South Dakota Searchlight
South Dakota’s Republican governor approved legislation Friday that will provide state funding to relieve families and schools of costs for reduced-price student meals.
Gov. Larry Rhoden’s signature on the bill comes after several years of advocacy by its prime sponsor, Sioux Falls Democratic Rep. Kadyn Wittman.
“This is a meaningful step forward for South Dakota families and a direct investment in our kids’ ability to learn and thrive,” Wittman said.
Rhoden signed the bill and several others while visiting a school Friday in Aberdeen.
Families with children in public schools are expected to pay the cost of their children’s school meals, unless the families have incomes low enough to qualify for free or reduced-price meals. The federal government covers the entire cost of the free meals and a portion of the reduced-price meals.
The remaining costs of reduced-price meals are charged to families at the rate of 30 cents for breakfast and 40 cents for lunch. If families don’t pay, school districts absorb the costs or seek outside donations.
The new law prohibits school districts from charging families for reduced-price meals and requires the state to reimburse districts through the state Department of Education.
The law will cost the state about $593,000 a year, according to an estimate prepared by the Legislative Research Council.
The bill passed the state House 46-20 and the Senate 20-14 during the recently concluded legislative session. It’s among the last pieces of legislation to be considered by Rhoden before lawmakers return Monday to Pierre for one day to consider the two bills he’s vetoed.
One of those vetoed bills would require state licensing of non-medical home care agencies, and the other would ban lab-grown meat, although Rhoden has signed a compromise bill into law that places a five-year moratorium on lab-grown meat in the state.
Overriding a veto requires a two-thirds vote of the members-elect in each chamber.
Searchlight Senior Reporter John Hult contributed to this story.
More bills signed
Other bills signed recently by the governor include:
- House Bill 1017, which gives school boards and administrators authority to send aggressive and violent students to an alternative learning setting.
- House Bill 1262, which makes a $2 million appropriation for a non-residential, school-based, therapeutic services facility that the bill title says will be in Brown County.
- Senate Bill 231, which creates the water infrastructure development fund and seeds it with $3 million for the awarding of grants and loans for water projects, such as pipelines proposed from the Missouri River.
- House Bill 1048, which makes an $87 million appropriation of federal funds for the expansion of broadband internet infrastructure throughout the state.