2025 legislative agenda includes push for free meals for all kids at school
Tennessee’s legislative Democrats announced their 2025 agenda and it includes a proposal for free school meals for all kids.
Democratic legislative leaders sent an outline of the policy agenda to members of the media. Among the items included are:
- Ending the grocery tax
- Free school meals for all kids
- Expanded access to health coverage
- Raising the minimum wage
Democrats have proposed free school meals before, but the proposal typically is shot down by the GOP-majority in committee.
Estimates of past proposals suggest the total cost would be around $500-$700 million a year. For reference, the state provided more than $500 million to the Tennessee Titans to build a new (smaller) stadium. Lawmakers also passed $1.6 billion worth of corporate tax breaks during the last legislative session. And, Gov. Lee insisted that nearly $150 million be “set aside” for his private school voucher proposal, a plan that failed to secure enough votes to advance in the 2024 session.
The point: We can afford to feed every kid who comes to school every day. Gov. Lee and the legislative majority just don’t want to.
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