NASHVILLE, Tenn. – A Tennessee state lawmaker dubbed legislation recently passed by the House the “starve the children” bill in an effort to convince Gov. Bill Haslam to veto the measure.

House Bill 1171 would allow local school boards to opt out of federal education programs – including the National School Lunch Program – without penalty from the state. The bill was passed in the House and Senate this week, The Tennessean and WSMV report.

The legislation would allow public schools to do away with a wave of “healthy” school food regulations championed by first lady Michelle Obama and imposed on schools through the National School Lunch Program. Schools that participate in that program receive federal subsidies to provide free and reduced-price breakfasts and lunches to needy students.

MORE NEWS: Know These Before Moving From Cyprus To The UK

“Some of our school boards are getting less than one percent of their budget from the federal government, yet they have to comply with these onerous rules about how much fish sticks they can put on a plate each day,” Memphis Republican Sen. Brian Kelsey, a supporter of HB 1171, told WATE. “That’s absurd and we need to give them more freedom.

But Nashville Democrat Rep. Mike Stewart issued a letter to the governor that alleges under HB 1171 schools will ditch their obligation to provide free or reduced-price meals, and starve out poor children.

“Under our law, if a school district takes us up on this and refuses federal funding, then its obligation to provide those breakfasts ceases automatically,” Stewart told WSMV. “So if that’s a choice people want to make, I’m not for it.”

“Any change in the law that potentially undermines our existing commitment to providing nutritious meals to our school children should be rejected,” Stewart wrote in a letter to Haslam, according to The Tennessean.

HB 1171’s sponsor, Knoxville Republican state Rep. Eddie Smith, told the news site Stewart has it wrong, and the state would still require schools to provide free and reduced-price lunches.

Supporters of the bill told WSMV there is no language in the legislation that terminates school food assistance programs, and noted that schools will still receive state funding if they opt out of the National School Lunch Program.

MORE NEWS: How to prepare for face-to-face classes

Regardless, Stewart is prancing around town badmouthing the bill to all who will listen.

The situation is interesting because many states do not require schools to participate in the federal lunch program, and hundreds school districts across the country have opted to forego the free and reduced-price lunch subsidies to rid themselves of the attached limitations on calories, fat, sugar, sodium, and whole wheat to serve students nutritious foods they’ll actually eat.

The National School Lunch Program has faced intense criticism ever since lawmakers approved the Healthy and Hunger Free Kids Act at the urging of Michelle Obama. Lunch revenues plummeted as schools struggled to comply with nutrition restrictions in the new law, and school food waste skyrocketed because of a stipulation that all students must take a fruit or vegetable, which most throw in the garbage.

The whole debacle equated to significantly higher program costs and significantly lower lunchroom revenues for many schools.

In Tennessee, school districts are currently required to participate in the National School Lunch Program, and HB 1171 would simply remove that obligation, Kelsey told WATE.

“There is current state board policy that requires these local school boards to participate in the federal school lunch program,” he said. “My hope is that going forward the state will change that policy, and we can give the ability to local to make their own decisions.

Haslam received the bill Sunday, and has 10 days to sign, veto, or allow it to become law by ignoring it, WATE reports.