HR0593 93RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0593 LRB093 14758 MKM 40307 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program of Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) was established as a permanent program in 1974 and is currently administered by the Food and Nutrition Services of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA); and

WHEREAS, The stated mission of WIC is to safeguard the health of low-income women, infants, and children up to the age of 5 who are at nutritional risk, by providing nutritious foods to supplement their diet, information on healthy eating, and referrals to health care services; and

WHEREAS, Most state WIC programs provide vouchers that participants use at authorized food stores, a wide variety of state and local organizations cooperate in providing food and health care benefits to WIC participants, and 46,000 merchants nationwide accept WIC vouchers; and

WHEREAS, A WIC food package is a set of foods for which a particular category of participants, such as pregnant and breastfeeding women, receive vouchers; and

WHEREAS, Scientific understanding about nutrition has advanced considerably since the WIC program was established in 1974; and

WHEREAS, 6 out of 7 WIC food packages have never been significantly changed or updated; and

WHEREAS, In April, 2000, the USDA announced that it would publish proposed regulations regarding updating the WIC food packages in September, 2000 and, to date, the USDA has failed to publish a proposed regulation; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we urge the USDA to update and improve the quality of all WIC food packages, while further requiring that all food packages, target nutrients, and nutrient needs of participants be reevaluated and revised to reflect current nutritional science at least every 10 years; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be presented to Anne M. Veneman, Secretary of the United States Department of Agriculture, and to each member of the Illinois congressional delegation.