Floor Statements

Mr. President, I rise today to offer the Rural Infrastructure Improvement Act of 2010. This legislation will help rural communities have better access to the funding available through the Rural Development programs administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, specifically the Rural Water and Wastewater Program and Community Facility Program.

As Chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, I am strongly concerned that communities in low-income states such as my state of Arkansas have limited ability to qualify for grant funding through certain Rural Development programs due to current non- metropolitan median household income requirements. The structure we have today creates barriers for many of our poorest rural communities that are most in need. Some of these rural communities have median household incomes well below the national average, yet they are ineligible for any grant funding because USDA applies the State's non- metropolitan median household income to funding formulas instead of the national median household income.

This structure creates disparities for many low-income rural States. For example, in Arkansas, a rural community with a median household income greater than the State's non-metropolitan median household income of $31,845 is ineligible for grant funding through the Rural Water and Community Facility programs. Rural communities in Arkansas who meet all of the other eligibility requirements for funding through these programs are ineligible for grant funding simply because of their low median income level. In fact, 45 States have a higher non- metropolitan median household income level. The legislation I am introducing today is designed to even the playing field for low-income rural communities in Arkansas and several other States.

Forty-eight percent of my home State's population lives in a rural community. The programs offered through USDA Rural Development are vital to our efforts to meet basic needs and foster economic development. Without the types of key infrastructure improvements that can be made through these rural development programs, it will be difficult for many of these communities to reach their full potential and prosper.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill he printed in the Record.

Mr. President, I come to the floor for the second week to continue to urge and compel my colleagues to pass the child nutrition reauthorization legislation before our child nutrition programs expire on September 30.

I know we have much to do. We are coming to the end of our work period before we go home to our States during August. But we all know when we come back in September our time will also be limited, and doing something now is critically important.

The bipartisan Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act will put our country on a path to significantly improving the health of the next generation of Americans. Congress has the opportunity to make a historic investment-- the biggest investment in the history of our program--in our most precious gift and the future of this country: our children--all our children.

We are circulating a consent request right now that will require no more than 3 hours, at a maximum, of Senators' time to do this. Three hours is all we are asking of this body to be able to make a historic effort on behalf of our children.

Last week, I spoke multiple times on the floor about this bill. I talked about the very real threat of hunger and obesity in this country and how our bill works to address both these critical issues.

I talked about the cost of action. This bill is completely paid for and will not add one cent to the deficit. In fact, in my opinion, we have operated in this bill exactly how the American people want to see us operate. We have gone through the regular order of the committee. We have worked in a bipartisan way. We have worked in a fiscally responsible way to pay for this bill out of the actual areas in agriculture and in the Ag Committee where we could pay for this bill. It is completely paid for, as I said before, so adding to the debt is not an issue.

I also talked about the cost of inaction, about what it will mean to our States, to our schools, to our hard-working families, and to those families who, unfortunately, due to no fault of their own, have been caught in these economic crisis times, who are without work but whose children still go to school and still need to be fed.

Certainly, I have talked about the cost to the most important category; that is, our children--the fact that if we do not move on this bill, it is yet 1 more year in a child's life that is not going to see the evidence of good nutrition, its availability in schools through programs that we both have and we expand, and those programs which we can actually create more for in terms of afterschool meals instead of afterschool snacks. Another school year will start without nutritional standards for meals served in schools, meaning we will miss yet another important cycle in a child's life to instill good eating habits.

I think about not just younger children but older children, as my kids are moving into high school and starting football practice. I think about the ability to be able to see even those older children in afterschool programs, to be able to receive a full meal at the end of that day instead of just a simple snack.

Schools will lose out on the first increase in the reimbursement rate to school feeding programs since 1973.

I say to the Presiding Officer, think about where you were in 1973. I think about where I was in 1973. I think about what 1973 dollars purchased and what 2010 costs are today. How far do those 1973 dollars go when we go to the grocery store and pay 2010 prices? Think about what our school services are up against in using those 1973 dollars.

Our afterschool feeding programs will suffer, meaning Congress will fail to recognize that hunger does not end when the school bell rings and our children are done with their studies.

I simply do not think it is too much to ask. We can sacrifice 3 hours of our time for our children, for all our children in this great country, because they will be there as a workforce, as leaders, as teachers, as soldiers. They will be there for us as they grow up and become the next generation.

Yet we have an opportunity here, and if we let it pass us by, it will be certainly no one's fault but our own. We continue to spend a lot of time debating bills on the floor this week without seeing much in the way of actual results. This bill represents a real opportunity for us to actually get something

done and to breathe some fresh, new, bipartisan air into this Chamber for a change.

I think the American people are looking for us to do that. I think they are thirsty for results. They want us to roll up our sleeves, make the tough decisions, and get things done, which is what we were elected to do. They do not want to see us wasting precious time, putting each other's respective political parties in difficult positions. They want to see us spending our time wisely and seizing the opportunities where we have come together in a bipartisan manner to solve real problems.

Hunger and childhood obesity are real problems in the lives of our children today, and it is unfortunate. These are diseases for which we have a cure. It is simply that we must put that cure into place.

We are elected in this body to work together to pass legislation that addresses the very real issues our families all across this Nation face together in each and every one of our States. Although our rates for hunger or obesity may fluctuate and be different State to State, it is still a very real problem in all of our States.

