SALT LAKE CITY — Lawmakers are looking at ways to provide relief to those who are struggling with student lunch debt.
A FOX 13 News report in April found Utah families carried nearly $2,000,000 in unpaid bills incurred from meals purchased at school during the 2022-2023 school year.
READ: Gov. Cox responds to FOX 13 News report on school lunch debt numbers across the state
A federal COVID-19 pandemic relief program provided free school meals for all children but when that program ended at the conclusion of the 2021-2022 school year, many families were faced with a bill they could not pay.
Now, lawmakers on Utah’s Capitol Hill are looking to find a solution.
“Does a dollar in 2010 go the same way as it does now at lunch? We don’t think so,” said Rep. Tyler Clancy (R-Provo). “This is an opportunity for us to get in front of those generational challenges that we see across the state.”
Rep. Clancy, who has a degree in Family Life from Brigham Young University and also serves in the Provo Police Department, is drafting legislation that would provide easier access to free meals at schools.
Some of the solutions being studied include expanding free meals to families who qualify for reduced lunch, examining the income thresholds used for determining eligibility, and creating a trust fund in which community groups or individuals can make donations to address food insecurity for children.
“We are building on programs that already exist and have great outcomes. In my opinion, that optimizes the taxpayer dollars by making sure the money we spend on education and other resources are optimized,” Rep. Clancy said. “We are not just throwing money at a problem without addressing core human needs.”
Clancy is also speaking with taxpayer watchdogs and community groups, like Utahns Against Hunger, to get a wide variety of perspectives on the topic.
“Nobody wants kids to go hungry. The key is to emphasize that this is a priority,” said Neil Rickard, the child nutrition advocate for the organization. “This is an immediate need. It's great to see we have representatives and other members of government who recognize that and are taking action.”
Rickard added he is thrilled this topic is getting attention and addressing the issue of food insecurity that impacts far too many Utah children.
“If there is any kind of expansion we can make, we want to see it,” he said. “We would love to see something on the order of what we have seen in the other nine states that are expanding. If we get less than that, that's still a victory.”
California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Michigan, Minnesota, Maine, Vermont and Massachusetts have enacted legislation expanding the free meal program to all students but it’s unlikely Utah would see that level of expansion.
“I’ve talked to legislators from Vermont, Colorado, California, Arizona, to name a few,” Clancy said. “None of it really fit for Utah.”
He believes a fiscally responsible bill that targets relief to those in need makes the most sense and views it as an investment in Utah’s future that will help students succeed in the classroom and lead to positive outcomes later in life.
“The key to our legislation is showing results,” he said. “We have studies that show one school meal a day can impact a child's life tremendously. I think for the taxpayer it's showing that not only is this an important endeavor morally, but financially as well.”
Clancy plans to run a bill on this issue during the 2024 legislative session.
