North Dakota Legislature increases lawmaker meal reimbursement credits after voting down meal grants for schoolchildren

North Dakota lawmakers over the past two weeks chose to vote down a bill that would provide free lunch for certain school children, and days later passed legislation to provide themselves meal cost relief.

On April 6, the Republican supermajority in the North Dakota Senate passed Senate Bill 2124, which raises the amount of money state senators and their staff can receive from meal reimbursements. Just days prior, the same body voted down House Bill 1491 23-24, a bill that would cover lunch for school children whose parents’ income falls 200% below the poverty line.

Earlier this session, North Dakota lawmakers voted down legislation to fund free school lunches for low-income students. Late last week, they voted to increase meal stipends for themselves.

ND State Sen. David Hogue (R) says, “It’s only reasonable to keep up with inflation.” pic.twitter.com/2UDxJxzz5a

— Heartland Signal (@HeartlandSignal) April 10, 2023

While the Senate was debating the school lunch legislation, State Sen. Mike Wobbema (R-Valley City) argued that kids are hungry because of parents being “negligent.”

“We talk about personal responsibility as one of the major principles that the Republican Party Stands on,” Wobbema said. “Yes, I can understand kids going hungry, but is that really the problem of the school district? Is that the problem of the state of North Dakota? It’s really the problem of parents being negligent with their kids.”

Debating free school lunch for low-income kids, North Dakota State Sen. Mike Wobbema (R) says families are to blame for their hunger: “It’s really the problem of parents being negligent with their kids, if their kids are choosing to eat in the first place.”

The bill died, 23-24. pic.twitter.com/WotKJqOXGN

— Heartland Signal (@HeartlandSignal) March 29, 2023

Republicans control North Dakota’s Senate 43-4 and the state Assembly 83-11.