This legislation allows us to do that. It allows us to address the very real issues that families are facing today and tomorrow and in the months ahead.

On Monday of this week, First Lady Michelle Obama wrote an op-ed that was published in the Washington Post that reminded us about the historic opportunity we have in front of us--an opportunity to make our schools and our children healthier by passing this bill. I happen to have a copy of the First Lady's op-ed with me right now, and I ask unanimous consent that the full text be printed in the Record following my remarks.

Thank you, Mr. President. One clear call to action in the First Lady's article was her statement about how important it is for Congress to pass this bill as soon as possible. She recognizes that we are poised to do something truly historic, and I could not agree with her more. I applaud her for her initiative and for her passion about this issue, her willingness to elevate it every opportunity she has, and to focus on, again, our greatest resource--our children.

We also saw yesterday in the New York Times an op-ed published by our own Senator Dick Lugar who has been working so diligently in his time here in the Senate to bring a tremendous focus on hunger which exists in this country and globally. Very few people can match his dedication and his passion to this issue, and I am grateful for his comments. I ask unanimous consent that his op-ed be printed in the Record following my remarks as well.

Mr. President, I know we have a lot on our plate this week and certainly in the weeks to come, but I am determined to see this bill come up for a vote. I think people in this body have a great opportunity--and they know it--to make a difference not just in their children's lives but in the lives of their neighbors' children, or people whom they don't even know, but they do know that those parents love and care for their children as much as each one of us loves and cares for our own children. They know those parents want every opportunity for other children across this globe, but certainly across this Nation, to be able to reach their potential.

If you visit our schools, particularly in low-income areas, and you look in the eyes of those children, you know that one of the barriers for them in terms of reaching their potential unfortunately happens to be that they are hungry, that they are living in food insecurity, that they are struggling with obesity because of unfortunate cultural or poor eating habits. If there is anything we can solve that is a barrier to our children reaching their potential, it is something such as this which we know we have the cure for, we know we have the solutions for, and we have an opportunity this week to begin that process and make it happen through legislation we can pass here in the Senate. We can do it and we should.

I am going to continue to come to the floor or to my colleagues to bring up this issue and to talk about it. It is a bill that I think can make a difference. I am going to continue to talk about the real children and the real families out there across this Nation who would benefit from this legislation and who are depending on us to do the right thing. I am going to continue to hassle and press my colleagues, as I have been known to do, so we can get this very important bill done in a timely way.

I say to my colleagues, to this Nation, and to the opportunity that exists before us: Let's do it. In the words of the First Lady: Let's move. Let's get it going. Let's get it done. Let's not let this historic opportunity to change the lives of our children in this Nation--all of our children and, therefore, our future--let us not allow it to pass us by.

Exhibit 1

[From the Washington Post, Aug. 2, 2010]

A Food Bill We Need

(By Michelle Obama)

Last spring, a class of fifth-grade students from Bancroft

Elementary School in the District descended on the South Lawn

of the White House to help us dig, mulch, water and plant our

very first kitchen garden. In the months that followed, those

same students came back to check on the garden's progress and

taste the fruits (and vegetables) of their labor. Together,

they helped us spark a national conversation about the role

that food plays in helping us all live healthy lives.

For years our nation has been struggling with an epidemic

of childhood obesity. We've all heard the statistics: how one

in three children in this country are either overweight or

obese, with even higher rates among African Americans,

Hispanics and Native Americans. We know that one in three

kids will suffer from diabetes at some point in their lives.

We've seen the cost to our economy--how we're spending almost

$150 billion every year to treat obesity-related conditions.

And we know that if we don't act now, those costs will just

keep rising.

None of us wants that future for our children or our

country. That's the idea behind ``Let's Move!''--a nationwide

campaign started this year with a single and very ambitious

goal: solving the problem of childhood obesity in a

generation, so kids born today can reach adulthood at a

healthy weight.

``Let's Move!'' is helping parents get the tools they need

to keep their families healthy and fit. It's helping grocery

stores serve communities that don't have access to fresh

foods. And it's finding new ways to help America's children

stay physically active.

But even if we all work to help our kids lead healthy lives

at home, they also need to stay healthy and active at school.

The last thing parents need or want is to see the progress

they're making at home lost during the school day.

Right now, our country has a major opportunity to make our

schools and our children healthier. It's an opportunity we

haven't seen in years, and one that is too important to let

pass by.

The Child Nutrition Bill working its way through Congress

has support from both Democrats and Republicans. This

groundbreaking legislation will bring fundamental change to

schools and improve the food options available to our

children.

To start, the bill will make it easier for the tens of

millions of children who participate in the National School

Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program--and many

others who are eligible but not enrolled--to get the

nutritious meals they need to do their best. It will set

higher nutritional standards for school meals by requiring

more fruits, vegetables and whole grains while reducing fat

and salt. It will offer rewards to schools that meet those

standards. And it will help eliminate junk food from vending

machines and a la carte lines--a major step that is supported

by parents, health-experts, and many in the food and beverage

industry.

Over the past year, I have met with community leaders and

stakeholders from across the country--parents and teachers,

school board members and principals, suppliers and food

service workers--about the importance of making sure every

child in America has access to nutritious meals at school.

They all want what's best for our children, and they all know

how critical it is that we keep making progress.

