House Education panel recommends 'do not pass' on bill to require 30‑minute student lunch

The House Education Committee voted 8‑4, with two members absent, to recommend a “do not pass” on House Bill 1333, a proposal that would have required students to receive a 30‑minute lunch break during the school day. The hearing and subsequent vote took place during the committee’s session in Bismarck.

Representative Matt Heilman, sponsor of HB1333, told the panel the bill was prompted by a constituent whose children attend Legacy High School in Bismarck and said the measure would guarantee “a student gets half hour lunchtime per day” within a mid‑day window. Heilman said the bill would place the half‑hour lunch roughly within a 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. window and acknowledged the proposal is “a one‑size‑fits‑all kind of solution” with flaws that he hoped would prompt discussion.

The bill drew…