A lawmaker from the San Antonio area is pushing the Gov. Rick Perry to sign into a law a bill that prohibits public schools from selling sugary drinks.
Sen. Carlos Uresti, D-San Antonio, said he fought to get his own version of the bill approved for the past two sessions, hoping that a ban on sugary drinks at the state’s elementary and middle schools will help the Hispanic population turn the corner in the fight against obesity and diabetes.
What did pass was a companion bill, House Bill 217, which excluded high schools from the ban.
"Because of our culture, because of our diet that we’re used to eating since we were children, it’s not the healthiest diet," he said.
The bill specifically addresses what can be sold by the schools themselves and in vending machines, but Uresti said he was able to add provisions to the bill that allows for parental control.
"Of course students can bring it if it’s packed in their lunch box, they can still bring other drinks that their parents send them to school with," he said.
Uresti said vending machine companies are on board with the bill, as are so are many school districts, several of which have already changing their lunchroom and vending machine choices.
The bill awaits the governor's signature or veto stamp.
