, about the amount of time children have to eat. Ive heard from students that by the time they get to the line five got five minutes, so they take a couple bites and the food goes in the trash because they dont have time. I know this gets into a broader of the School Districts and how we define lunch and so on. But i want wondered if you could tell us about this issue of time and the impact on it and whether a is Engaging School boards or local leaders to find solutions to this. Lunch is aeat school serious concern. District, as School Administrators are pressured to they shavest scores, minutes off of the school lunch increase theer to instructional time. Each, the staff at location is based on the number of meals served at that location. So i dont just have the ability three people so i can increase the points of quickly. Nd serve them and we are looking at ways that increase the number of students we serve and decrease the amount of time that they spend in line. It is an issue that we have discussed in the association and we do address in conferences and webinars and types of material. But its really a decision we influence on and try to end indicate School Administratorthe importance of to eat lunch, but an area nocourse over which we have immediate impact. I appreciate that. Withlike very much to work you on actions, and i know there such areassire or they are talking about pilots eatinghildren are even breakfast in the classroom, other options and so on. Things thatome hopefully we can do to help tools that relate to that. Because i think that is a very students. Issue for also let me just ask you, because we hear so many Different Things depending on the school or the state and so know in kentucky, your that kentucky was nearly 100 compliant with all the standards last year. To congratulate you as being an early adapter in your and the work youve done. When we look across a state like of ruralwith a lot communities and so on, we see county ord and harlan mary coon in harden county or simms, talking about their theesses and implementing standards and theyve indicated they dont see challenges or for a waiver and so on much yet we hear Different Things in different schools happening. S i wonder, what is different in these schools, well, other that were hearing about and how do we help the schools challenges while also recognizing the school that ahead. Ing theyre moving a lot of it comes down to the the schoolff in nutrition program. Im very fortunate that i have a number of people on my staff that are assigned specific duties related to our school program. I can tell you that since the hungerfree kids act went into effect, i have had to take one key position, the food procurement split thatng, and into two positions. I think mr. Clements alluded to the complexity of the requirements. So i have one person who concentrates on food procurement the specifications and assuring that students had an opportunity to sample new product. I have another person that works on the menu planning, and and takes caret of special dietary needs. The complexityto of some of this, and i think more districts are better handle that. Not all School Nutrition directors may be equipped with the skills necessary to handle changes that have occurred and the complexity of those changes. A story. You i attended food service, required Food Service Director frankfurt, not long ago. A small group, and there was a there, hes been a school Food Service Director formerlyyears, and he worked at the state department and he told us, he said, you im so overwhelmed because hes trying to do everything himself. One thing in year and i ill focus on another year. Next so again, people are feeling overwhelmed in terms of trying the changes,l of because there have been a lot of changes in a relatively shore time for many of us. Sound like would it be sureul if we could make have you the resources you need as well. Let me just ask mr. Clements, and congratulations on what youve doing in mississippi, again detroit andnt than kentucky and utah, wisconsin certainly. But were seeing positive things addressed. I know that mississippi has seen a decline in childhood obesity, and congratulations because i know your work has made a difference in childrens lives, literally in them living longer, we should feel very good about that. Theyouve implemented nutrition standards for competitive foods well before the National Policies were developed. Im wondering if you could talk about the successes and youve had, state competitive food standards, and youvelth benefits that seen as a result of the changes. Weve been very fortunate in mississippi. In many respects we have legislature and state board of education who are both very cog any saab of the problem we have with obesity. As far back as the 1980s they implemented an aggressive food policy. That was designed to protect the school lunch program, and beyond we dont have what most schools have as far as ala cart sales. Students must pick up a complete reimbursed meal to purchase any extra foods. Some of those have been in place for years. In 2007 we addressed competitive foods again, we put stringent vending closely that are aloined with the new smart snack rules. Some loss of revenue there, but we have seen very good compliance. Took them a little while to get on board, theres with a transition period. Weve been very fortunate, our schools have adopted those them. Cepted thanks very much. Senator . Madamnk you very much, chair. Sorry i had Something Else this morning, and i really appreciate that the hearing is still going on. I think this is something thats all of us. Rtant to its something we care a lot state. N our and i supported the healthy act in 2010 when it passed on a bipartisan basis to overwhelming support. Our schools are a critical part we madehis effort and some progress. We havent been able to say that made few years, but weve some progress in at least stablizing the rate of