Committee votes 10-8 against using Medicaid data to certify students for free and reduced-price school meals

The New Hampshire House Education Committee voted 10-8 to recommend against advancing HB 583, a bill that would have directed the state to apply to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Medicaid direct certification pilot so students enrolled in Medicaid could be automatically certified for free and reduced-price school meals.

The committee action came after more than an hour of discussion on the merits of direct certification, a budget-neutral amendment offered by supporters, and competing concerns about the bill’s projected fiscal impact on state education funding. Chairman Ladd presided over the executive session when Representative Popovich moved to recommend the bill “inexpedient to legislate” (ITL); Representative Maguire seconded the motion and a roll-call followed.

Proponents said Medicaid direct certification would immediately enroll roughly 10,000 additional students statewide in the USDA program, reducing paperwork for families and increasing access to meals. A presenter for the amendment described secure data sharing between the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and the Department of Education and noted DHHS would include an opt-out for…