| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | Contact: : Alex Nock |
| May 25, 2000 | (202) 226-2068 |
Today, Representative Dale E. Kildee, (9th District, Michigan) successfully included $1 million in nutritional assistance for afterschool programs in Michigan as part of the Agriculture Risk Protection Act Conference Report (H.R. 2559). These funds, for which Michigan and three other States were specifically identified, would be available to afterschool programs in low-income areas to increase participation of children through reimbursement for meals provided to teenagers.
This assistance will build upon the crucial public-private partnerships that have developed in Michigan to reduce juvenile crime and improve educational achievement through high quality afterschool programs. This assistance will lead to more participation of teenagers in after school programs and increase the safety of our communities, said Kildee. Michigan's children and families will greatly benefit from the resources this additional funding will provide.
H.R. 2559, which passed the House today and is expected to pass the Senate this week, is primarily designed to strengthen the safety net for farmers by providing greater access to more affordable risk management tools and improved protection from production and income loss and to improve the efficiency and integrity of the Federal crop insurance program. Also included as part of this comprehensive agricultural bill were provisions nearly identical to H.R. 4520, bipartisan legislation introduced by Representatives Kildee and Goodling to strengthen accountability and reduce fraud in several Federal child nutrition programs. H.R. 4520 also included a new authority for reimbursement for meals served to teenagers (aged 13-18) in afterschool programs with an educational component in six States. H.R. 2559 guarantees that Michigan will be one of the six States to receive these afterschool resources. Reimbursement for meals provided to teenagers will increase participation in afterschool programs, by enabling these programs to provide teenagers with a meal. Increased participation in afterschool programs is documented by research to reduce juvenile crime, improve the overall safety of communities, and increase educational achievement.
Congressman Kildee is third ranking Democratic Member on the U.S. House of Representatives Education and the Workforce Committee. As the top Democratic Member on the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Youth and Families, Mr. Kildee is responsible for overseeing Federal programs for K-12 education, preschool, child care, juvenile crime and child nutrition.