We continue to follow the child nutrition reauthorization (CNR) bill, the "Improving Child Nutrition Integrity and Access Act of 2016."
A section-by-section summary of summary of the U.S. Senate Bill is accessible at http://www.agriculture.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/01%2015%2016%20Section%20by%20Section%20for%20CNR%20mark.pdf
A recent update by the Association of School Business Officials in their International Legislative Affairs Blog provided summary information on the Senate's CNR bill that is excepted below:
"The Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, & Forestry included a provision in their CNR bill that proposes to change the verification framework for reduced-price/free school meal applications. More information is to come, but here is what we know:
- Sample Sizes: The percentage of school meal applications required to be verified will be on a sliding scale that starts at 10%. Districts may reduce the sample size to a minimum of 3% depending on certain criteria. (Currently, all districts only have to verify 3% of applications.)
- Districts may qualify for a reduction in their sample size if their state/district meets certain criteria (more information to come, but FRAC provides an overview here under the "Process for Verifying School Meal Applications" section.)
- Which districts/states are most likely to be affected by the new framework?
- Many districts will qualify for some or all percentage reductions in their sample size, however up to 1,500 districts are expected to not qualify for any reductions in the first year the framework is implemented (and will have to verify 10% of their applications).
- School districts enrolled in the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) program aren't subject to the verification process and thus, are not affected by the new framework.
- We anticipate that the following states will most likely be affected by the new requirements: Maine, Ohio, Vermont, Indiana, New Hampshire, Oregon, Mississippi, Wyoming, South Carolina, New Mexico, Montana, and Arizona
- (This is based on FY2013 data, so newer USDA data may change this list.)
- What does this mean for school business officials?
- Districts with increased verification rates will experience increased administrative burden.
The more applications that need to be verified, the more time and resources will be taken away from schools/districts for administrative processes.
- Increasing verification requirements may have unintended consequences.
Potentially, fewer students may participate in free/reduced-price meal programs because of language barriers and increasing paperwork; these factors may deter non-English speaking families from verifying their income and other information as required during the verification process.
- The additional verification requirements/mandates are unfunded.
Districts would have to comply with these requirements without receiving additional financial assistance from USDA or the federal government to implement them.
- Next steps
- Stay tuned to the Legislative Affairs Community for updates on the progress of the bill.
- The House Education and the Workforce Committee must still provide its own CNR bill (if it chooses to) and reconcile it with the Senate Committee's. In the meantime, be on the lookout for advocacy opportunities with ASBO International to urge the committees to reconsider this new verification framework."