ND Reps Vote Against Free Lunches For Poor Students

Bismarck’s NBC affiliate reports:

Nearly everyone agrees: no child should go hungry. But who’s responsible for feeding them when they’re at school? That’s the question lawmakers are trying to answer this week. The state has a budget of about $18.5 billion. How much of that will go toward school lunches for poor families? It looks like the answer to that question is nothing.

“Yes, I can understand children going hungry, but is that really the problem of the school district? Is that the problem of the state of North Dakota? It’s really a problem of parents being negligent with their kids,” said Senator Michael Wobbema, R-Valley City. “Presumably we espouse individual responsibility. And at what point in time do we just wave that away and make the state responsible?” said Senator Wobbema.

Read the full article.

Debating free school lunch for low-income kids, North Dakota State Sen. Mike Wobbema (R) says families are to blame for their hunger: “It’s really the problem of parents being negligent with their kids, if their kids are choosing to eat in the first place.”

The bill died, 23-24. pic.twitter.com/WotKJqOXGN

— Heartland Signal (@HeartlandSignal) March 29, 2023