Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the School Meals topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee advances bill to keep school meals for students with IEPs who age out of federal benefits
Summary
HB1574 would ensure students with individualized education programs who remain enrolled past age 21 keep access to school meals; sponsor and advocates described a small fiscal impact (~$60,000) and clarified eligibility rules tied to prior federal eligibility at age 20.
The Senate Education Committee recommended House Bill 1574 ought to pass and placed it on consent after testimony from sponsors and advocates describing the bill as a targeted fix.
Representative Tony Weinstein, the bill’s introducer, said HB1574 addresses an ‘‘oversight’’ that leaves students who remain in transitional high-school programs without federally funded free or reduced-price meals once they turn 21. He told the committee the measure does not change federal guidelines but would ensure state support for eligible students who remain in school for transition services.
Daniel Popovich (Representative) told senators the House finance review estimated the state-level impact at roughly $60,000 and that the bill’s language was revised in consultation with the department to comply with USDA requirements. Riona Korp, deputy director of New Hampshire Hunger Solutions, urged ‘‘ought to pass with amendment’’ and clarified that state funds would apply to students who were eligible for the federal free-and-reduced program at age 20, not automatically to every student aged 20–22 in transition programming.
Committee members asked whether the Department of Education needed an appropriation; sponsors said the department believed it could implement the policy within existing resources or seek funds in the next biennium if necessary. The committee voted to advance the bill with a unanimous committee vote and placed it on the consent calendar.
