Committee backs bill letting students opt out of campus meal‑plan mandates

The Common Education Committee recommended passage of House Bill 2,197, which would bar colleges from making purchase of a campus meal plan a requirement for enrollment or living on campus. Representative Doug Wolfley presented the measure as an affordability reform.

"House Bill 2,197 would make attending college more affordable by not allowing colleges to make purchase of a meal plan requirement for enrollment or living on campus," Wolfley said. He argued many students end a year with unused meal‑plan funds and that mandatory plans can be inefficient.

Several members pressed the author on the economic effects. Representative Waller warned that universities often contract with vendors and negotiate pricing based on expected participation; if many students opt out, the schools could lose volume discounts and potentially pass higher costs to the remaining students. "If we allow students' individual opt outs, it could cause schools to fall below those price points and put the other students at a disadvantage," Waller said.

Wolfley and other supporters pushed back that universities already exempt upperclassmen from mandatory plans in some cases and argued the market and institutional planning would adapt. One member with restaurant‑industry experience said campuses do not store food to match headcount, suggesting some flexibility in operations.

After extended questions and discussion about sunk costs, contractual obligations and the student experience, the committee recorded a do‑pass recommendation. The bill will move forward in the legislative process.

Ending: Members requested additional fiscal analysis from university systems and the regents; the committee approved the bill for further consideration.