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HR0593 |
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LRB093 14758 MKM 40307 r |
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| HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| WHEREAS, The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program of |
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| Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) was established as a |
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| permanent program in 1974 and is currently administered by the |
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| Food and Nutrition Services of the United States Department of |
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| Agriculture (USDA); and
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| WHEREAS, The stated mission of WIC is to safeguard the |
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| health of low-income women, infants, and children up to the age |
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| of 5 who are at nutritional risk, by providing nutritious foods |
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| to supplement their diet, information on healthy eating, and |
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| referrals to health care services; and
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| WHEREAS, Most state WIC programs provide vouchers that |
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| participants use at authorized food stores, a wide variety of |
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| state and local organizations cooperate in providing food and |
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| health care benefits to WIC participants, and 46,000 merchants |
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| nationwide accept WIC vouchers; and
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| WHEREAS, A WIC food package is a set of foods for which a |
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| particular category of participants, such as pregnant and |
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| breastfeeding women, receive vouchers; and
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| WHEREAS, Scientific understanding about nutrition has |
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| advanced considerably since the WIC program was established in |
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| 1974; and
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| WHEREAS, 6 out of 7 WIC food packages have never been |
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| significantly changed or updated; and
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| WHEREAS, In April, 2000, the USDA announced that it would |
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| publish proposed regulations regarding updating the WIC food |
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| packages in September, 2000 and, to date, the USDA has failed |
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| to publish a proposed regulation; therefore, be it
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