That's why it is so important that Congress pass this bill

as soon as possible. We owe it to the children who aren't

reaching their potential because they're not getting the

nutrition they need during the day. We owe it to the parents

who are working to keep their families healthy and looking

for a little support along the way. We owe it to the schools

that are trying to make progress but don't have the resources

they need. And we owe it to our country--because our

prosperity depends on the health and vitality of the next

generation.

Changes like these are just the beginning, and we've got a

long way to go to reach our goals. But if we work together

and each do our part, I'm confident that we can give our

children the opportunities they need to succeed--and the

energy, strength and endurance to seize those opportunities.

Thank you, Mr. President. I yield the floor and note the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, today I congratulate the residents of Cave City in my home State of Arkansas as they celebrate the annual Cave City Watermelon Festival, a time-honored tradition that commemorates watermelon growing and its importance to the local community.

Home to the ``world's best watermelons,'' Cave City is a close-knit community located in Northern Arkansas. Since the 1930s, Cave City residents and other Arkansans have gathered to take part in the Watermelon Festival.

Sponsored by the Cave City Area Chamber of Commerce, this year's event will take place August 12-14 and will feature a variety of music, games, a parade, and a beauty pageant.

Mr. President, I salute the entire community of Cave City as they celebrate this annual event. I commend them for keeping the history and heritage of their community alive.

Mr. President, today I congratulate the residents of Hope in my home State of Arkansas as they celebrate the annual Hope Watermelon Festival, a time-honored tradition that commemorates the history and technique of watermelon growing and its importance to the local community.

Home to the world's largest watermelon, Hope is a thriving community in southwest Arkansas. Since the 1920s, Hope residents and other Arkansans have gathered to take part in the Watermelon Festival.

According to event organizers, the early Watermelon Festivals bear little resemblance to those in recent years. During the 1920s era, citizens served ice-cold watermelon to passengers on the many trains that stopped in Hope. These early festivals brought upwards of 20,000 people in a day to Hope. The end to the first festivals came around 1931 when the city, suffering from the effects of the Depression, could no longer accommodate the crowds.

In 1975, the city of Hope celebrated its centennial anniversary, which prompted local residents to consider staging the Watermelon Festival once again. Since the 1970s, the festival has continued to grow, attracting approximately 50,000 visitors to Hope over a 4-day period each year.

I am looking forward to attending this year's Watermelon Festival, which will take place August 12-14 at Fair Parkin Hope. Sponsored by the Hope-Hempstead County Chamber of Commerce, this year's event features southwest Arkansas's largest arts and crafts show, live music, a 5K run/walk, games and children's activities, food, an antique car show, and of course, ice-cold Hope watermelon by the slice.

Mr. President, I salute the entire community of Hope and Hempstead County as they celebrate this annual event and enjoy ``a slice of the good life.'' I commend them for keeping the history and heritage of their community alive.

Mr. President, today I congratulate staff members and volunteers of the Humane Society of Pulaski County as they celebrate the 10-

year anniversary of their current shelter. I commend them for reaching this milestone.

The mission of the Humane Society of Pulaski County is to rescue, care for and find homes for abandoned, abused, homeless and unwanted animals. The group provides access to healthy animals for people seeking to adopt pets. In 2009, the Humane Society of Pulaski County adopted out almost 1,000 animals.

The Humane Society of Pulaski County is supported solely by donations, fund-raisers, bequests and grants. The group has achieved a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator, which means the smallest percentage of donations is allocated for administrative costs.

As a part of the ``Puppy Love'' program, the Humane Society also works throughout the community, taking animals to visit residents of nursing homes, retirement centers, and women's shelters. Puppy Love makes approximately 40 visits to local facilities each year.

Mr. President, I again congratulate the staff and volunteers of the Humane Society of Pulaski County as they celebrate this anniversary. I wish them the best in the years to come.

Mr. President, today I congratulate this year's inductees to the Arkansas Sportscasters and Sportswriters Hall of Fame. These sports journalists represent the best in their field, and I commend them for this prestigious honor.

This year's inductees are:

Former Razorback place-kicker Pat Summerall, legendary sportscaster of CBS and FOX television.

Jerry McConnell of Greenwood, long-time Arkansas Gazette sportswriter who was instrumental in the creation of the Meet of Champions.

The Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to former Razorback coach Ken Hatfield for his lifelong service to college football throughout the Nation.

Along with all Arkansans, I thank these honorees for their countless contributions to Arkansas sports.

Mr. President, today I congratulate members of the Hi-Noon Toastmasters Club of Little Rock as they celebrate the 50th anniversary of their founding. Each Friday, members gather to improve and hone their public speaking and professional skills.

Under the leadership of president William Porterfield, the Hi-Noon Toastmasters Club is one of the largest in the United States, with over 50 active members.

The club works to help its members develop and improve their communication, public speaking, and leadership skills. Over the years, the Hi-Noon Toastmasters Club has been regularly recognized by Toastmasters International as a Select Distinguished Club, Toastmasters' highest honor. This continuing excellence--unusual to find in any club--has come to be known as the ``Hi-Noon Tradition'' among its members.

Mr. President, I commend the Hi-Noon Toastmasters Club for their pursuit of excellence in public speaking and extend my congratulations as they celebrate their 50th anniversary.

Mr. President, today I recognize two Arkansas communities that were recently recognized for their low-cost of living and quality of life.

Kiplinger.Com named Fort Smith as the ``least expensive'' city for living in the United States. Also on the list was Conway, with the sixth lowest cost of living.

