A bill to amend the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 and the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to improve the nutrition and health of children in the United States.

Summary: Better Eating for Better Living Act of 2003 - Amends the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (CNA) and the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (NSLA) to revise school lunch programs with respect to reimbursement rates, nutrition guidelines, milk guidelines, and funds for nutrition education and training.

Amends NLSA to increase the reimbursement rate for school lunches by ten cents per meal (from 10.5 to 20.5).

 Directs the Secretary of Agriculture (Secretary) to evaluate nutrition guidelines for school meals, and issue any necessary revised guidelines, every five years.

 Revises milk guidelines. Requires schools, at a minimum, to offer students a choice of low fat or nonfat fluid milk. Allows schools, in addition, to offer any other varieties of fluid milk that are: (1) consistent with expressed preferences of the student population; and (2) reasonably equivalent in calcium, protein, vitamin A, and vitamin K content and cost.

Amends CNA to direct the Secretary of the Treasury to transfer to the Secretary specified amounts of funds for implementing and administering nutrition education and training programs. Requires grants to each State from such amounts to be: (1) based on a rate of 1/2 cent per average daily number of meals served; and (2) allocated among State, district, and school food service and health education authorities, as determined by the Secretary. Sets a minimum grant amount.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.

    (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Better Eating for 
Better Living Act of 2003''.
    (b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents of this Act is as 
follows:

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
Sec. 2. Findings.
  TITLE I--AMENDMENTS TO RICHARD B. RUSSELL NATIONAL SCHOOL LUNCH ACT

Sec. 101. Reimbursement for school lunches.
Sec. 102. Nutritional quality of school meals.
          TITLE II--AMENDMENTS TO CHILD NUTRITION ACT OF 1966

Sec. 201. Funding for nutrition education.
                       TITLE III--EFFECTIVE DATE

Sec. 301. Effective date.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds that--
            (1) heart disease, cancer, stroke, and diabetes are 
        responsible for \2/3\ of deaths in the United States;
            (2) the major risk factors for those diseases and 
        conditions are established in childhood through unhealthy 
        eating habits, physical inactivity, obesity, and tobacco use;
            (3) obesity rates have doubled in children and tripled in 
        adolescents over the last 2 decades;
            (4) today, 1 in 7 young people are obese, and 1 in 3 are 
        overweight;
            (5) obese children are twice as likely as nonobese children 
        to become obese adults;
            (6) overweightness and obesity can result in physical, 
        psychological, and social consequences, including heart 
        disease, diabetes, cancer, depression, decreased self-esteem, 
        and discrimination;
            (7) only 2 percent of children consume a diet that meets 
        the 5 main recommendations for a healthy diet from the Food 
        Guide Pyramid published by the Secretary of Agriculture;
            (8) 3 out of 4 high school students in the United States do 
        not eat the recommended 5 or more servings of fruits and 
        vegetables each day; and
            (9) 3 out of 4 children in the United States consume more 
        saturated fat than is recommended in the Dietary Guidelines for 
        Americans published by the Secretary of Agriculture.

  TITLE I--AMENDMENTS TO RICHARD B. RUSSELL NATIONAL SCHOOL LUNCH ACT

SEC. 101. REIMBURSEMENT FOR SCHOOL LUNCHES.

    Section 4(b)(2) of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act 
(42 U.S.C. 1753(b)(2)) is amended by striking ``10.5'' and inserting 
``20.5''.

SEC. 102. NUTRITIONAL QUALITY OF SCHOOL MEALS.

    (a) Revision of Meal Guidelines.--Section 9(a)(1) of the Richard B. 
Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1758(a)(1)) is amended by 
adding at the end the following:
                    ``(C) Revision of nutritional guidelines.--
                            ``(i) In general.--The Secretary, in 
                        collaboration with experts in nutrition, school 
                        health, food service, and school 
                        administration, shall, not later than July 31, 
                        2004, and every 5 years thereafter--
                                    ``(I) review the nutritional 
                                guidelines applicable to meals served 
                                under the school lunch program under 
                                this Act, taking into consideration--
                                            ``(aa) advances in the 
                                        field of nutrition;
                                            ``(bb) identified public 
                                        health risks relating to 
                                        inadequate nutrition and 
                                        overconsumption; and
                                            ``(cc) the needs of student 
                                        populations covered by programs 
                                        under this Act; and
                                    ``(II) issue revised nutritional 
                                guidelines, as necessary, including 
                                guidelines with respect to--
                                            ``(aa) the content of meals 
                                        served of calories, fat 
                                        (including types of fat), added 
                                        sugars, fiber, sodium, 
                                        vitamins, and minerals;
                                            ``(bb) the variety of foods 
                                        offered;
                                            ``(cc) the availability of 
                                        fruits and vegetables; and
                                            ``(dd) the cultural 
                                        appropriateness of foods 
                                        offered.
                            ``(ii) Applicability.--Revised nutritional 
                        guidelines issued by the Secretary under clause 
                        (i) shall apply to meals served under the 
                        school lunch program under this Act on and 
                        after the date that is 2 years after the date 
                        of issuance of the revised nutritional 
                        guidelines.''.
    (b) Fluid Milk.--Section 9(a)(2) of the Richard B. Russell National 
School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1758(a)(2)) is amended by striking 
subparagraph (B) and inserting the following:
                    ``(B)(i) at a minimum, shall offer students a 
                choice of lowfat or nonfat fluid milk; and
                    ``(ii) in addition to the type of fluid milk 
                offered under clause (i), may offer such other 
                varieties of fluid milk as are--
                            ``(I) consistent with expressed preferences 
                        of the student population; and
                            ``(II) reasonably equivalent in calcium, 
                        protein, vitamin A, and vitamin K content and 
                        cost.''.

          TITLE II--AMENDMENTS TO CHILD NUTRITION ACT OF 1966

SEC. 201. FUNDING FOR NUTRITION EDUCATION.

    Section 19(i) of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1788 
(i)) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating paragraphs (2) and (3) as paragraphs 
        (3) and (4), respectively; and
            (2) by striking ``(i) Authorization of Appropriations.--'' 
        and all that follows through paragraph (1) and inserting the 
        following:
    ``(i) Funding.--
            ``(1) Payments.--Out of any funds in the Treasury not 
        otherwise appropriated, the Secretary of the Treasury shall 
        transfer to the Secretary of Agriculture to carry out this 
        section, to remain available until expended--
                    ``(A) on October 1, 2003, $10,000,000;
                    ``(B) on October 1, 2004, $15,000,000; and
                    ``(C) on October 1, 2005, $20,000,000.
            ``(2) Receipt and acceptance.--The Secretary shall be 
        entitled to receive, shall accept, and shall use to carry out 
        this section the funds transferred under paragraph (1), without 
        further appropriation.
            ``(3) Grants.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Subject to subparagraph (B), 
                grants to each State from the amounts made available 
                under paragraph (1) shall be based on a rate of \1/2\ 
                cent per average daily number of meals served, to be 
                allocated among State, district, and school food 
                service and health education authorities, as determined 
                by the Secretary.
                    ``(B) Minimum amount.--The minimum amount of a 
                grant provided to a State for a fiscal year under this 
                section shall be $200,000, as adjusted in accordance 
                with section 11(a)(3)(B) of the Richard B. Russell 
                National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 
                1759a(a)(3)(B)).''.

                       TITLE III--EFFECTIVE DATE

SEC. 301. EFFECTIVE DATE.

    This Act and the amendments made by this Act take effect on October 
1, 2003.