TEFAP Alliance Blog

April 2004

In This Issue:
• Congress Takes A Break
• Senate May Consider Food Donation Amendment
• Child Nutrition Bill Passes House
• USDA to Buy Asparagus
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Congress Takes A Break
Congress will be taking a spring break over the next two weeks and many Members will be home in their districts. The House is in recess from April 3-18 and the Senate will be out from April 10-18.
These breaks will offer food banks and anti-hunger advocates an excellent opportunity to meet with their Representatives and Senators to discuss legislative priorities. Two key issues are: increasing direct funding for TEFAP storage and distribution grants to $60 million; and supporting a $134 million appropriation for the Commodity Supplemental Food Program to add new states and expand caseload in current program states.

Senate May Consider Food Donation Amendment
Senators Richard Lugar (R-IN) and Patrick Leahy (D-VT) have drafted an amendment to H.R. 4, the welfare reauthorization bill currently being considered in the Senate that includes the Good Samaritan Hunger Tax Relief Incentive Act. The “Good Sam” provision would make it easier for small businesses, restaurants, farmers, and food processors to contribute food to emergency feeding organizations by allowing a tax deduction for the full market value of food donated.
H.R. 4, which renews the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, passed the House in February 2003 but without any food donation provision. Since being sent to the Senate, the bill has stalled in partisan gridlock. It is uncertain when debate on the TANF reauthorization will continue on the Senate floor and whether the Good Sam amendment will be considered. Nevertheless, supporters of TEFAP and increased food donations are urged to contact their Senators to back the Lugar-Leahy wording in Amendment Number 2966.

Child Nutrition Bill Passes House
On March 24, 2004, the House of Representatives approved legislation to reauthorize child nutrition programs for five years and sent it to the Senate. A huge bipartisan majority in the House endorsed the Child Nutrition Improvement and Integrity Act (H.R. 3873) by a vote of 419-5.
The bill would provide for modest expansions of the Summer Food Service Program, the Child and Adult Care Food Program, school meals, and after school snacks. However, since action on the legislation was not completed by both chambers before the March 31 expiration of current programs, Congress had to pass a separate bill (S. 2241) to continue child nutrition services through June 30.
H.R. 3873 has been referred to the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. However, no action will be taken by the Committee until a budget resolution for fiscal year 2005 is completed. Child nutrition supporters in the Senate are seeking more significant improvements than those contained in the House bill, including raising the eligibility limit for free school meals from 130 to 140 percent of federal poverty guidelines.
Further consideration of the child nutrition bill will resume following the two-week spring recess in the House (April 3-18) and a week-long break in the Senate (April 10-18).

USDA to Buy Asparagus
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced on March 12 that it plans to purchase 6.9 million pounds of canned and frozen asparagus this year for donation to child nutrition and commodity distribution programs, including TEFAP. This is the fourth year in a row that USDA has provided asparagus as a bonus item and 2004 is the biggest buy to date.

WASHINGTON UPDATE is published monthly for the TEFAP Alliance by Weinberg & Vauthier Consulting, 419 West Broad Street, Suite 204, Falls Church, VA 22046; telephone: 703-532-5700; fax: 703-532-5780; email: zyweinberg@earthlink.net

Washington Update
Monday, April 5, 2004

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