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COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. -- The junior U.S. Senator from Colorado was in town Friday afternoon with some possible good news for military families.

Sen. Michael Bennet introduced his first bill since replacing Sen. Ken Salazar, called the Military Nutrition Protection Act.

He seeks to exclude added combat pay in eligibility requirements that eliminate dependents of deployed service members out of any special nutrition assistance programs.

Those include free and reduced price school lunch and breakfasts and supplemental nutrition assistance for women, infants, and children, otherwise known as "WIC" programs.

"My bill will ensure military families who depend on nutrition assistance programs, like the WIC and school lunch and breakfast programs, to continue to have access to these by requiring states to exclude combat pay income when determining a family's eligibility for crucial nutrition programs," said Bennet.

Bennet believes that military life should be more manageable, not tougher, and that combat pay should make things easier because deployment is no time to get nickel-and-dimed by the government.

"Cutting families out of programs is unexceptable. These are critical programs in Colorado," added Bennet.

More than 98,000 families in Colorado participate in WIC programs. Three thousand children receive free lunches and breakfasts at school, and in Fountain-Fort Carson alone -- two schools are at 50 percent free and reduced lunches.

Many feel this new bill is much needed right here in southern Colorado.

"It will make sure military families who are most strained financially, many of whom reside right here in the Pikes Peak region, able to feed their kids and keep them healthy while a parent is deployed overseas in combat zones like Iraq and Afghanistan," continued Bennet.

Locally, Care and Share is also on board to help with any additional food that may be needed.

"To make sure that these families that are protecting our freedom certainly have the right to decent nutrition, decent food on the table for those that are here at home," SAID Nicholas Saccaro, the President and C.E.O. of Care and Share.

The next step for this bi-partisan effort is to gain support in Washington, go through a hearing and eventually get passed.

The Senator hopes once approved, the new law will take effect immediately.