,i #aaith ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #gci ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,january #bd1 #bjbe,ms4 ,wilson of ,florida introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,education and ,workforce ,a ,,bill ,to amend the ,richard ,b4 ,russell ,national ,school ,lunch ,act to expand the use of salad bars in schools4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,salad ,bars in ,schools ,expansion ,act4 #b4 ,findings ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,in the ,united ,states1 one-third of all school-aged children are overweight or obese and very few eat the daily amount of fruits and vegetables recommended by national health authorities4 7#b7 ,on average1 more than #cj million children participate in the ,national ,school ,lunch ,program daily1 with more than #gj percent qualifying for free or reduced-price meals based on family household income4 7#c7 ,improving the healthfulness of school meals1 including serving more fruits and vegetables1 will improve children's eating habits and their health4 ,the ,dietary ,guidelines for ,americans recommends that children make half their plate fruits and vegetables at each meal4 7#d7 ,research indicates that school salad bars are an effective strategy to increase children's consumption of a wide variety of fruits and vegetables4 7#e7 ,salad bars are one of the easiest ways for school food authorities to meet the new school lunch nutrition standards that require serving a fruit and a vegetable every day1 a colorful variety of vegetables every week1 and that students select at least one-half cup of a fruit or a vegetable at lunch4 7#f7 ,salad bars are effective in elementary1 middle1 and high school1 they empower students to try new fruits and vegetables and are a tangible example of a school's commitment to wellness and healthier school meals4 #c4 ,expansion of salad bars ,section #ah of the ,richard ,b4 ,russell ,national ,school ,lunch ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #agfi7 is amended by adding at the end the following3 7l7 ,expansion of salad bars 7#a7 ,marketing and communications plan ,not later than #ij days after the date of the enactment of the ,salad ,bars in ,schools ,expansion ,act1 the ,secretary shall establish and implement a plan to promote the use of salad bars in schools participating in the school lunch program established under this ,act4 7#b7 ,training and technical assistance ,in carrying out the plan described in paragraph 7#a71 the ,secretary shall provide training and technical assistance to eligible entities to assist the entities in establishing salad bars in schools4 ,such training and technical assistance may include-- 7,a7 webinars2 7,b7 training workshops2 7,c7 implementation resources2 7,d7 nutrition education2 and 7,e7 strategies for parent engagement and to encourage collaboration with allied organizations and partners4 7#c7 ,grant program 7,a7 ,in general ,in carrying out the plan described in paragraph 7#a71 the ,secretary shall establish a grant program under which the ,secretary shall provide grants1 on a competitive basis1 to eligible entities selected under subparagraph 7,c74 7,b7 ,use of funds ,each eligible entity receiving a grant under this subsection shall use the grant funds to award schools a one-time payment equal to the anticipated cost of installing a salad bar1 including the purchase of any durable equipment required for a salad bar4 7,c7 ,application 7i7 ,in general ,to receive a grant under this subsection1 an eligible entity shall submit to the ,secretary an application at such time1 in such manner1 and containing such information as the ,secretary may require4 7ii7 ,priority ,in selecting grant recipients1 the ,secretary may give priority to eligible entities that-- 7,i7 serve schools in which not less than #ej percent of the students are eligible for free or reduced price lunches2 7,,ii7 serve schools in food deserts2 or 7,,iii7 provide nutrition education to students4 7,d7 ,termination ,the grant program shall terminate #e years after the date of the enactment of the ,salad ,bars in ,schools ,expansion ,act4 7,e7 ,evaluation ,each grantee shall submit to the ,secretary an evaluation of the grant program at such time1 in such manner1 and containing such information as the ,secretary may require4 7#d7 ,report ,not later than #a year after the date of the enactment of the ,salad ,bars in ,schools ,expansion ,act1 the ,secretary shall submit a report to the ,committee on ,education and the ,workforce and the ,committee on ,agriculture of the ,house of ,representatives1 and the ,committee on ,agriculture1 ,nutrition1 and ,forestry of the ,senate1 which includes-- 7,a7 recommendations1 if any1 for promoting and establishing more salad bars in schools2 7,b7 the number of schools nationwide that have a salad bar program in their school2 7,c7 the number of schools that have new salad bars as a result of the plan described in paragraph 7#a72 and 7,d7 the evaluations submitted by grantees under paragraph 7#c77;,e74 7#e7 ,revision of guidance on salad bars in the ,national ,school ,lunch ,program ,not later than #ij days after submitting the report under paragraph 7#d71 the ,secretary shall revise the ,march #bg1 #bjac1 policy memorandum ,,sp #ca-bjac1 ,salad ,bars in the ,national ,school ,lunch ,program1 in light of any recommendations contained in the report4 7#f7 ,definitions ,in this subsection3 7,a7 ,durable equipment ,the term durable equipment means durable food preparation1 handling1 cooking1 serving1 and storage equipment greater than #ejj in value4 7,b7 ,eligible entity ,the term eligible entity means-- 7i7 a school2 or 7ii7 a school food authority4 7,c7 ,food desert ,the term food desert means a census tract with a substantial share of residents who live in low-income areas that have low levels of access to a grocery store or a healthy1 affordable food retail outlet4 4 #d4 ,prohibition on new appropriations ,no additional funds are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this ,act and the amendments made by this ,act1 and this ,act and such amendments shall be carried out using amounts otherwise made available for such purposes4