Senate Passes Child Nutrition Bill

The U.S. Senate passed the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act on August 5th. It provides $4.5 billion to school lunch and other federal child-nutrition programs and has the support of First Lady Michelle Obama, who has been a high-profile advocate for increased funding for school nutrition programs. The House of Representatives is not expected to take up the bill until September. Among provisions in the bill are an expansion of after-school meals for at-risk children, expansion of Universal Meal Service and an increase in school meal eligibility for low-income children.