| Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) |
 Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski, a mother of two boys, is committed to ensuring America’s children have healthy foods and beverages at school. “As a parent of school-age children, I know first-hand the poor dietary temptations that are readily available to children each day at school. I remember when my boys were little and they had to learn the food pyramid. At school, they cut out all the little pieces and they'd paste them together to learn about the importance of eating fruits and vegetables. Unfortunately, they could also go down the hall in their elementary school and buy a soda pop.
Now, that was a pretty conflicting message.” Instead, she says, “we must be sure that we put into action the principles that we advocate.” In a bipartisan effort to put those principles into action, Senator Murkowski has partnered with Senator Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) in trying to increase the availability of healthy food choices. Specifically, she is working to update nutrition standards in schools to make sure that all foods and beverages available to students—including snacks and drinks sold in vending machines and school stores—meet healthy nutrition standards set by nutrition experts. “This is a very important step to ensure that our children learn to make good choices about nutrition—to put their classroom lessons into practice, and ensure that our schools are sending a consistent message,” she says. Alaska’s first senator to be born in the state, Senator Murkowski enjoys a variety of outdoor sports including hiking, fishing, and skiing. She values the benefits to both mind and body that exercise brings. So when it comes to physical activity and education in our schools, she is equally committed to ensuring that our nation’s children have the opportunity to incorporate physical fitness into their school day. A consistent supporter of the Carol M. White Physical Education for Progress (PEP) grant program, which provides funding to schools to purchase equipment and provide professional development for teachers, Senator Murkowski believes that “a quality physical education program is essential to providing a well-rounded education for our children.” “We all know the problem, and we all know that eating the right amount of healthy foods and getting enough exercise are the answers to preventing overweight, obesity and all the related serious health problems and costs.” Senator Murkowski is committed to ensuring that our schools have the tools and the guidance they need to play their vital role in reducing youth obesity. |