After appearing dead a bill regarding school meals in the South Dakota legislature was revived.
The bill would require the state's department of education to reimburse each school district for service fees for reduced-price meals.
Representative Kaydn Wittman has advocated for expanding free and reduced school meals for the past four years.
During the session Thursday, Senator Brandon Wipf said he supports the bill.
He added that the state invests millions of dollars in education in the state; making sure that kids aren’t worried about lunch is the best way of protecting that investment.
Grant Judson, analyst of the Bureau of Finance and Management, said that the change would shift the responsibility from federal to state.
“The truth is the federal government struggles with fiscal responsibility. The solution is to hold them accountable to their programs, not subsidize their inability to pay,” Judson said.
A motion to table the bill passed on a 5 to 4 vote.
Later in the day, Senator Michael Rohl moved to enact Rule 7-7. Rule 7-7 allows the Senate to require the committee to deliver a bill to the Senate floor and bypass a stall in the committee.
To enact the rule, two-thirds of members present in the Senate need to vote in favor of the action.
Members from the Senate supported the motion, and the committee sent the bill to the Senate floor. The bill will be discussed during Monday’s session for consideration.
* This story has been updated since it's publication
