Youngsters and oldsters in Minnesota received’t have to fret about affording college meals due to a brand new regulation that ensures free college meals for all youngsters within the state.
Gov. Tim Walz (D) signed the invoice into regulation Friday to cheers and hugs from a number of the youngsters who will profit from this system.
The brand new regulation offers free breakfast and lunch for all Okay-12 college students, no matter their dad and mom’ earnings.
“It’s a historic, bipartisan win meaning no child will go hungry in school — and that Minnesota is one step nearer to being the perfect state within the nation to develop up,” Walz said in a statement.
The invoice drew the ire of Republican state Sen. Steve Drazkowski, who argued Tuesday that “hunger is a relative term” in his opposition to feeding youngsters.
“I’ve but to satisfy an individual in Minnesota that’s hungry,” Drazkowski said on the Senate floor in St. Paul earlier than voting towards the laws. “I’ve but to satisfy an individual in Minnesota that claims they don’t have entry to sufficient meals to eat.”
Drazkowski represents Wabasha County, the place greater than 8% of kids lived in poverty in 2021, up from about 7% the earlier yr, in line with the Federal Reserve of Financial Information.
Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan spoke about her own experiences rising up with meals insecurity in a rebuke towards Drazkowski.
“To our decision-makers who imagine they’ve by no means met somebody who’s experiencing or has skilled starvation — Hello, my identify is Peggy Flanagan, and I used to be one in six of these Minnesota youngsters who skilled starvation,” she stated.
Minnesota now joins different states, together with Maine, California and Colorado, in giving free meals to youngsters.
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