Senate Agriculture and Nutrition Spending Bill – DGA, and School Meals Policy Riders Stay A critical Senate committee voted 28-2 to approve a funding bill for USDA and FDA and many of their important nutrition measures and programs. The FY2016 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill does include so-called “policy riders” that would put limits on the scientific process of and recommendations in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and allows certain exemptions to nutrition standards in school meals. Please continue to inform your member of Congress about the importance of protecting the Dietary Guidelines. Please Take Action today!<http://www.eatrightpro.org/action-center> Older Americans Act Passed by Senate! Last week the Senate passed S.192, the Older Americans Re-authorization Act of 2015, by a voice vote! Senator Susan Collins (Maine), who we recently honored as an Academy Champion at PPW, brought the bill to the Senate Floor and spoke in strong support of passage. This bill calls for greater use of locally grown fresh foods in nutrition programs, includes language to more directly utilize dietitians in senior nutrition programs, and clarifies policy on supplemental foods given with home delivered meals. These improvements combined with maintaining separate funding for congregate and home-delivered meals and keeping contributions from participants voluntary, will ensure that the largest program in the OAA continues to be effective in its important mission. Continuing the Academy’s PPW Successes The Treat and Reduce Obesity Act (S.1509, H.R.2404) has 9 Senate co-sponsors and 95 House co-sponsors. The new co-sponsor is Rep. Devin Nunes (Calif.). Visit https://www.congress.gov<https://www.congress.gov/> for additional information about each of the legislative issues. Action Alerts Remain Open! The following action alerts are still open. Click Take Action today!<http://www.eatrightpro.org/action-center> to send letters on these important issues. It takes only a few minutes! It is urgent that members of Congress hear from you. Please take action today! Older Americans Act Preventing Diabetes in Medicare Act Treat and Reduce Obesity Act Big Victory for RDNs in Long Term Care Facilities! The Academy scored a major achievement this past week when the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a proposed regulation<https://s3.amazonaws.com/public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2015-17207.pdf> that will allow registered dietitian nutritionists in long term care (LTC) facilities to prescribe patient diets, in accordance with state law. Members in LTC will have significant new opportunities to work autonomously, and the rule recognizes both the variation in oversight in hospital and LTC facilities and the fact that RDNs are “are well qualified to assess a resident’s nutritional status and design and implement a nutritional treatment plan in consultation with the resident’s interdisciplinary team.” Although the process by which RDNs in LTC facilities will be able to order therapeutic diets is somewhat different from the process in hospitals, this proposed rule ensures our members in both settings will be able to independently provide patients and residents with the care they need at the time they need it. The proposed long term care regulations also include revisions consistent with those made in the Academy’s formal 2012 recommendations to CMS and in multiple meetings held with CMS, staff, and our member leaders. We will be carefully reviewing the proposed and will be working closely with the Dietitians in Health Care Communities DPG and other experts to flesh out details and submit input to CMS within the next two months. From Eat Right Weekly – On The Pulse Academy Advocates for Effective Cardiovascular Disease Treatment The Academy submitted comments<http://mailer.eatright.org/t/36523/26226065/48323/48/> to the United States Preventive Services Task Force as it drafts its "Research Plan for Cardiovascular Disease: Risk Assessment Using Nontraditional Risk Factors." Input from expert Academy members included recommendations related to metabolic syndrome, chronic inflammation, food insecurity and other measures. USDA Expands SNAP Benefits for Home-Delivered Meals The U.S. Department of Agriculture is proposing for the first time to permit grocery purchasing and delivery services run by government and nonprofit organizations to accept SNAP benefits as payment, allowing for home delivery to those unable to shop for food. USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the proposal during the 2015 White House Conference on Aging<http://mailer.eatright.org/t/36523/26226065/47844/49/>. House Passes 21st Century Cures Bill The House of Representatives passed the 21st Century Cures Act<http://mailer.eatright.org/t/36523/26226065/48324/51/> (H.R. 6) after an amendment to change the funding stream for the Cures Innovation Fund from mandatory to discretionary failed. This was a success for the Academy, which opposed changing the Fund to discretionary funding and supported passage of the medical innovation bill. Judy Klavens-Giunta,RDN Policy and Advocacy Leader PHCN PG --