January 27, 2021
From SNA:
A new Administration and new Congress are now officially in place in Washington, DC, and the reauthorization of child nutrition programs will be a major focus in 2021.
To that end, SNA, through its conversations with Congressional staff of the Senate Agriculture and the House Education & Labor Committees, has learned that Child Nutrition Reauthorization (CNR) will be a priority for the new Congress. As you know, the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act (HHFKA) celebrated its 10th anniversary in December 2020. Although there have been numerous pieces of legislation that have been introduced to amend the HHFKA over the last decade, the current law remains intact with no changes to date.
On January 21, 2021, SNA’s Executive Committee approved the creation of the Child Nutrition Task Force 2021. The purpose of the Task Force is to gather a group of Association members to review the various sections of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act and identify proposed changes for a future CNR bill that would benefit school nutrition programs. We will then be sharing SNA’s priorities with members of Congress and the new Administration.
The Task Force will be composed of five Subcommittees, with five members in each for a total of 25 Task Force members. Each Subcommittee will focus on the coupled topic areas outlined below:
- Subcommittee #1: Preserve School Meals Flexibilities Final Rule & Universal Meals
- Subcommittee #2: Unpaid Meal Charges, Food Waste & Time to Eat
- Subcommittee #3: Smart Snacks & Nutrition Education
- Subcommittee #4: Paid Lunch Equity & Uniform Application
- Subcommittee #5: Administrative Reviews & Indirect Costs
Due to the COVID pandemic, the CNR Task Force discussions will be conducted virtually over a series of five meetings in February and March. Your commitment to serve will include a 1.5 -2 hour conference call. The Subcommittee meetings with dates and times will be scheduled following the selection of the 25 Subcommittee members.
Please complete the Child Nutrition Reauthorization Task Force Form and select up to three (3) Subcommittees that are of interest to you. Please know that we are looking for individuals that have an excellent grasp or subject matter knowledge of the identified topic areas that are of interest. The SNA Board will select 25 individuals from those responding. Upon selection, SNA headquarters will notify the 25 members that they have been selected and will share which Subcommittee they have been assigned. Following the selection and identification of the 25 Subcommittee members, conference calls will be scheduled and any necessary background materials will be emailed in advance of the calls.
The deadline for submitting your interest form is February 3, 2021.
Thank you again for your interest in participating in the CNR Task Force 2021. In the meantime, if you have any questions, please feel free to e-mail either one of us.