Eva M. Clayton: “from yesterday morning into the wee hours of this morning, for 15 hours, the Committee on Agriculture marked-up title…”

“from yesterday morning into the wee hours of this morning, for 15 hours, the Committee on Agriculture marked-up title five of the Personal Responsibility Act. That bill, with great reductions and many restrictions on feeding hungry Americans, is now poised for consideration on the House floor. Leadership of the committee is to be commended for eliminating the mandate for block granting the Food Stamp Program. A State option on block grants, however, remains in title five and will be an issue on the floor. Also, during mark-up, the committee accepted my amendment, which requires persons 18 to 50 years old, those who must work for food stamps, to be paid at least the minimum wage for their labor. Without my amendment, the bill would have forced many food stamp recipients to work for less than 1 dollar an hour. The agriculture committee was wise to support the amendment. But, with action by other committees, the block grant issue continues to loom large and will be hotly contested during floor consideration. Mr. Speaker, I would urge our colleagues, as we consider the block grant issue, to recall their days in school. Recall the importance of a hearty breakfast and a healthy lunch. Recall the necessity of the mid-morning and mid-afternoon milk or snack break. Recall the sense of urgency each of you felt the first time you experienced the pangs of hunger. And, recall how the ache of not being fed in your stomachs prevented you from being fed in your minds.”