Three Polis Provisions Included in House Child Nutrition Reauthorization

WASHINGTON, DC—Congressman Jared Polis (D-CO) announced today that three initiatives from two of his child nutrition bills have been included in the comprehensive “Improving Nutrition for America’s Children Act,” introduced by U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chair of the House Education and Labor Committee. The bill will dramatically improve the quality of school meals, support community efforts to reduce childhood hunger and, for the first time, establish nutrition standards for all foods sold in schools. A fact sheet on the legislation is available here.

“Making sure that our children get a world-class education has always been one of my top goals in Congress and in Colorado, and that simply cannot be accomplished if our children don’t get the proper nutrition to make it through the day,” said Polis. “By improving nutrition education and increasing access to school meal programs, my bills help parents and schools fight childhood obesity and give our kids a strong and healthy start to life. I’m thrilled that these initiatives have been included in this comprehensive bill that will ensure that all kids have a healthier future.”

Polis’ provisions included in the bill would strengthen school districts’ wellness policies; improve nutrition education in classrooms; and enable states to tackle childhood hunger through innovative strategies and public/private partnerships and will help achieve President Obama’s goal of ending childhood hunger by 2015 and First Lady Michelle Obama‘s “Let’s Move” campaign to reduce childhood obesity.

Congressman Polis is a former Chair of the Colorado State Board of Education and a current member of the House Education and Labor Committee subcommittees on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education; Higher Education, Lifelong Learning, and Competitiveness; and Healthy Families and Communities.