MA Sen. Timilty Co-Sponsors School Meals For All Bill

BOSTON, MA — State Senator Walter Timilty joined 27 other politicians as a co-sponsor of a bill that would require all schools serving breakfast and lunch to provide those meals for free to each student.

"School meals are critical to the future of the Commonwealth," said Timilty.

"Thousands of children across the state experience food insecurity, but nearly a quarter of them are ineligible for federal nutrition programs."

According to the bill, schools would pay for this with federal funds by adopting the federal Community Eligibility Provision. If there are leftover costs, those would be paid for by the department of elementary and secondary education, according to the bill.

If passed, this bill would go into effect on July 1.

The lead sponsors on the bill are Sen. Sal DiDomenico and Rep. Andy Vargas.

"It is past time, in the year 2023, that we finally pass this commonsense bill into law and ensure no child will ever go hungry in a Massachusetts school again," said DiDomenico.

"It’s time we recognize school meals as an essential part of delivering a true learning environment by making #SchoolMealsForAll permanent," added Vargas.