AR20: Resolution Text

LRB-5682/1

FFK:ahe/amn/skw

2019 - 2020 LEGISLATURE

2019 Assembly RESOLUTION 20

February 17, 2020 - Introduced by Representatives Pronschinske, Edming, James, Summerfield, Tauchen, Tranel and VanderMeer. Referred to Committee on Rules.

AR20,1,2 Relating to: a statement in support of increased milk options in the National School Lunch Program.

AR20,1,4 Whereas, the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 limited USDA flexibility to offer children more milk options within the National School Lunch Program; and

AR20,1,8 Whereas, since passage of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, which limited USDA flexibility within the National School Lunch Program regarding allowable milk offerings, consumption of milk has rapidly declined in public schools, in part, due to a lack of variety of product offerings; and

AR20,1,11 Whereas, in 2017, the USDA enacted a rule allowing schools to receive a waiver allowing low-fat (1 percent) flavored milk as an option within the National School Lunch Program; and

AR20,1,14 Whereas, milk, flavored or unflavored, is the number one source of nine essential nutrients to young people, including calcium, vitamin D, and potassium; and

AR20,2,3 Whereas, according to Dietary Guidelines for Americans, meeting dairy recommendations can have lifelong health benefits, such as improved bone health, especially in children and adolescents; and

AR20,2,6 Whereas, current evidence shows that the intake of dairy products, like milk, cheese, and yogurt, is associated with a reduced risk of both cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes and with lower blood pressure in adults; and

AR20,2,10 Whereas, according to a study published in Lancet in 2018, a total intake of two or more servings of full-fat dairy food was associated with a 22 percent lower risk of heart disease, a 34 percent lower risk of stroke, and a 23 percent lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease; and

AR20,2,15 Whereas, H.R. 832, known as the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2019, was introduced on January 29, 2019, by U.S. Representative Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-PA) and Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, Collin Peterson (D-MN), to expand on the USDA rule by allowing whole milk (both flavored and unflavored) to be offered within the National School Lunch Program; and

AR20,2,18 Whereas, Wisconsin is “America's Dairyland” but has experienced a five-year downturn in both milk prices and the number of dairy farms operating in the state; and

AR20,2,21 Whereas, the Wisconsin State Legislature should do everything in its power to support this industry that is so vital to the economy and culture of our beloved state; now, therefore, be it

AR20,3,2 Resolved by the assembly, That the Wisconsin Assembly strongly encourages all efforts to increase consumption of milk among America's youth, including necessary changes to federal law to allow schools to offer 2 percent and whole milk in the National School Lunch Program.

AR20,3,3 (End)