00                      HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 24                                                                     
01 Urging the United States Congress and the United States Department of Agriculture to                                    
02 extend the basic housing allowance exclusion to all military families for purposes of the                               
03 school nutrition program.                                                                                               
04 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                               
05       WHEREAS all children need healthful meals for cognitive development, perception,                                
06 thinking, and learning; and                                                                                             
07       WHEREAS studies show that malnutrition results in decreased activity levels,                                    
08 decreased social interaction, decreased curiosity, and decreased cognitive functioning in                               
09 children; and                                                                                                           
10       WHEREAS research shows that poorly nourished children have more problems                                        
11 fighting infections and, therefore, may become sick more often, miss more school, and fail to                           
12 keep up with classmates; and                                                                                            
13       WHEREAS studies show that children who regularly eat breakfast have better                                      
14 standardized test scores and better behavior and are less hyperactive than children who do not                          
15 have breakfast; and                                                                                                     

01       WHEREAS eating a healthful lunch helps keep a child's mind sharp all afternoon;                                 
02 and                                                                                                                     
03       WHEREAS children benefit from the federal nutrition programs that include the                                   
04 National School Lunch Program (42 U.S.C. 1751), the After School Snack Program (42                                      
05 U.S.C. 1788), and the School Breakfast Program (42 U.S.C. 1773) that offer free or reduced                              
06 price meals to eligible school age children whose household size and income are below the                               
07 eligibility level established for those programs; and                                                                   
08       WHEREAS the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act was amended by the                                     
09 Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (42 U.S.C. 1758(b)(13)) to exclude a                                     
10 specified housing allowance from consideration as income in making an eligibility                                       
11 determination for federal school nutrition programs; and                                                                
12       WHEREAS the exclusion from income of a military housing allowance applies only                                  
13 to private housing located on-base; and                                                                                 
14       WHEREAS an income exclusion is not available for children of service members                                    
15 living in housing off-base that is part of the general commercial and private real estate market;                       
16 and                                                                                                                     
17       WHEREAS the basic housing allowance for off-base housing makes many military                                    
18 families ineligible for the federal school nutrition programs; and                                                      
19       WHEREAS, because service members are expected to be available 24 hours a day,                               
20 they are unable to hold second jobs, and their income is limited to military income;                                    
21       BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature urges the United States                                        
22 Department of Agriculture, Western Region, and the United States Congress to extend the                                 
23 military housing allowance exclusion from income in establishing eligibility for school                                 
24 nutrition programs to all military families receiving a military housing allowance, whether                             
25 they live on-base or off-base.                                                                                          
26       COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable Tom Vilsack, United States                             
27 Secretary of Agriculture, the Honorable Lisa Murkowski and the Honorable Mark Begich,                                   
28 U.S. Senators, and the Honorable Don Young, U.S. Representative, members of the Alaska                                  
29 delegation in Congress.