childhood part because of the reforms that have been enacted. I think we all know that there work to be done. Its been acknowledged that and thatnt easy, preventing chai hood obesity would be happen overnight. Beont think we should rolling back or postponing the standards right now, but its always good to hear what people to say. Ag state androm an attending my farm fest at the beginning of august here, i wanted to talk a little about the issue of purchasing local ag products for school meal programs, the farm to school program. Betweenit a good bridge our nations farmers and our children. Usdaccording to the farming school, School Report spending 12 of their School Budgets on local products. You provide some insight into how you see this practice as a longterm strategy to kids and also the Agriculture Community . Them happy to report that detroit Public Schools spent dollars onr produce michigan grown produce. Longterm strategy means that we have to develop a chain. Im from a little farming town whittaker, michigan and i went there for a meeting and i farmers. Local so they said i want to get my food into your schools and i said no, i cant. Well, i need one school. I said i got 131. The way, i had to disappoint people i grew up with. But the way that we handle getting fresh fruits and vegetables into our school at the local level is were going to develop some supply chains, were going to have to work with cooperatives. One of the things the state of michigan does when you talk can help one another, we have something called an alternate agreement can provide services to small School Districts, the theand two that dont have capability, education or equipment or even the time, that i provide my services and i put those districts in with the detroit Public Schools. Detroit Public School apple, ourat 14cent toators are always proud talk about, if those Small Schools werent with me, that cents. Ould cost them 40 so the ability to collaborate what will allow us to add those important products. Senator, i just left st. Paul, of minneapolisr yesterday, we were in a meeting a collaborative so we could create a larger Market Basket so we could go out market and appear more attractive. Theyre manufacturers, not giving us food, and i dont have a problem with that. What we can do is collaborative will ensure that michigan and minnesota dont have to plow under products that my kids eat, that we consider one other thing we did, our Agriculture Extension Service did a study and it doesnt surprise me because weve seen this with roll products in why our rewick shoes are great. What we found in the study at minnesota thatof there was a 3 to 16 increase in whenl meal participation there was a farm to school program. Some, iow theres been do think we have to remember if we can work this out, its not for the kids, it actually increases their interest and their familys in being part of this because they see it as part of a local community. More questionone here. And i knowtimony, earlier you talked about School Districts that have have had finding acceptable foods that meet the new whole grain rich standards. How many schools have taken advantage of the twoyear flex wholevided by usda on grains rich food to allow time for the industry to develop products . I do not have an answer to that question. I know in talking to colleagues country as the recently as last week in boston, i talked to districts who intend waiver and ive talked to districts that dont have a need for the waiver, own. Ding my sometimes it could be districts another. Next to one so i dont know how many have applied. Okay. Helpful to know because there is that possibility out there. Mr. Clements, just one more question. Outside of the new standards, anddoes state agencies schools determine what products will be included in the vending lines . S and ala cart i worked very hard on this vending machine issue, i care a about it after having my daughter in Public School her wase life and watching what in some of the vending machines and what they were eating. What methods of evaluation have been used in the vending machines for the Smart Snacks Program . Back to 07 we had policies are very similar to the new smart snacks. We provide that through the service. We make the evaluation for them and they dont have to have any technical skill, so to speak, we have that expertise, we publish they have if individual problems they can send us the information. Theres an line cal laters now, they can use those. Thatere happy to provide service to all of our schools. Thank you very much. Presiding overr the committee today. And thank you again for holding this hearing. Issue, this is a violent because of obesity rates of children and how important it is feed themhealth to good foods. I want to continue along the klobishar snore started. Food clubs are possible across state and sary from not for profits to bring local foods to under served areas to large not for profit serving hundreds of institutions. City wholesale green market as well as for profit. Usinesses my team works closely with different organizations and has helped to secure grants, loans other services that have advanced the hubs mission. Could you spoke to the of food hubs and how do . Ies in to the work you food hubs are playing an getting locally andn produce to schools other end users. The big issue of course is that growers arese local what are known as micro grower and not commercial, so therefore they dont have the means of distribution. So the food hubs play a critical getting produce from the farm to the en users. To nonprofit food hubs, sometimes they also have in distribution where we dont have a successful nonprofit in our market, food stepped in as a distributor to act as the local our hub in working with school district, we can choose canl growers and they choose local growers and then they deliver to us and then we numerousut to the schools, rather than having a farmer in his pickup