The rankings were determined through criteria examining relative price levels for housing, utilities, transportation, grocery items, health care and miscellaneous goods and services.

I congratulate the residents of both communities for this significant recognition. I also commend Fort Smith and Conway community leaders for their tireless efforts to build and maintain a safe, economical, and desirable place to live for local citizens. Our local leaders represent the best of our State, and I am proud of their accomplishments.

Mr. President, I salute both Fort Smith and Conway, and I join all Arkansans to express my pride in these communities and our great State as a whole.

Mr. President, today my home State of Arkansas mourns the loss of Ellen Turner Carpenter, 93, a noted educator and community leader who helped shape Arkansas history through her work. Her life and legacy will be celebrated today during a funeral service at Mount Zion Baptist Church in Little Rock. I extend my deepest sympathies to Mrs. Carpenter's relatives and loved ones, who have lost a cherished member of their family.

Mrs. Carpenter's service to the city of Little Rock and the entire State helped inspire countless Arkansans to pursue their dreams and achieve their goals, despite the obstacles they may have faced. A staunch civil rights supporter, she encouraged students to work hard and always strive for the best.

Mrs. Carpenter was born July 30, 1916, in Little Rock as the youngest of eight children. She graduated from Dunbar High School in 1934 and married Rueben Alvin Carpenter in 1935. They had 10 children.

She received a bachelor's degree in education from Philander Smith College in the early 1950s and was a special education teacher for decades, beginning at Booker T. Washington Elementary School in Little Rock. She later received her master's degree from the University of Central Arkansas.

A lifelong member of Mount Zion Baptist Church in Little Rock, Mrs. Carpenter was proud of her faith and heritage. Her Christian principles guided her service and work for others.

She was most known for her role in the preservation of the Mosaic Templars of America headquarters building. In 1992, she became president of the Mosaic Templars Building Preservation Society, which worked to preserve the Mosaic Templars building in Little Rock to create a museum for black history in Arkansas. Today, the museum is dedicated to collecting, preserving, interpreting, and celebrating African-American history, culture and community in Arkansas from 1870 to the present. Mrs. Carpenter served as president of the society until her death and was also appointed by former Governor Mike Huckabee to the advisory board, where she served as chairman.

In 1975, Mrs. Carpenter founded the Meadowbrook Neighborhood Association of South Little Rock and served as its president until 2005.

Mrs. Carpenter's legacy will live on through the Ellen T. Carpenter Scholarship Fund at Mt. Zion Baptist Church, in addition to a State scholarship created in 2008 in her honor. She

will also have a conference room named in her honor at the Mosaic Templars building. She received many honors throughout her life, including the CareLink Senator David Pryor Award in 2006.

Along with all Arkansans, I celebrate the work, life, and contributions of our beloved community member, Ellen Turner Carpenter. Our State has lost one of its finest citizens, and we all mourn her loss.

Mr. President, tomorrow our Nation celebrates the 45th anniversary of Medicare, a vital program that has provided health care for millions of Americans through the years. During my career in the Senate, I have fought to ensure that our Arkansas seniors and all seniors receive the best health care possible. I have fought to protect Medicare benefits for our Arkansas seniors, so they can receive the care they need, when they need it.

I believe in the promise our government made to working Americans that if we work hard, Medicare will be there to help us in our golden years. Medicare has made a healthy and secure retirement possible for tens of millions of Americans, including my own mother.

More than 500,000 Arkansans are enrolled in Medicare, and I am proud of my work on their behalf. In particular, our Arkansas seniors will see significant new benefits because of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which I played a major role in crafting.

The new health care law will enhance the life and well being of our seniors in

many ways. For example, I fought successfully to reduce the Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage gap known as the doughnut hole, which will save seniors money beginning this year. In addition, the legislation will immediately extend Medicare payment protections for small rural hospitals and other health care providers that play vital roles in their communities.

I am proud that the Senate health care reform law explicitly states that no reductions in guaranteed Medicare benefits will be made, and that any savings generated for the Medicare program will extend Medicare solvency, reduce Medicare premiums and cost-sharing for beneficiaries, improve or expand Medicare guaranteed benefits, and preserve access to Medicare health care providers.

In addition my Medicare Advantage lemon law included in the bill creates a 45-day period--January 1through February 15--beginning in 2011 during which beneficiaries who enroll in Medicare Advantage or prescription drug plans during the annual enrollment period can disenroll and return to traditional fee-for-service Medicare. This proposal will help protect seniors from losing benefits or the ability to see their doctors if they have discovered they signed up for a Medicare Advantage plan that does not cover their doctors or does not meet their health care needs, a problem we have experienced often in Arkansas.

As we commemorate the 45th anniversary of Medicare, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the entire Arkansas health care community for their dedicated efforts to ensure that their fellow Arkansans receive the best care possible. In particular, I commend our health care professionals for their participation in the Medicare program, providing comfort and care and making a healthy retirement possible for millions of Arkansans since the program's inception 45 years ago.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. President, I come to the floor today to speak again, as I did yesterday, on the committee-passed children's nutrition reauthorization legislation. Before I do, I ask unanimous consent that my colleague, Senator Chambliss, be able to speak for 5 minutes following my speech.

