18. SB 376 3rd Reading

Passage; April 23, 2013; Journal Page 1142: 27 Yeas, 4 Nays

YCT Nay. SB 376 requires public schools with 80%+ students that qualify for free or reduced-price breakfast to offer a free breakfast to all students. While proponents claim this is cost neutral for the state, as it can be achieved through federal grants, at the end-of-the-day costs will still end up on taxpayers. This measure further supplants parents as those responsible for the care of children and inserts the state into a relationship in which it does not belong. The problem of child hunger is a social one and a reflection of dysfunctional parenting. The solution is not more government. The solution is to hold parents responsible for the care of their children and to empower the community and charitable organizations to ensure that neglected children do not go hungry.