Child nutrition advocates gathered Tuesday at the Capitol to celebrate the Legislature's $3.3 million annual allocation over the next biennium to give 70,000 children who already qualify for reduced-cost school breakfast free access to those meals.
The expenditure — $6.6 million over two years — was a huge win for child nutrition advocates, who said the investment will shift the burden of feeding vulnerable children from parents to the state. The Legislature approved the school breakfasts funding as part of House Bill 1, the state's budget bill for fiscal 2024-25.
Rep. Armando Walle, D-Houston, who along with Rep. Toni Rose, D-Dallas, helped shepherd the funding into the budget, said that healthy meals are a key part of ensuring children get a good education.