Mr. President, I come to the floor today again to speak about our committee-passed bill, the child nutrition reauthorization, and certainly the critical need for us to pass this legislation before child nutrition programs expire on September 30. Most

people know we do not move at breakneck speeds in Washington, and we have very limited time between now and September 30. In that time, our children will be going back to school. They will be going to their respective schools across this country, and we will have missed an opportunity to improve their lives in that school and in that community, to improve their health and well-being through greater access to free and reduced lunches and--not summer feeding programs but our breakfast programs, as well as the nutritional value of those meals.

I hope all of my colleagues will join me in helping us move our child nutrition bill forward. The bipartisan Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act will make a tremendous step toward addressing the childhood hunger and obesity crisis in our country and put us on a path to significantly improving the health of the next generation of Americans.

Congress has the opportunity to make a historic investment in our most precious gift and the future of this country--all of our children, not just my children, not just the other Members' children, but children all across this Nation. Other mothers and fathers, parents all across this country, and grandparents who are raising their children, who love and care for their children just as much as I love and care for my children, will have an opportunity, when we pass this bill, to realize a greater opportunity for their children.

Today, I am here to talk about what it will mean if we miss this opportunity, what it will mean for our children, our hard-working families across this Nation, and schools across the country if we fail to pass this bill and pass it before we leave.

The obesity crisis America faces comes at a tremendous cost to our health care system. Many of us do not think of it that way, but it does. It costs us roughly $147 billion per year. We should not miss this opportunity to proactively address the obesity crisis and begin to relieve our health care system of those financial burdens that follow obesity-related disease.

This bill includes the first congressionally mandated, noninflationary increase in the reimbursement rate for school meals prepared and served across this country since 1973. I do not want to talk too much because in 1973, I believe I was in junior high, perhaps. We have not increased the reimbursement rate for meals in our schools since 1973. We know what 1973 dollars purchased and we know what today's dollars purchase. We are strapping our school districts with trying to do a better job at providing healthier meals since we now know the difference it makes in our children's lives, both in their ability to learn and in their ability to grow and be healthy.

This reimbursement rate is performance based in our bill. That means schools only get it if they provide healthy meals that meet program guidelines. This provision will invest roughly $3.2 billion in additional money over the next 10 years. That is over $300 million per year in additional revenue for our schools. That is meaningful to these schools that are working diligently to try to provide the healthiest meals possible for all of our children.

I toured a lot of our schools during some of the breaks we have had this year and listened to some of those food service folks who work hard day-in and day-out trying to come together and figure out how they can meet guidelines and provide the healthiest foods possible to our students and to our children and to do so on those 1973 dollars. One of the things I found, which is amazing, is that many of them are still using 40-, 50-year-old equipment, which means they are having an even harder time not only because they do not have enough dollars to purchase the kinds of foods they feel would be healthier, but they do not even have the equipment to provide the preparation of those foods. Steaming vegetables one pot at a time for 300 students is impractical.

We look at the opportunities that exist for us to do something. However, if we fail to pass this bill, schools will miss out on over $300 million each year, and the next generation will still continue to pay the price for the health risks caused by obesity.

We can see on this chart what schools in each of our States stand to lose if we fail to pass this bill. I have looked pretty heavily at the State of Arkansas, and I notice that the children of Arkansas will miss out on $3.5 million a year that we could be providing them for improving the health and well-being of our children through healthier meals and through greater access for low-income children.

We look at the economy and the economic crisis we have come through. We know many working families are in dire straits. Having to go through what they are going to have to go through to try to get their children into a free or reduced lunch is unbelievable. Yet that is a great place for those children to get a healthy meal when their families are suffering in these economic times.

I look at what some of my neighbors might receive. I notice Texas. Texas gets well over $32 million in these increases to help them provide for their children through breakfast programs and lunch programs in their schools and in their school districts.

Some of my other neighbors--Missouri. I look at Missouri and I see almost $6.5 million. Think about what it would mean to those school districts and those school service programs to have those additional resources. Those are critical dollars that schools desperately need to help reverse the dangerous trend of childhood obesity.

All it will take is just a few hours of floor time to pass this bipartisan, fully paid for legislation.

Another provision in our bill expands the at-risk afterschool snack program, also known as the Child and Adult Care Food Program. Our bill expands this program so afterschool sites in every State can offer children a full, healthy meal so they do not have to go hungry in the afternoons as parents are working and, at the end of their work day, having to pick up their children and then trying to get home to feed them. If we do not pass this bill, 29 million nutritious afterschool meals will not be served to hungry children.

Other provisions in our bill expand and improve the use of direct certification for free school meals through the SNAP and Medicaid Programs. There will be 120,000 eligible low-income children each year who will not receive quality meals if we neglect our responsibilities and fail to pass this legislation.

Again, as I mentioned yesterday, I think of the mountain of paperwork that comes home from school in the backpacks of my children at the beginning of the school year--paperwork that has to be filled out that is detailed. We know that through a direct certification program--and we know those families have already filled out that paperwork, whether it is for Medicaid or whether it is for other programs they qualify for, such as SNAP or other programs--it is critical that we use that opportunity and those resources to feed hungry children instead of the staff it takes or the time of the parent or the neglect, perhaps, because there is not enough time to fill out that paperwork so that child could have access in a dignified way to the free or reduced school lunch they need so desperately.

