Pennsylvania SR 119: A Resolution recognizing the month of May 2017 as "Melanoma and Skin Cancer Detection and Prevention Month" in Pennsylvania.

Bill Text

PRINTER'S NO. 897
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
SENATE RESOLUTION
No. 119
Session of
2025
INTRODUCED BY BROOKS, VOGEL, CULVER, ARGALL, MASTRIANO,
L. WILLIAMS, PENNYCUICK, J. WARD, STEFANO, LANGERHOLC,
HUTCHINSON AND BAKER, JUNE 4, 2025
REFERRED TO EDUCATION, JUNE 4, 2025
A RESOLUTION
Urging the Congress of the United States to support the Whole
Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2025 and amend or repeal Federal
law relating to program requirements in order to allow for
the availability of whole milk and 2% reduced fat milk,
flavored or unflavored, in elementary and secondary schools
in Pennsylvania and urging the United States Secretary of
Agriculture and Secretary of Health and Human Services to
update Federal standards relating to the establishment of
dietary guidelines in order to permit the availability of
whole milk and 2% reduced fat milk, flavored or unflavored,
in elementary and secondary schools in Pennsylvania.
WHEREAS, Congress passed the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of
2010, which put restrictive regulations on the consumption of
whole milk in schools; and
WHEREAS, In the first two years after the Healthy, Hunger-
Free Kids Act of 2010 was enacted, 1.2 million fewer students
drank milk with their lunch, yet still had access to sugary
drinks that offer little to no nutritional value; and
WHEREAS, According to the March 6, 2024, Center for Dairy
Excellence Dairy Markets & Management Update, nationwide,
Pennsylvania ranks second in the number of dairy farms, sixth in
the number of milk cows and eighth in total milk production; and
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WHEREAS, The existing milk standard permits flavored and
unflavored milk for all students in grades kindergarten through
12 in only fat-free and low-fat milks and requires unflavored
milk to be offered at each school meal service; and
WHEREAS, Now is the time as a State legislature to encourage
an even healthier option to be considered by passing a
resolution urging the Congress of the United States to support
the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2025 and amend or repeal
42 U.S.C. § 1758(a)(2)(A) in order to allow for the availability
of whole milk and 2% reduced fat milk, flavored or unflavored,
in elementary and secondary schools in Pennsylvania and urge the
United States Secretary of Agriculture and Secretary of Health
and Human Services to update Federal standards in order to
permit the availability of whole milk and 2% reduced fat milk,
flavored or unflavored, in elementary and secondary schools in
Pennsylvania; and
WHEREAS, With this change in standards, schools will have the
option of making 2% and whole milk available to students without
jeopardizing Federal funding; and
WHEREAS, Testimony offered by Jayne Sebright, Director of the
Center for Dairy Excellence, during a Senate Majority Policy
Committee public hearing in June 2021 stated that approximately
75% of the milk sold in schools is in the form of flavored milk
and only 25% is unflavored, and milk is the best food source for
calcium, potassium and vitamin D, which many people are lacking
in their diets; and
WHEREAS, The health benefits of 2% and whole milk, whether
flavored or unflavored, well exceeds the benefits of fat-free
and low-fat milks; and
WHEREAS, We should be encouraging students to consume 2% and
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whole milk rather than beverages that provide little to no
nutritional value; and
WHEREAS, A January 2020 New York Times article stated that
"Kids (between ages 1 and 18) who drink whole milk are 39% less
likely to become overweight than those who drink lower-fat or
skim milk"; and
WHEREAS, Whole milk 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; and
WHEREAS, The fat in whole milk is necessary in the daily diet
and energy to support cell growth; and
WHEREAS, Other health benefits of milk include improved bone
health, lower blood pressure and reduced risk of cardiovascular
disease and Type 2 diabetes; and
WHEREAS, The results of a Union City Area School District
milk choice survey concluded that offering increased milk
options would result in a 50% increase in milk consumption, a
95% reduction in milk waste, that 63.6% of the students would
chose milk more often if they had the option to choose which
milk fits their needs, that 84.7% of the students drink whole
milk at home, which is why they do not choose milk at school,
and that offering two additional milk fat options within school
meals can significantly change the amount of milk chosen,
consumed and not discarded; and
WHEREAS, The evidence is overwhelming that both 2% and whole
milk should also be offered to students in schools; therefore be
it
RESOLVED, That the Senate of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
urge the Congress of the Unite