other materials during the period leading up to October 15th, with enough lead time to make follow-up easy.
USDA Notice Requesting Public Comments (pdf)
FRAC Contacts:
Ellen Teller (202) 986-2200 ext. 3013 eteller@frac.org
Crystal FitzSimons (202) 986-2200 ext. 3006 cfitzsimons@frac.org
Geri Henchy (202) 986-2200 ext. 3025 ghenchy@frac.org
On June 30, 2004, President Bush signed the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004 into law (Public Law 108-265).
View fact sheets, analyses, and press releases about the Act in the Implementation Center
Information on changes to School Meals Eligibility, Applications and Verifications
Free School Meals for Migrant Children and Youth provides information on migrant students' eligibility for free school meals
Information on Local School Wellness Policies and a Stake Holders Briefing
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