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Senate Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
Senate of Pennsylvania
Session of 2025 - 2026
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | December 30, 2024 04:20 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Senator Michele Brooks |
| To: | All Senate members |
| Subject: | Allowing PA Whole Milk in Schools |
| I plan on reintroducing Senate Bill 297 of the 2023-2024 legislative session to allow PA whole milk in schools. Previous cosponsors included Senators Gebhard, Schwank, Argall, Langerholc, Phillips-Hill, Stefano, Pennycuick, Bartolotta, Laughlin, Brown, Mastriano, Comitta, Martin, Costa, Rothman, Baker, Hutchinson, Robinson, Vogel, J. Ward, Aument and Dush. Senate Bill 297 was reported from the Senate Agriculture & Rural Affairs Committee on March 1, 2023. Representative Lawrence's companion legislation last session, House Bill 997, was reported from the House Agriculture & Rural Affairs Committee. Neither got across the finish line before the end of the legislative session. The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 put restrictive regulations on the consumption of whole milk in schools. In the first two years this legislation was enacted, 1.2 million fewer students drank milk with their lunch, yet still had access to sugary drinks that offer no nutritional value. This not only has terrible health and nutrition impacts on children, but major economic impacts, especially in Pennsylvania. According to a Senate Majority Policy Committee public hearing in June of 2021, farming in Pennsylvania is the #1 industry, and Pennsylvania has the 2nd most dairy farms in the nation, coming only behind Wisconsin. We are #7 in milk production nationwide, and the industry supports 52,000 jobs in the Commonwealth, and contributes $14.7 billion to Pennsylvania’s economy. According to testimony offered by Jayne Sebright of the Center for Dairy Excellence, milk is the best food source for calcium, potassium and vitamin D, which many are most lacking in their diets. And, according to testimony by the PA Milk Marketing Board, whole milk only contains no more than 3.5% fat, and one-third of milk’s fatty acids are Omega-3, which have been linked to many health benefits, including improved heart and brain health, and a lower risk of cancer. This fat is necessary in the daily diet and energy to support cell growth. Other health benefits of milk include improved bone health, lower blood pressure, and reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and Type 2 diabetes. I hope you will join me in cosponsoring this important legislation. |
Memo Updated: December 30, 2024 04:21 PM