Senator Alfond's bills to fight child hunger will be heard by Legislature

Posted: November 19, 2015 | Front Page, News Items, Senator Alfond

The Legislature will consider two bills by Senate Democratic Leader Justin Alfond of Portland that would help Maine children meet their full potential by fighting childhood hunger in our state.

Sen. Alfond successfully appealed the Legislative Council’s earlier decision to reject the bills during the Council’s meeting on Thursday. The bills will be heard after Alfond built bipartisan support for them during the appeals process.

“The upcoming legislative session is reserved for emergency bills, and that’s the benchmark the Council uses to decide which bills get in and which don’t,” said Sen. Alfond, who is a member of the Council. “If hungry children are not an emergency, I don’t know what is. Luckily, we have the ability to feed these children and help them succeed. I’m grateful to my Republican colleagues who recognize this emergency and supported my bills.”

The bills allowed in were:

  • LR 2409, “An Act to Increase Collaboration Between the Department of Education and School Food Service Directors,” which will give schools the tools they need to ensure all qualified students receive free meals at school.
  • LR 2410, “An Act to Feed Young Children by Strengthening the Child and Adult Care Food Program,” which will streamline the application for qualified after school facilities such as YMCAs that want to participate in federal anti-hunger programs.

Maine ranks No. 1 in New England for food insecurity and very low food security, defined as a “prolonged, involuntary lack of food, resulting in discomfort, weakness, illness or pain.” Forty-seven percent of Maine students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

While Alfond praised the Council for reconsidering its earlier decision on LRs 2409 and 2410, he said there’s still more to be done. Another of Sen. Alfond’s bills — LR 2416, “An Act to Feed Children from Low-income Families” — was rejected on appeal Thursday. That measure would have ensured that a lack of cash on any given day is never an obstacle for eligible children to receive meals at school.

Sen. Alfond has been a state leader on fighting child hunger, having led the Task Force to End Student Hunger in Maine. He also founded Full Plates, Full Potential, a consortium of state, business and nonprofit leaders dedicated to eradicating child hunger in our state.

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