At a news conference convened by the Rebuilding Our Economic Future Coalition, the Children’s Alliance joined parents and teachers in urging our state lawmakers to raise significant new revenue to protect kids and schools.

This month U.S. Representative Rick Larsen introduced legislation aimed at making after-school meals and snacks available to more children.

The bill, given the acronym-friendly title Ensuring All Students Year-round (EASY) Acess to Meals and Snacks Act, woulld give programs that serve meals and snacks during the school year the same rate they get for serving meals and snacks over the summer. The problem is, summer food and school-year food are reimbursed through separate federal programs that currently pay different rates. The EASY Act would link the two programs and bump reimbursements up to the higher level currently paid only during the summer.