1.27.16

Suggested Lead:   For the second year in a row, the state House has given a bipartisan thumbs-up to a program that would let hungry kids start the school day with a healthy breakfast.  Dan Frizzell has more.

Wrap  (:75 total):    They call it Breakfast After the Bell, and it's been used for quite a while in schools on both sides of the mountains.  The idea OK'd by the House in Olympia Wednesday is to roll it out all over Washington, to schools where most of the students come from low-income households.  It sounds disruptive, having students eating breakfast while teachers teach, but the pilot programs show it leads to a more productive classroom in spite of the logistics of serving meals and clearing away the debris afterward.  The sponsor again this year is Zack Hudgins, a Democrat from Tukwila.

HUDGINS:  “This is a simple bill.  It's about feeding hungry kids.  It's not about some of the philosophical discussions we've had.  It's about feeding hungry kids. It's not about whether parents should feed their kids; parents should feed their kids.  But it's about feeding hungry kids in our schools.  It's about better outcomes. It's about taking a program that is proven, and applying it across the state."  [:22]

Last year Hudgins picked up 65 out of 98 votes from both sides of the aisle before the Republican Senate put its foot on the bill.  This time around the yes column grew to 69, but whether that added GOP support will make a difference in the Senate remains unknown.  It's in their court now, and we'll continue to follow the story.  In Olympia, I’m Dan Frizzell.

 

 

 

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