The Governor's budget included school breakfast for the next two years.
Year 1: Reduced-Price eligible students are able to eat breakfast and lunch at no cost. Year 2: School Breakfast will be free for all students attending schools serving breakfast. However, without a sustainable funding source, the program will be vulnerable to cuts and funding for lunch will continue to feel out of reach.
Last week, the Connecticut Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee posted the bill to tax sugar-sweetened beverages to pay for school meals for all. H.B. 7273 (Raised) An Act Imposing A Tax On Certain Sweetened Beverages, Syrups and Powders And Dedicating The Revenue Generated To A Universal Free School Meals Program. Read the bill here.
The American Heart Association, a champion of universal school meals, is the leading advocate for the bill. The CT School Meals for All Coalition is a strong proponent because the funding would go directly to fund school meals. The Finance Committee is holding a hearing today.
Consider submitting a brief testimony supporting the bill and the concept.
- Take a minute to support H.B. 7273: see here
If you have time to submit your own testimony:
- Testimony template: here - Talking point folder: here - Why breakfast/school meals matters: here - School meals resources: here
In short: H.B. 7273 will provide ALL CT kids with free school meals by utilizing a sugar sweetened beverage tax as sustainable revenue to pay for those meals. It adds two cents per ounce on sweetened beverages - carbonated beverages with added sugar, it does not include 100% fruit sweetened, milk, vegetable juice or water.
The tax would raise about $206 million, SM4A costs about $106 million.
Food insecurity is on the rise, as is declining health from diet related diseases. A revenue stream for school meals is critical. We are expecting the threshold for CEP (currently 40%) to increase to 60% which would be throw many schools off federal meal support, including New Lebanon. Learn more about pending threats here.
