SALT LAKE CITY — Governor Spencer Cox signed a piece of legislation aimed at tackling childhood hunger.
House Bill 100 was recently passed during the 2025 legislative session and signed by Gov. Cox in March. Today’s ceremonial signing applauded the efforts of those who helped get the bill to the finish line.
“This bill and what it accomplishes isn’t just about addressing school lunch,” Gov. Cox said. “It’s about helping kids learn, and kids can’t learn when they are hungry.”
Rep. Tyler Clancy (R-Provo) authored the bill that will move Utah families that qualify for reduced-priced meals at school into the no-cost category.
This is an issue that FOX 13 News has reported on extensively since 2023.
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“I remember exactly where I was: sitting at my table, eating lunch and watching one of John Franchi’s pieces from FOX 13 about school lunch debt and thinking, 'How is this possible?'” said Rep. Clancy.
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With this legislation, a family of five with a household income of just under $70,000 will qualify for free meals. The previous threshold for such a family was around $49,000. More thresholds depending on family size can be found HERE (the columns under "reduced" are now free).
“The reason we had an event like this is because it means so much to so many people,” Rep. Clancy said. “There are people in that room who grew up on free or reduced lunch and now they are successful individuals contributing to the community. That's what the safety net is about. It's about helping people progress to ultimately become self-sufficient.”
The Policy Project worked with lawmakers to address the issue.
“The trick was figuring out how you reach those kids, and how do you do it where it's targeted enough that it works for the state of Utah,” said Emily Bell McCormick, president of The Policy Project.
While this is one solution aimed at helping Utah families, Rep. Clancy believes it can open doors to finding more.
“Ultimately, I am excited to see the data we collect and that will lead us to where we need to go from here,” he said.
The new income thresholds to qualify for free school meals will take effect in time for the 2025-2026 school year.
