SB18-013 (Fields & Gardner/Michaelson Jenet) Improving Access to Affordable School Lunch

Originally Posted: January 19, 2018
Last Updated: May 11, 2018

Summary

The Children’s Campaign strongly supports this bill. Students who eat healthy meals at school are better able to learn, and improving access to school meals improves academic performance and student behavior. Pre-adolescence is a period of nutritional vulnerability; children in middle school require sufficient calories and a well-balanced diet for developmental growth. This policy would improve access to nutritious school lunches for thousands of students in Colorado. Our Vice President of Health Initiatives, Erin Miller, testified in response to questions from legislators in committee this week about the evidence supporting that ensuring that children receive nutritious lunches improves academic performance. You can see her testimony here.

Position

The Children’s Campaign strongly supports this bill. Students who eat healthy meals at school are better able to learn, and improving access to school meals improves academic performance and student behavior. Pre-adolescence is a period of nutritional vulnerability; children in middle school require sufficient calories and a well-balanced diet for developmental growth. This policy would improve access to nutritious school lunches for thousands of students in Colorado. Our Vice President of Health Initiatives, Erin Miller, testified in response to questions from legislators in committee this week about the evidence supporting that ensuring that children receive nutritious lunches improves academic performance. You can see her testimony here.

Current Status

Passed the House on a vote of 36-29 and now heads to the governor’s desk for signature

Previous Statuses


January 19, 2018

Assigned to the Senate Education Committee, where it will be heard on Thursday, Jan. 25 at 1:30 p.m. in Room 352

April 20, 2018

The bill passed on a bipartisan vote of 5-2 and heads to the Appropriations Committee. Erin Miller, Vice President of Health Initiatives, testified in support.

April 27, 2018

Passed the Senate Appropriations Committee on a vote of 4-3 and now heads to the Senate floor for debate

May 4, 2018

Passed the Senate on a bipartisan vote of 24-11 and now heads to the House, where it will be heard in the House Education Committee at 1:30pm on Monday, May 7 in Room 0112.