I emphasize again that the critical investment this bill makes is completely paid for and will not add one cent to the national debt. I know people have great concern about the debt because I do too. I know my constituents do, and I know my colleagues do. In the committee, we worked hard, in a responsible way, to ensure that this bill would be a good, common-ground area where we could come to find an increase for a very critical need but to also pay for it in a responsible way. This truly is an investment, Mr. President, in the next generation. It ensures that our children will be healthy, and it does so without saddling them with the financial burden they cannot afford.

Make no mistake, Mr. President, if we fail to pass this legislation there will be real-world consequences. Those statistics I just cited aren't just numbers, they are very real children. They are very real children from the age of 5 to the age of 18. Mine happen to be right in the middle right now, but they are growing boys. I know how desperately important it is for them to get nutritious meals, and I work hard at that. I know every other parent out there wants to do the same for their children; real children who come from hard-working families are struggling to make ends meet. These are real children who struggle with obesity and will

deal with long-term health consequences throughout their lifetimes if we don't take the steps to both increase their availability to choices and, more importantly, increase their access to nutritious meals in the schools where they spend the majority of their day to begin with.

Let's take the time to pass this legislation. If it is a priority, we should do it, plain and simple. Just a few hours is all it will take. I hope my other colleagues will look at this issue and realize that even in the busy world we are in here, and all the things that we do, taking just a few hours to focus on things where we have done our work in committee, where we know it is essential, where we know it will expire, and when it does we will lose resources, that we can take the time now to get something done and move it forward.

So I thank you, Mr. President, for this time, and I say a special thanks to my ranking member, Senator Chambliss, who does a tremendous job on the Senate Agriculture Committee. I am grateful to him for his hard work and dedication, and I am a great admirer of all the things he does and will continue to enjoy working with him on any of the issues he finds before us in the committee.

Mr. President, I yield the floor.

Mr. President, today I recognize eight Arkansas families who were recently selected as district winners of the Arkansas Farm Bureau's 64th Annual Farm Family of the Year program. This year's winners are:

Michael and Sarah Oxner of Searcy (White County) in the

East Central District. The Oxners own Red River Farms, where

they grow 2,700 acres of rice, 2,100 acres of soybeans, 300

acres of corn, 280 acres of cotton and 700 acres of moist

soil, millet, and native grasses for wildlife. They have

three children, Mary, Laura, and Paten.

Mark and Nancy Satterfield of Norfork (Baxter County) in

the North Central District. The Satterfields are registered

seed stock producers of Charolais and Angus cattle with a

production herd of 110 cows. They have had champion bulls and

females in both Arkansas and Missouri. They have two

children, Taylor and Justin.

Lammers Farms Partnership located in Manila (Mississippi

County) in the Northeast District. Lammers Farms Partnership

is a family operation with three generations of farmers.

Louis and Carol Lammers, their children Jeff Lammers and

Laura Weiss, and their respective families, are partners of

Lammers Farm. Louis and Carol Lammers also have seven

grandchildren. On 6,662 acres, Lammers Farms grows 530 acres

of irrigated upland cotton, 1,072 acres of nonirrigated

upland cotton, 2,060 acres of long grain rice, 80 acres of

grain sorghum, 1,207 acres of irrigated soybeans, 742 acres

of nonirrigated soybeans and 971 acres dedicated to the

Conservation Reserve Program. Lammers Farms Partnership also

owns a grain storage facility in Blytheville that is

currently leased to Riceland.

Randy and Anjie Cockrum of Rudy (Crawford County) in the

Northwest District. Randy and Anjie Cockrum have 578 acres,

400 of which produce hay. They also have 160 cow/calf pairs

and a meat processing operation. When calf prices are low the

Cockrums market their calves as beef through their processing

operation. They have three children, Siera, Tyler and Shelby.

Curt and Ellen Rankin of Lake Village (Chicot County) in

the Southeast District. The Rankin's farm consists of 500

acres of corn, 1,950 acres of irrigated soybeans and 150

acres of nonirrigated soybeans. They have two children, Seth

and Jacob.

Darrell and Jennifer Ford of Hope (Hempstead County) in the

Southwest District. The Fords graze about 700 yearling calves

per year. The cattle-grazing operation also provides pasture

for outside farmers. The Fords own 100 cows and about 25

percent of the calves they graze. The Fords also co-own the

Hope Livestock Auction, which sells roughly 45,000 head of

cattle each year. They have four children, Kade, Kylan, Grace

and Aubrie.

Jeremy and Leslie Allmon of Murfreesboro (Pike County) in

the West Central District. The Allmons have 103 cows, 92

calves, 35 heifers, 2 bulls, 2 poultry laying houses

containing approximately 28,400 hens and 100 acres of hay on

their 420 acre operation. They have one child, Holden, who is

2.

Larry and Marilyn Huddleston of Waldron (Scott County) in

the Western District. The Huddlestons run 100 cows, 700

stocker calves and produce hay on 1,340 acres. They have two

children, Hannah and Cole.

As a seventh-generation Arkansan and farmer's daughter, and as chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, I understand firsthand and appreciate the hard work and contributions of our farm families. Agriculture is the backbone of Arkansas's economy, creating more than 270,000 jobs in the State and providing $9.1 billion in wages and salaries. In total, agriculture contributes roughly $15.9 billion to the Arkansas economy each year and is responsible for one out of every four Arkansas jobs.

We must work to continue the farm family tradition, so these families are able to maintain their livelihoods and continue to help provide the safe, abundant, and affordable food supply that feeds our own country and the world and that is essential to our own economic stability.

