Senate rejects amendment that would have exempted dairy from school nutrition changes
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Summary
On Feb. 25 the Senate debated an amendment to the school‑nutrition committee substitute (SB 745) to exempt milk and dairy products; supporters cited nutrition and local dairy jobs while opponents emphasized added‑sugar limits and USDA alignment. The amendment failed on a 17‑17 roll call and the bill advanced.
An amendment offered on Feb. 25 to the committee substitute for Senate Bill 745 would have exempted milk and other dairy products from proposed changes to child nutrition programs. The Senate debated the amendment on the floor and ultimately rejected it in a roll‑call vote, 17 yays to 17 nays.
The senior senator from the thirteenth, explaining the amendment, said the change "simply exempts the area of milk and dairy products from those changes," arguing dairy products are "nutrient rich" and an important part of school meals for children and local dairy producers. He noted that school lunch programs provide a significant share of milk consumption for some children and raised concerns about impacts on dairy jobs.
Opponents of the amendment, including the senator from Mason who sits on finance, emphasized public‑health recommendations about added sugar and said the underlying bill does not ban flavored milk outright but limits added sugars during the school day and provides waiver processes for counties that cannot locate compliant products at competitive prices. The Mason senator noted the chocolate milk available in some schools lists 21 grams of sugar, of which "10 of those are added sugars," and referenced American Heart Association guidance on added‑sugar limits.
Another opponent, the senator from Fayette, cited West Virginia's childhood‑obesity challenges and said the bill is designed to limit added sugars so that "no more than 10% of our children's school nutrition programs of their calories comes from added sugars," and that the amendment would defeat the bill's purpose and diverge from USDA standards.
After extended floor debate and a demand for a roll call, the clerk announced the result: 17 yays, 17 nays. The presiding officer declared the amendment rejected and the bill was advanced to third reading.
Quotes from the floor: "The amendment does is it simply exempts the area of milk and dairy products from those changes," the senior senator from the thirteenth said while explaining his amendment. "Added sugars, which which do not occur naturally, that's added that our students do not need," the senator from Mason said in opposition, citing nutrition concerns.
Why it matters: Sponsors framed SB 745 as aligning school meals with added‑sugar limits and USDA standards to address childhood obesity, while opponents of the underlying bill (and proponents of the amendment) warned of unintended impacts on dairy procurement, tastes that affect consumption, and local dairy businesses. The floor debate highlighted the trade‑off between nutrition guidance and local food‑system concerns.
Ending: The amendment was rejected on a tie roll call and SB 745 moved forward; floor sponsors indicated waiver mechanisms and rulemaking would address implementation and procurement questions.
