Education Committee unanimously approves Sen. Breen bill to reduce child hunger in schools

AUGUSTA — The Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs today unanimously approved a bill from Sen. Cathy Breen, D-Falmouth, to allow more children access to free lunch. The legislation would allow children whose families qualify for free-and-reduced lunch to access free lunch, effectively eliminating the “reduced” category. Maine has a similar law on the books to increase access to free breakfast.

“Research shows that childhood hunger leads to educational and behavioral issues that can have long-ranging negative effects on students and their families,” said Sen. Breen. “This bill removes unnecessary barriers to nutrition and education, allowing more kids to succeed in school, compete for good jobs after graduation, contribute to Maine’s economy, and lead constructive, meaningful and happy lives.”

Students qualify for free or reduced price lunch if their family’s income is below 185 percent of the federal poverty level or an annual income of $47,637 for a family of four. LD 549, “An Act To Promote Academic Achievement through Hunger Relief for Maine Children,” aims to eliminate the $2 per week difference between the cost of lunch and what the state pays on behalf of recipients of reduced price lunch. In addition to addressing the persistent problem of childhood hunger, the legislation would free school staff members from having to spend their valuable time collecting this money from students.

Sen. Breen introduced similar legislation in 2017. An amended version of the bill passed both houses of the Legislature but it was left unfunded at the end of the session and died on the Special Appropriations Table. LD 549 now goes to the full Legislature for a series of votes.