I salute all Arkansas farm families for their hard work and dedication.

Mr. President, today I join residents of Tontitown and all Arkansans to commemorate the 2010 Tontitown Grape Festival. For 112 years, the festival has celebrated the history and heritage of this unique community nestled in the Ozark Mountains.

Like many American towns, the history of Tontitown begins with the story of immigrants. Facing high taxes and political unrest, a group of Italian farming families set sail for the United States in 1895, hoping to start a new life. Father Pietro Bandini bought a plot of land in northwest Arkansas and brought some 40 families to what would soon become Tontitown. Today, Tontitown is a culturally rich and business- friendly community, home to approximately 1,000 citizens and 100 businesses.

Every year, the Tontitown Grape Festival, sponsored by St. Joseph's Church, has welcomed visitors of all ages. The festival celebrates Tontitown's Italian heritage with live entertainment, a carnival, an arts and crafts fair, a used book sale, a Run for the Grapes, for both kids and adults, and the annual coronation of the Queen of the Festival.

I commend the residents of the Tontitown area for their commitment to the history and heritage of Arkansas. I wish them all the best as they celebrate during this year's Grape Festival.

Mr. President, I come to the floor today with a very simple request. I come to ask for my colleagues' attention and perhaps 8 hours of their time, 8 hours that will change the face of childhood hunger and obesity and put us on a path to significantly improving the health of the next generation of Americans, 8 hours that will make a historic investment in our most precious gift and the future of this country, and that is, of course, our children, 8 hours for this body to pass the bipartisan Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act that will reauthorize our Federal child nutrition programs and address two of the greatest threats to the health and security of America's children--hunger and obesity.

Earlier this year, working closely with the ranking member of the Ag Committee, Senator Chambliss, other members of the committee as well as the administration, the Committee on Agriculture, which I chair, unanimously approved a bill that makes a historic investment in hunger relief and for the first time mandates that meals provided to our children in schools are healthy. We have since been patiently waiting for this critical legislation to see the light of day on the Senate floor.

The days of patiently waiting are coming to an end, as the September 30 deadline to reauthorize these programs rapidly approaches. That is why I stand here today asking this body, asking my colleagues to spend a few moments of time to make an investment in our children and dedicate perhaps at the most 8 hours of floor time to take up and pass this legislation.

I don't have to look any farther than my home State of Arkansas to see the hunger and obesity crisis at its worst. A recent report by Feeding America found that Arkansas has the highest rate of childhood hunger in the country at 24.4 percent. That is nearly one out of every four Arkansas children who is unsure when or if their next meal will come. Will it even materialize?

Obesity too is extremely high among Arkansas children. Roughly one out of five children in Arkansas is considered obese. Research shows that obesity significantly increases the risk of chronic disease such as hypertension, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and even some forms of cancer. We also know obesity comes at a tremendous cost to our health care system, roughly $147 billion each year. These statistics are simply unacceptable. There are real children behind these numbers, real children in real families, many of them working American families, real children who can forever be put on a path toward longer, healthier, more productive lives, if we simply dedicate 8 hours to passing this bill.

As a mother of twin boys who are teenagers now, having watched them grow up and feeling enormously blessed that through that time I have had the opportunity and the blessing of being able to feed them nutritious food and ensure they are growing up healthy, do any of my colleagues think that any mother out there is any different than I am, who wants to see that same blessing in their own home and with their own children?

The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act takes tremendous steps toward addressing the obesity crisis which is necessary if we truly want to improve the health of this next generation of Americans. This legislation increases the reimbursement rate for school meals for the first time since 1973. Can colleagues think of what it would mean for us to be required to purchase items under today's costs with 1973 purchasing power? It would be impossible for us to feed our families or to take care of them, to assist our seniors and aging parents. Here we are asking our schools to try not only to feed the children but to feed them a healthy meal with 1973 dollars. If we want to promote our children's health, we have to feed them healthier meals. That takes an investment such as the one we have made in this bill.

This bill also for the first time establishes national school nutrition standards to ensure our children have healthier options available throughout the entire schoolday. Too often we hear from parents their frustrations about how the healthy habits they are trying to teach their children at home are constantly being undermined by the widespread availability of unhealthy options in school. For the first time this bill changes that. Parents can take comfort knowing that foods and snacks available at school through vending machines and school stores and a la carte lunch lines will have to meet new healthier standards based on guidelines for healthy diets established by USDA in consultation with HHS and the Institute of Medicine. This provision complements the commonsense steps we have already taken in my home State to improve the health of our school environments and, in doing so, brings some Arkansas wisdom to the rest of the country.

We have seen the horrors in Arkansas, and we want to do something about it. As a nation, we too must see the challenges we face in feeding the children healthy and nutritious meals, and we must seize this opportunity to do something about it.

This bill also makes a significant investment in the fight against childhood hunger. In 1999, I worked hard in the Senate to start the Senate Hunger Caucus, to try to bring my colleagues' attention to the issue of food insecurity and hunger that existed not only on a global sense but also in our own backyards and in our own country. Mr. President, 500,000 Arkansans live in food insecurity right now. We have much to do. It is hard to understand, when we have a disease such as hunger and we know what the cure is, why don't we cure it? It is so simple.

