Legislative Update from Rep. Jeff Witte

On Thursday, the House voted on a bill to expand the free school lunch program to every student in Minnesota. Unfortunately, this bill is a very expensive solution that does not fully solve the problem of students who are going hungry. Under current law, students are already entitled to the same lunch as other students, even if they have outstanding lunch debt. Also, this bill would still allow them to be turned away if they need extra food in addition to a standard lunch. Finally, this bill gives relief to wealthy families who can already afford to pay for their students' lunches.

A better solution, and one that has been suggested by Republicans both in committee and on the House floor, would be to adjust the current eligibility for free school meals to include more people who need it, rather than making them free for everyone including those who don't need assistance.

Constituent Visits

I love having constituents visit me here at the Capitol! This week, I had a visit from Tim Rogotzke (above), a former State Patrol Commander who was at the Capitol testifying about light rail in the Transportation Finance and Policy Committee.

I also had a visit from a group of AFSCME Corrections Officers. I want to thank each and every one of them for the hard work they do!

Back in the district, I was invited by Lakeville North student April Krolak to the Lakeville Area Career Conference at Brackett's Crossing. I had a great time talking to students from our community about their future.

If you are ever at the Capitol and want to talk about your thoughts or concerns about issues facing the Legislature, please don't hesitate to stop by my office!