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House backs child-nutrition resolution with friendly amendments after debate on universal feeding
Summary
House Joint Resolution 18, recognizing school food-service efforts and exploring expanded nutrition programs, passed after members debated costs and scope; friendly amendments added the phrase “as needed.” The resolution passed the House and will proceed to the Senate.
Representative Daryl Jorgensen introduced House Joint Resolution 18 to commend school food-service work and to encourage study of expanded feeding efforts aimed at addressing child hunger. The resolution recognized existing programs and urged continued study of ways to reach children in need.
Representative Stevens proposed a friendly amendment to insert the phrase "as needed" in language about expanding breakfast and other programs, arguing the amendment narrowed the resolution’s scope to district need and avoided endorsing a nationwide universal-feeding model. Representative Stevens warned that the universal-feeding concept would represent a large federal program; in floor remarks he stated the cost could be "between 1 and $2,000,000,000" as cited in materials he had distributed.
Other speakers described benefits of school feeding — improved learning, reduced stigma for low-income children and incentives to attend school — and also raised concerns about long‑term financing if the resolution were read as endorsing mandatory expansion. Representative Arrington and others stressed the resolution’s intent was recognition and study rather than an immediate policy mandate.
After debate and adoption of the friendly amendments, the House voted to pass the amended resolution. The clerk announced 59 affirmative votes and 13 negative votes on House Joint Resolution 18; the measure was forwarded to the Senate for further consideration.
