Connecticut Senate Votes to Ban Soda Sales in the State's Schools
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By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: April 21, 2006
HARTFORD, April 20 — The State Senate approved legislation on Thursday banning the sale of soda in Connecticut's schools in an effort to reduce childhood obesity.
On a largely party-line vote of 24 to 8, the Democratic-controlled Senate sent the bill to the House of Representatives, and the chief Senate sponsor plans to lobby hard there to win approval of the proposal. The Senate president pro tem, Donald Williams, began the fight yesterday morning, telling reporters at a news conference that he expected "hand-to-hand combat" over the legislation.
Under the bill, schools would not be permitted to sell regular or diet soda or sports drinks like Gatorade. A narrow exception would allow those drinks to be sold at concession stands during school-sponsored events after school and on weekends.
The legislation would allow school vending machines and stores to stock only low-fat and nonfat milk, soy or rice milk, and 100 percent fruit and vegetable drinks.
The Connecticut proposal, if enacted, would be among the most sweeping school nutrition regulations in the nation. California, Maine and several other states recently revamped their policies to limit or prohibit the sales of soda, candy and other items with low nutritional value.
Gov. M. Jodi Rell vetoed a school nutrition bill last year, criticizing efforts to impose state standards on local school districts for nutrition and physical education.
She is expected to sign the new version because it reduces state mandates and would provide extra money for school lunch programs that offer healthy snacks identified by the Connecticut Department of Education.
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