North Dakota Senate Votes To Expand Free Meals For Its Members — And Not For Kids

North Dakota’s Senate has handed a invoice to present its members extra free meals — after killing a proposal to spice up free lunches for hungry faculty children.

On Thursday, the GOP-led chamber voted 26-21 to let state staff accumulate as much as $45 a day to pay for meals whereas touring inside North Dakota, up from $35 at present. The invoice, which might value $1 million in taxpayer cash over the following two years, now heads to the desk of Gov. Doug Burgum (R) to be signed into legislation.

However lower than two weeks in the past, the Senate rejected a separate invoice that might have allotted $6 million over the following two years to offer free faculty lunches to all Ok-12 college students dwelling at or beneath 200% of the federal poverty degree. This might increase on a federal program that already gives meals to college students dwelling beneath 130% of the poverty degree.

The invoice failed by a single vote.

Notably, 13 Republicans voted in opposition to the varsity meal proposal whereas additionally backing the reimbursement for state staff. No Democrats did the identical.

“I assumed at the moment’s vote was very self-serving,” Senate Minority Chief Kathy Hogan (D) stated Thursday, in response to regional outlet The Discussion board. “How can we vote for ourselves after we can’t vote for kids?”

One of many 13 GOP legislators, Republican Assistant Majority Chief Jerry Klein, stated he couldn’t see “any correlation in any respect” between the 2 payments, The Discussion board reported.

“Sure, I can perceive children going hungry, however is that basically the issue of the varsity district? Is that the issue of the state of North Dakota?” Wobbema requested.

“It’s actually the issue of oldsters being negligent with their children, if their children are selecting to eat within the first place.”