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The Administration supports House passage of H.R. 3874. The bill would
reauthorize appropriations, through FY 2003, for the Special Supplemental
Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC); the Summer Food
Service Program; the Farmers Market Nutrition Program; the Nutrition
Education and Training Program; and State administrative support for the
School Lunch Program. In addition, H.R. 3874 would make various amendments
to the Child Nutrition and School Lunch Acts, including protections against
WIC fraud and abuse and expansions of the summer and after-school nutrition
programs. The Administration believes that the Federal nutrition programs
are critical to ensuring the health and well-being of our Nation's
children.
The Administration, however, opposes the bill's provision on criminal
forfeiture, which is both flawed and unworkable. The Administration will
work to delete this provision as the bill continues through the legislative
process.
Pay-As-You-Go
H.R. 3874 would affect direct spending and receipts; therefore, it is
subject to the pay-as-you-go requirement of the Omnibus Budget and
Reconciliation Act of 1990. The Office of Management and Budget's scoring
of the bill is currently under development. Preliminary estimates suggest
the bill could have pay-as-you-go costs associated with it. The
Administration will work with the Congress to address this issue.
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