Free School Meal Bills Draw Bipartisan Support

(Dan Koeck/For the North Dakota Monitor)

(Jeff Beach – North Dakota Monitor) -Patrick Hart threw some other examples of legislation and spending in North Dakota into his testimony about the importance of state-funded school meals.

He noted that there is a resolution to support the United States annexing Greenland, a bill to make legislators eligible to take the bar exam and that the state uses part of its tourism budget to pay actor Josh Duhamel, already a multi-millionaire.

“What’s your legacy as an elected official?” Hart asked the House Education Committee on Monday.  “If I was in your shoes, I would want this as my legacy. Feeding our children seems like a pretty good use of money.”

Hart was testifying in favor of House Bill 1475, which would provide state funding for K-12 school meals, including at private schools.

Hart, of Bismarck, was the Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor in the 2024 election and one of several people to testify in favor of the bipartisan bill.