Stop HB610 - An End to the No Hungry Kids Act

HB610 was an education bill that would have devastated after school programs for needy children.  

This bill repeals the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 and limits the authority of the Department of Education (ED) such that ED is authorized only to award block grants to qualified states.

The bill establishes an education voucher program, through which each state shall distribute block grant funds among local educational agencies (LEAs) based on the number of eligible children within each LEA's geographical area. From these amounts, each LEA shall: (1) distribute a portion of funds to parents who elect to enroll their child in a private school or to home-school their child, and (2) do so in a manner that ensures that such payments will be used for appropriate educational expenses.

To be eligible to receive a block grant, a state must: (1) comply with education voucher program requirements, and (2) make it lawful for parents of an eligible child to elect to enroll their child in any public or private elementary or secondary school in the state or to home-school their child.

No Hungry Kids Act

The bill repeals a specified rule that established certain nutrition standards for the national school lunch and breakfast programs. (In general, the rule requires schools to increase the availability of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat or fat free milk in school meals; reduce the levels of sodium, saturated fat, and trans fat in school meals; and meet children's nutritional needs within their caloric requirements.)

We stopped it, cold.  Going to our base, we demonstrated that this bill would halt all field trips to Holocaust museums. According to Man/Kind founder Richard Stellar, "the strongest weapon we have in our arsenal against anti-Semitism is the special relationship that minority children foster with Holocaust survivors who lead tours in Holocaust museums.  Something clicks, and a bridge is built when they realize that cultures share a common thread.  Oppression has visited all of us, and when they realize that there is more that connects us than drives us apart, we have tolerance and understanding"

Man/Kind started a campaign that brought forth the voices of 17,200 people against HB610.