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1 [1] (February 26, 2021)

handle is hein.crs/goveckd0001 and id is 1 raw text is: 5k 1 i4esesrcts Service 1 dkorrnirv the I i~VJ4ti A S Wi i~ Updated February 26, 2021 Child Nutrition Reauthorization (CNR): An Overview Introduction Child nutrition reauthorization (CNR) refers to Congress's process of making changes to the permanent statutes that authorize the child nutrition programs, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Programfor Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), and related activities: 0 0 0 the Richard B. RussellNationalSchoolLunch Act, the Child Nutrition Act of 1966, and (less often) Section 32 of the Act of August24, 1935, which transfers funds to the child nutrition programs annually. The most recent CNRwas the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of2010 (P.L. 111-296). Some of the authorities created or extended in thatlaw expired on September 30, 2015. However, the vast majority ofprogramoperations have continued with funding providedby appropriations acts. Programs Typically Included in CNR CNR typically includes WIC, the WIC Farmers' Market Nutrition Program(FMNP), and the following child nutrition programs: 0 0 0 0 0 National School Lunch Program(NSLP); School Breakfast Program(SBP); Child and Adult Care Food Program(CACFP); Summer Food Service Program(SFSP); and SpecialMilk Program (SMP). CNR also covers a number of smaller grant programs and support activities, such theFarmto SchoolGrant Program and funding for states' administrative expenses associated with operating certain programs. Table 1 provides a short description ofeachofthe major programs typically included in CNR. Related Policies in the Farm Bill The Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP), authorized in the Richard B. Rus sell National School Lunch Act, has been amended by both CNRand farmbills, including the 2004 CNR and farm bills in 2008 and 2014. The 2010 CNR and the 2018 farm bill did not amend FFVP. In addition, farmbills sometimes include provisions related to food purchasing and distribution in child nutrition programs. The 2018 farm bill (P.L. 115-334), the most recent farmbill, extended funding for USDA's purchase of fresh fruits and vegetables for child nutrition programs and required USDA to enforceBuy American (domestic purchasing) rules for schools participating in NSLP/SBP. Last Reauthorization The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of2010 (P.L. 111-296) included a number of new and revised policies. For example, the law created the Community Eligibility Provision, an option within NSLP/SBP that allows eligible schools to provide free meals to all students. The law also required USDA to update the nutrition standards for school meals and establish nutrition standards for other foods sold in schools during the school day. For WIC, the law included the requirement that states transition, by October 1, 2020, from theirprimarily paper voucher-based WICbenefits to Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT). In some cases, the new policies were described within the statute; in other cases, the details were laid out in USDA-promulgated regulations. Recent Reauthorization Efforts During the 114t Congress, the committees then exercising jurisdiction (the House Education and Workforce Committee and Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee) marked up CNR bills but reauthorization was not completed(see CRS Report R44373, Tracking Child NutritionReauthorization in the 114th Congress: An Overview). Categorization of Programs' Funding Most ofthe WIC and child nutrition programs' funding requires annual appropriations: * Most child nutrition programfunding is appropriated mandatory spending based on formulas and criteria in the authorizing laws (e.g., the programs ' per-meal reimbursements). * Some smaller child nutrition grants and activities (e.g., Team Nutrition) are funded with discretionary appropriations. * WIC and WIC FMNP funds are discretionary. Have the Programs Expired? Many child nutrition programs are permanently authorized and have permanent authorizations of appropriations (they have no expiration date). This is the case for the main functions ofNSLP, SBP, CACFP, and SMP. In other cases-such as SFSP, WIC, WICFMNP, and funding for states' administrative expenses-the authority for the programs themselves is permanent, but their authorizations of appropriations expired on September 30, 2015. In such cases, the programs and activities may still operate if funding is provided in appropriations acts, which has been the case in each of FY2016 through FY2021. A few pilot programs and temporary activities expired on September 30, 2015, and were not always extended. A California programto provide SFSP snacks year-round was not extended. USDA's authority to conduct foods afety audits and funding for a National Hunger Clearinghouse was not extended in FY2016 but was subsequently extended by appropriations acts in each of FY2017 through FY2021. https://crs reports.congress.go