00Enrolled HJR 24                                                                                                         
01 Urging the United States Congress and the United States Department of Agriculture to extend                             
02 the basic housing allowance exclusion to all military families for purposes of the school                               
03 nutrition program.                                                                                                      
04                                          _______________                                                                
05 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                             
06      WHEREAS all children need healthful meals for cognitive development, perception,                                 
07 thinking, and learning; and                                                                                             
08      WHEREAS studies show that malnutrition results in decreased activity levels,                                     
09 decreased social interaction, decreased curiosity, and decreased cognitive functioning in                               
10 children; and                                                                                                           
11      WHEREAS research shows that poorly nourished children have more problems                                         
12 fighting infections and, therefore, may become sick more often, miss more school, and fail to                           
13 keep up with classmates; and                                                                                            
14      WHEREAS studies show that children who regularly eat breakfast have better                                       
15 standardized test scores and better behavior and are less hyperactive than children who do not                          
16 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; and the Honorable Lisa Murkowski and the Honorable Mark                                       
28 Begich, U.S. Senators, and the Honorable Don Young, U.S. Representative, members of the                                 
29 Alaska delegation in Congress.