Senate Passes Amended Version of Pandemic-Era Free School Meal Bill

A cafeteria worker supervises lunches for school children at the Normandie Avenue Elementary School in South Central Los Angeles on December 2, 2010. First Lady Michelle Obama, a champion of measures to fight childhood obesity in the United States, welcomed passage in Congress Thursday of a law aimed at improving the quality of school meals. The House of Representatives earlier passed The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, following passage by the Senate. The bill now awaits President Barack Obama's signature to become law. It allows the federal government to encourage schools, through subsidies, to serve students meals that respect nutritional standards set by the National Academy of Sciences. Michelle Obama called the bill a "groundbreaking piece of bipartisan legislation that will significantly improve the quality of meals that children receive at school and will play an integral role in our efforts to combat childhood obesity. AFP PHOTO/Mark RALSTON Photo credit should read MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images

Senate lawmakers on Thursday voted to pass an amended version of a bill that would extend funding for COVID-era school meal waivers for children across the country until 2023.

The legislation is part of a wider effort to keep kids from going hungry amid soaring inflation and supply chain issues across the country.