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Committee trims Sunbucks (summer EBT) request after extended debate on food security
Summary
Lawmakers debated and reduced funding for a proposed summer Electronic Benefit Transfer (Sunbucks) pilot intended to provide summer food assistance to children, with proponents citing service gaps in small communities and opponents warning of 'mission creep.'
The Appropriations Committee sharply debated the governor's recommended Sunbucks summer EBT proposal before approving amended, reduced funding.
Senator Larson led motions to cut several hundred million dollars off broader requests that included the Sunbucks line; after floor amendments he adjusted the proposed reduction to leave $11 million for an external cost adjustment (ECA) item and ultimately the committee adopted a smaller allocation than the governor requested. Supporters described Sunbucks as a new summer EBT pilot to provide $120 per child per summer and estimated it could serve "over 30,000 of our eligible school age children in the state," while opponents framed it as expanding government responsibilities beyond existing school and community feeding programs.
Representative Sherwood explained the program's objective: it targets children in communities without summer feeding sites to prevent children from "falling through the cracks," citing examples in rural towns where feeding sites do not exist. Representative Pendergraft urged caution about expanding state programs, calling it an example of mission creep and expressing concern about long‑term reliance on government supports. After extended debate, the committee approved substantial reductions to the governor's request and carried the amended units.
What happens next: the cut funding and amendments will be reflected in the committee's as‑amended budget and could be revisited on the floor or as part of supplemental requests. The committee also noted existing Department of Education summer feeding sites and the Wyoming Food Coalition mapping tool as complementary resources.
