FINAL BILL REPORT

SSB 5436

C 138 L 04

Synopsis as Enacted

Brief Description: Regarding foods and beverages sold at public schools.

Sponsors: Senate Committee on Education (originally sponsored by Senators Kohl-Welles, Rasmussen, Jacobsen, Winsley, Thibaudeau, McAuliffe, Prentice and Kline).

Senate Committee on Education

House Committee on Education

Background: Under current federal law, school meals must meet nutrition standards established in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans in order to obtain cash subsidies and donated commodities from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. As part of this federal regulation, foods and beverages of minimal nutritional value cannot be sold in the school food service area (such as cafeterias, hallways and common areas) during school meal periods. These regulations do not restrict the sale of those foods or beverages at any other time during the school day. States are authorized to impose additional restrictions on any food or beverage sold at any time throughout their schools.

In Washington, 277 out of a total of 296 public school districts participate in the federal school lunch and school breakfast programs and are therefore subject to the federal regulations.

Summary: The Washington State School Directors Association (WSSDA), with the assistance of the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, the Department of Health and the Washington Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance, must form an advisory committee to develop a model policy regarding student access to nutritious foods, opportunities for developmentally-appropriate exercise and accurate information related to these topics. The model policy must address the nutritional content of foods and beverages sold or provided throughout the school day or sold in competition with the school lunch and breakfast programs. The policy must also address the availability and quality of health nutrition and physical education curricula. The model policy developed should include the development of a physical education curriculum including a requirement for middle school students to have at least 20 minutes daily of aerobic activity in the students' target heart rate zone.

The model policy and recommendations are submitted to the Governor and Legislature by January 1, 2005. The model policy must be posted on the WSSDA website by January 1, 2005.

Each school district must adopt its own policy on competitive foods by August 1, 2005.

Votes on Final Passage:

Senate       47   1

House       79  16  (House amended)

Senate       47   0  (Senate concurred)

Effective: June 10, 2004