Final Reading: 'We aren't about to drop the ball quite yet

“Lawmakers and anti-hunger advocates gathered on the Statehouse steps Wednesday to rally for universal free meals in K-12 schools.

The bill that would provide them, S.100, has had a long and winding journey. The Senate first passed the bill last session, although at the time its sponsors settled for a slightly cheaper proposition: free breakfast. Helped along by a near $100 million Education Fund surplus, House lawmakers have since amended the bill to include both breakfast and lunch — although just for a year.

“Since last year, we got the universal meals bill through the House, and it's back over with us,” Senate Agriculture chair Bobby Starr, D-Essex/Orleans, told a cheering crowd. “And we aren’t about to drop the ball quite yet.””