Free School Lunch Bill Vetoed by Governor
State would have stepped in on reduced school lunches under House Bill 551
By Jordan Hansen, Daily Montanan
A bill seeking to eliminate copayments for reduced priced lunches was vetoed this week by Governor Greg Gianforte.
House Bill 551, brought by Helena Democrat Rep. Melissa Romano, would have covered the price of reduced lunches for about $600,000 annually from the state general fund.
In a veto letter, Governor Gianforte said the problem was being taken care of through existing programs. He also raised the cost of the legislation as an issue.
“A variety of federal programs are already available to ensure all students have access to affordable, nutritious meals throughout the school year and summer, such as the SBP (School Breakfast Program), NSLP (National School Lunch Program), Special Milk Program, and the Summer Food Service Program, all of which Montana participates in,” the veto letter reads.
Reduced lunches cost around 30 or 40 cents, but can still add up for struggling parents, Romano said during the session. It also can turn school administrators into collection agents, hurting the trust between parents and the district, adminstrators have said.
“One in six children in MT live in a food insecure household, and school meals can be the most reliable meals in a kid’s life,” Romano said in a press release. “House Bill 551 would have helped kids get a reliable, nutritious meal without worrying about school lunch debt and its stigma. It would have addressed some of the behavioral and attention issues teachers are facing in the classroom and helped kids succeed.”
The move comes as Montana could be losing millions of dollars in federal food benefits if President Donald Trump’s reconciliation and budget bill passes.
The Montana Quality Education Coalition, American Heart Association in Montana, the Blackfeet Nation, Fort Belknap Indian Community, Chippewa Cree Tribe of Rocky Boy’s Reservation, the Helena School District, and the Bigfork Food Bank all were supportive of the legislation during the session.
The bill passed the House 68-30 and the Senate 28-22 in each body’s final vote on the legislation. About 21,000 students currently qualify for free and reduced school lunch bills.
“The Governor failed Montana students today, in particular the most vulnerable,” House Minority leader Katie Sullivan, D-Missoula, said in a press release. “Under the Governor’s watch, low-income kids will continue to enter into debt with their school cafeteria, skip meals, and go hungry in the classroom.”