Improving Child Nutrition Integrity and Access Act of 2016: In Brief

Summary

On January 20, 2016, by a unanimous voice vote, the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry voted to report its WIC and child nutrition reauthorization proposal. Bipartisan approval of the committee’s legislation, the Improving Child Nutrition Integrity and Access Act of 2016, is arguably the 114th Congress’s most significant step toward reauthorizing the child nutrition and WIC programs. Since the 2010 reauthorization, committees of jurisdiction, the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry and the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, have held related hearings, but this is the first legislative action. As of the date of this report, the House Committee on Education and the Workforce has not announced its plans for reauthorization.

This report offers some basic background on the last reauthorization, its expiration, and some of the policies in the Senate Committee’s legislation.

The “child nutrition programs” (National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and certain other institutional food service programs) and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) are primarily authorized by the permanent statutes, the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (codified at 42 U.S.C. 1751 et seq.) and the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (codified at 42 U.S.C. 1771 et seq). These statutes and programs were last reauthorized by the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (HHFKA, P.L. 111-296). Some of the authorities created or extended in the last reauthorization law expired on September 30, 2015.

As of the date of this report, Congress has not reauthorized the child nutrition and WIC programs, but the vast majority of operations and activities continue via the funding provided by the FY2016 omnibus appropriations law (P.L. 114-113).

The Senate committee’s proposal would extend the authorizations of appropriations of the Summer Food Service Program, WIC, WIC FMNP, and State Administrative Expenses. (Other major programs—like NSLP and SBP—have a permanent authorization of programs).

The proposal would also continue some of the authorizing provisions that had September 30, 2015, sunset dates. Regarding the activities that are currently expired, the Senate committee’s proposal would continue the California pilot, and the food safety audit authorities; but the proposal does not continue the permanent appropriation for a National Hunger Clearinghouse.

Authorities extended through September 30, 2020

School Meals (National School Lunch program and School Breakfast Program). Nutrition Standards, sodium, whole grains. Application Verification.

Summer Meals (Summer Food Service Program(SFSP) and Other)—congregate feeding, summer EBT, Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer for Children (SEBTC)

Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP)

Farm to School Grant Program

Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program

Special Supplemental Nutrition program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)—infant formula rebates