NEW Schools Act

Bill: 111-hr-5090
Sponsor: Rep. Polis, Jared [D-CO-2]
Introduced: 2010-04-21 in the House
Policy area: Education
Subjects: Child health
Elementary and secondary education
Food assistance and relief
Food industry and services
Marketing and advertising
Nutrition and diet
Physical fitness and lifestyle
Poverty and welfare assistance
School administration

Summary:
action_date: 2010-04-21
text: 
Nutrition Education and Wellness in Schools Act or NEW Schools Act - Amends the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to replace the nutrition promotion program with a program that requires local educational agencies (LEAs) to ensure that their local wellness policies: (1) include goals for nutrition and physical education, physical activity, on-campus food marketing and advertising, and other school-based activities that promote nutrition and wellness throughout the extended school day; (2) include plans for implementing, and measuring the implementation of, such policies; (3) require reimbursable school meals to meet certain nutritional guidelines; and (4) require the nutritional guidelines for nonreimbursable foods and beverages sold in schools to be in compliance with standards established by the Secretary of Agriculture.
 
Requires each LEA, within two years of this Act's enactment and every three years thereafter, to complete and disseminate an assessment of their local wellness policy. 
 
Directs each LEA to designate a standing Local Wellness Policy Committee made up of education, health, and nutrition stakeholders to foster the integration of a local wellness policy that meets this Act's requirements with other health-related activities in the LEA's schools and community.
 
Requires the Secretary to: (1) provide technical assistance and outreach to key state and local stakeholders to promote effective local wellness policies; and (2) prepare a report, in conjunction with the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), on the implementation, strength, and effectiveness of local wellness policies.
 
Amends the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 to replace the Team Nutrition Network program with The Wellness and Nutrition Network (TWNN) program providing grants to states to: (1) establish a comprehensive, integrated, and coordinated State Wellness and Nutrition Network; and (2) allocate grants to LEAs to promote and support healthy eating and physical activity programs, policies, or initiatives for children that participate in the child nutrition programs.
 
Directs the Secretary to develop and implement a comprehensive and integrated national nutrition promotion and education strategy as part of TWNN.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2010-05-27
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Healthy Families and Communities.
action_date: 2010-04-21
text: Referred to House Budget
action_date: 2010-04-21
text: Referred to the Committee on Education and Labor, and in addition to the Committee on the Budget, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2010-04-21
text: Referred to House Education and Labor
action_date: 2010-04-21
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2010-04-21
text: Introduced in House