Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) released the following statement after the Senate passed in a bipartisan vote of 84-10 a continuing resolution to fund the government until December 11, 2020.
“I’m proud to join my colleagues in a bipartisan vote to fund the government and secure critical priorities for Nevadans. This legislation includes a key priority of mine, ensuring that local school districts in Nevada, and across the country, have the necessary flexibility to provide free school lunches to any child in Nevada who needs it.”
BACKGROUND:
The continuing resolution includes requirements from Senator Cortez Masto’s Child Nutrition Relief Act that extends waiver authorities for school nutrition rules granted to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) through the school year. These waivers for school nutrition programs, originally granted in the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, have provided school districts in Nevada and across the country with the flexibility to deliver meal services to kids even when schools are operating on modified schedules or in non-traditional settings.
Additionally, the continuing resolution:
- Adds nearly $8 billion in desperately needed nutrition assistance for hungry schoolchildren and families;
- Renews Pandemic EBT for a full year;
- Extends key flexibility for states to lower administrative requirements on SNAP for families in the middle of this crisis;
- Saves seniors from an up-to-$50 per month Part B premium hike;
- Includes a one-year surface transportation authorization extension.