Arkansas lawmakers give initial approval to legislation to provide students free breakfast

Yahoo

05-02-2025

Sen. Jonathan Dismang, R-Searcy, listens to testimony during a public health committee meeting on Wednesday, January 22, 2025. (Mary Hennigan/Arkansas Advocate)
A legislative panel on Wednesday approved a bill to provide free breakfast to Arkansas students regardless of their eligibility for the federal free or reduced-price meal program beginning with the 2025-2026 academic year.
Lead sponsor Sen. Jonathan Dismang, R-Searcy, told the Senate Education Committee Wednesday that Senate Bill 59 would first use federally available funds to support the initiative before tapping into state resources. State funding would come through the Food Insecurity Fund, which would be created by SB 59 and consist of money from general revenue, private grants and medical marijuana taxes.
'We ask these kids to be in school, we actually mandate that they be in school,' Dismang said. 'We want them to be successful. Let's give them the basic tool to be successful and that is to start the day without an empty stomach.'
A steady job doesn't guarantee food on the table for many Arkansans
At a rate of nearly 19%, Arkansas had the highest prevalence of food insecurity in 2023, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture report released in September. One in four Arkansas children face hunger, according to Feeding America.
Federal funding supported free meals for all students during the COVID-19 pandemic and a number of states have since considered legislation that would continue the practice. Some states like California and Minnesota have passed laws to provide universal free school meals.
SB 59 builds on Dismang's work during the 2023 legislative session when Arkansas lawmakers approved a bill to cover the copayment for low-income students who qualify for reduced-price meals, and a bill that would allow money from the General Revenue Fund to be placed in a Restricted Reserve Fund to address food insecurity and health needs.
Because medical marijuana funds would be used to support the free breakfast initiative, Sen. Joshua Bryant, R-Rogers, asked if there would be any concern about the funding source should a state legislator try to further restrict the expansion of medical marijuana. Dismang said he's not worried because the industry was created through a constitutional amendment.
Arkansas voters first approved medical marijuana in 2016 and it has since grown into a billion-dollar industry. State tax revenue from medical marijuana surpassed $31 million in 2024, according to data released by state officials Wednesday.
Providing students free breakfast under SB 59 could cost an estimated $14.7 million, according to a fiscal impact statement. That's likely 'on the high side' but Dismang said he wanted to use conservative estimates and noted that covering the cost of reduced-price meals following passage of his 2023 bill has not come close to its $6 million estimate.
SB 59 also prioritizes the use of money from the Food Insecurity Fund, which must first cover copayments for reduced meals and the state's participation in the Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer program before funds can be used for the breakfast program, Dismang said.
Summer EBT set to continue in 2025, pending further Arkansas legislative approval
Arkansas last year opted into the Summer EBT program, a new federal assistance program that provides $120 in food benefits to students during summer break. Dismang said it was 'wildly successful' and cost an estimated $2.9 million.
Though no one spoke against the bill in committee Wednesday, policy organization Opportunity Arkansas in a social media post assigned SB 59 an 'F'-ranking, arguing the legislation would 'grow government and increase dependency.'
'This bill would provide for 'free' universal school breakfasts for all Arkansas students — even those from high-income families,' the post states.
Addressing the criticism in committee, Dismang said this approach is similar to schools purchasing laptops and other tools for families who have the means to purchase these resources on their own.
'To me this is no different,' he said. 'Let's let them start out on the right foot. Let's let them have the option and let's do something about the food insecurity problems we have here in the state.'
Those sentiments were echoed by two employees of the Conway School District who spoke in favor of the bill because it would help the district address unpaid student meal charges and free up money to be used on other things like safety. The district has $317,000 in unpaid meal charges as of Wednesday, Conway School District Food Service Director Maegan Brown said.
A 2019 bill requires public schools to provide students a meal and prohibits them from stigmatizing children unable to pay. The law allows schools to request payment from parents, but there are no consequences for failure to pay so districts incur debt, Brown said.
Regulations prohibit districts from using federal food-service funds to cover student meal debt, so the district must ultimately find a way to pay for it once a student graduates or drops out, she said.
Bryant questioned what the incentive would be for parents to fill out forms to help the state qualify for federal funding if they know they'll receive meals regardless.
Superintendent Jeff Collum agreed it's a risk, but said he's open to trying SB 59's breakfast program because the district will have to continue paying on bad debt no matter what.
'It may hurt us, it may hurt us before it gets better, but if we were to err, it would be let's feed the babies as much as we can and we'll figure it out, the way we're trying to figure it out now,' Collum said.
The House Education Committee unanimously approved SB 59 on a voice vote, and it will next be heard by the full House.
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