This bill streamlines and takes out duplicative steps in the paperwork process to ensure that hundreds of thousands of children across the country who are eligible for national school lunch and breakfast programs actually are able to participate. I am one of the few Senators with schoolage children. I know what comes home in those backpacks at the first of the year. It is a mountain of paperwork that gets crumpled down in the bottom of the backpack. I pull it out. Fortunately for me, I don't have to fill out that paperwork. But there are many families who do in order to ensure their child is eligible for a free or reduced lunch or a breakfast program. They have to fill

out multiple pages of documentation to be eligible. Yet we know they already meet the criteria because they filled out that same or similar paperwork for the WIC program or SNAP or the low-income housing program, so many other places where they have continually documented the need for help they have in creating a wholesome family.

This bill also recognizes that hunger doesn't stop when the school bell rings. It improves afterschool and summer feeding programs, ensuring that children in afterschool programs are receiving full nutritious meals instead of the current snack they receive now.

This bill is about improving the lives of the next generation--and we have a short period to do so--whether it is in education or nutrition. I know for myself, my boys turn 14 this year. It is hard for me to believe they have grown so quickly. Yet if we think about it, we have a snapshot of time to affect the lives of these children. So if we don't do it this year, if we don't do it next year or the year after that, that child who was in kindergarten is now in third grade. They may have incorporated bad eating habits already or they haven't had nutritious food or they haven't received the basic skills they need in terms of reading and other things. That time in the life of a child is so important. We look at ourselves and the time it takes us to pass legislation. We have an enormous opportunity to affect a generation of Americans and make their lives better. This bill means we will ensure they are healthier.

It also means not saddling them with a financial burden they cannot afford. That is why I am very proud to say this bill is completely paid for and will not add one cent to the national debt that will be shouldered by the children. As we work to get this bill signed into law, I will make certain it is paid for, not only because it is the right thing to do for the country, it is the right thing to do for the children.

Unfortunately, there is a very real risk we will fail to seize this historic opportunity. As of today, we have a maximum of 23 legislative days remaining before the current child nutrition program expires on September 30. What many colleagues may fail to understand is that a simple extension of these programs will not be enough. Oftentimes we don't get our work done, and we simply say: Well, we will extend the current law until we can get it done. I pose to my colleagues: We have a good bill. We have an opportunity, a historic opportunity to make a difference. If we don't seize the opportunity, we will have to extend the current legislation. If we simply choose to extend the current program, we are locking in the status quo. We are locking in the rate we pay our school districts for school lunches and meal programs at 1973 levels.

What is more, each State will lose critical dollars they would have otherwise received from this bill. Who will pay the price? Our children will pay the price for our inability to get this done, for our inaction and our unwillingness to take a simple few hours and get something done. Yet knowing what we stand to lose, I can't seem to convince enough folks around here how critically important it is for us to pass this bill. Again, all I am asking for is several hours, 8 hours, perhaps, at the most. I will continue to ask. I will continue to come down to the floor of the Senate until we make this investment in our children.

We have an opportunity to pass something real, something historic, something that is meaningful, that we have taken the regular order and gone through the committee process, that we have done what people want us to do. We have been transparent with our actions. We have paid for this legislation. We have done it in a bipartisan way. We have come up with something that is good and real for the children. We simply need to dedicate the time, the time out of our schedule to get this bill done.

I will relentlessly be pursuing my colleagues. I know they get tired of me, and I know I have become a pest. But when the day is done and we have finished our work, it is worthwhile to have been a pest for something that is such a great treasure to the Nation as our children. We can accomplish this goal on behalf of the children, if we set our minds to it.

This is a bill of which each and every Member can be proud. It is bipartisan, completely paid for and, much more, it provides commonsense solutions to addressing childhood hunger and obesity. In unanimously passing this bill, the Ag Committee made a commitment to the children. Now I ask this body to help us fulfill this commitment by dedicating only 8 hours to passing this historic legislation.

Is that too much to ask? Can we not dedicate those few hours to an effort that will change a generation for the better? I know hard- working parents in Arkansas and all across this great Nation do not think it is too much. There are other parents of school-aged children, like me, some of them who do not have the blessings or the means that I have to be able to care for my children or provide a healthy afterschool snack or to be able to make sure dinner is there for them in the evenings. Those parents love their children as much as I love mine, and they want to see us as a nation recognizing the value of their children to the future of this country.

So I will continue to be a pest. I will continue to badger my colleagues. I will continue to fight to see that this body does right by our kids and passes this legislation and improves the health of the next generation of great Americans.

Mr. President, I yield the floor.

Mr. President, today I join residents of Altus and all Arkansans to commemorate the 2010 Altus Grape Festival.

For 27 years, the Altus Grape Festival has celebrated area grape growers and recognized the heritage of the grape in Altus. The festival is sponsored each year by the area's local wineries--Post Familie, Mount Bethel, Wiederkehr, and Chateau Aux Arc--and by area grape growers, businesses, civic organizations and residents.

Known as the ``Arkansas Wine Capital,'' Altus welcomes visitors from across the State, Nation, and world to celebrate the area's rich heritage during the festival. The 2-day event features a variety of activities, including a Friday night street dance and fireworks display, live music, grape-related games for children and adults, a grape stomp competition, quality juried arts and crafts, and wine and juice tasting by all local wineries. Amateur winemakers are also invited to bring the best of their homemade wine to the Amateur Winemaking Competition.

I commend the residents of the Altus area for their commitment to the history and heritage of Arkansas. I wish them all the best as they celebrate during this year's Grape Festival.