truck or to deliver to 40 schools all in one day. So theyre an integral part of of the local food program and the local school, school program. And so the funding and the processes to assist those food hubs is important. Do you have any idea for the committee on how we can expand that . Because some of the challenge is the freshcess to foods from her local farmers, what are some policy ideas you could offer that we could expand food hubs . We tro to use the program as we can. But do you have any thoughts expand the program . I dont specifically. Its a big challenge. And we need to continue the work on that. We also have to keep in perspective that although local it isis a good way to go, not the, cannot solve all of our problems. Thetill have to rely on commercial sector, the commercial farms who can produce product toities of supply in our schools and other sources. A Large School District would go to a small want to useay we your produce, they could wipe day. Is crop in one so we have to put that in perspective. We continue working with the usda, seeing if we can fill up that system. It a whole new Distribution System thats new to all of us. Similarly, this past year for allocated 100 million Technical Assistance and administrative funds to help meet the new nutrition standards. But more than half the money has been returned to the usda, that usingstates have not been all the resources that were available for them. For example in new york state Implementation Fund are not being used, which equals 2. 5 million. So dr. Wilson, could you speak to what youre doing in your usda to leverage these dollars to help provide assistance to schools to meet new standards . Yes, first of all the institute is a national institute. Doing Technical Assistance in new york city now, and its coming from our budget, not theirs. There are ways those states can contract with us. Had outside contract from a number of states. To contract with us to do specific things in their state. It. Issippi did we had some foundation money, so we concentrated in their state and did culinary training all over their state. California did the same thing where we did 10 culinary trainings all over the state, trainers, soto they could go out and train. All different topics offer. Thank you very much. And thank you to all of you, an importanty snapshot of how the program is theing a cross the country, challenges that we face. We want to work with all of you bycontinue moving forward,ed on best practices, be able to support and tackle the things we still immediate to tackle to make sure that all schools are successful, because bottom line we are talking about something pretty important here in terms of the health of future of the country, tackling chai hood obesity, and based on the habits that we all acquire as we are children, and certainly we change always is a little difficult, but in this is well both the effort. So thank you again, we look forward to working with you on the reauthorization of the child nutrition program, and i would any additional questions for the record should be submitted fivee committee within Business Days today, thats wednesday, july 30. Adjourned. Ting is tonight, cspans American History tour features the west water expansion, including the lewis and Clark Expedition from st. Louis to the pacific. Heres a look. A lot of times in the we see themvies circling the wagons and the indians come and attack. Rarely if ever did that happen. There were very few death as long the trail that had anything do with the indians. The indians actually helped the them. Rs more than hurting but the dangers came in first of probablyse, which killed about 10 of the people cholera. West, mostly and also things like drownings accidental death by gunshot, wagon. Un over by a happened to a lot of kid who were climbing on the wagon and wheels wouldthe roll over them. Real grim side to migration. But really kind of unprecedented migration, 300,000 people questione period in who packed up everything and literally went west. American history tour on west water expansion. Well explore the lewis and from st. Louisn to the pacific. The creation of the First Railroad andtal the socalled black okies who migrated to rural scament during dust bowl. That all starts at 9 00 p. M. Cspan. Here on next on cspan the california governors debate, between andmbent jerry brown republican and former assistant treasury secretary, neil cash car i. That, a panel on combating corruption and human rights the world. Nd on the next washington journal well take a look at class in america. Viewers calls and your tweets and facebook comments. Washington journal, live at 7 00 a. M. Eastern on cspan. Find our Television Schedule at cspan. Org, and let us know what you think about the programs watching. A tweet, or you can email us. Like us on facebook, follow us on twitter. Next the first and likely only debate between democratic jerry brownovernor and republican neel kashkari, a former assistant treasury oversaw the tart program. Governor brown served as the from 1975f california to 83. Hes ahead in the polls by double din and its this race is ranked as a safe democrat race by real clear politics. The debate is about an hour. R of california. Tonight, the california debate. Good evening everybody. Im john myers. I am the moderator of this onehour debate. The two men and our studio are the only candidates, the governor jerry brown and the challenger neel kashkari. Let me introduce the journalist asking questions with me. This debate is being presented by the california channel and its cable tv partners, along with kqedtv. He rules are very simple opening and closing statements are 60 seconds each. 90 seconds to answer a question. The other candidate is given 30 seconds for her bottle. I will step in and make sure they stick to the topics. Both candidates have agreed to the debate rules. We tossed a coin. Neel kashkari won the coin toss. He chose to end the