I’m proud to say that Tuesday was a win for Colorado families with the passage of Propositions LL and MM, which will extend the Healthy School Meals for All program and boost SNAP assistance.
Since voters approved the school meals initiative in 2022, this program has successfully fed 600,000 kids and saved families $1,250 per child every year. It also encourages schools to partner with local farmers to get healthy, local food on cafeteria tables and support business for our producers. The funding for school meals has eased the financial pressure on many hardworking parents as grocery prices have increased, and this program will only become more important as federal SNAP cuts take effect.
Colorado voters overwhelmingly approved LL and MM on Tuesday. The funding was set to run out next month, and Propositions LL and MM will extend the program by limiting the tax deductions that the wealthiest 6% of Coloradans can claim. This will cost people who earn over $300,000 about $327 per year. Not only will this money extend the program, but it will also allow many schools to expand their partnerships with local farmers, putting more money in producers’ pockets and providing students with fresh, Colorado-grown food.
This summer, in H.R. 1, Congress passed changes that will double the SNAP administrative burden for states while cutting federal support for SNAP management in half, starting next year. In response, I sponsored an amendment to Proposition MM during the recent special legislative session. We added that if the Healthy School Meals for All program raises more money than it needs, the extra funds will go to SNAP.
The federal cuts are going to reduce SNAP funding in Colorado by tens of millions of dollars, and Proposition MM won’t get anywhere near filling this hole, but every dollar is going to help put food on tables. Unfortunately, this funding won’t be available immediately either. Fortunately, Colorado just approved $10 million in emergency funding for food banks and pantries after the federal administration froze SNAP payments during the shutdown.
This freeze is currently being fought in court, and our state and local governments and nonprofits are working hard to get food on tables in the meantime. If you need local food assistance or would like to support their efforts, the Good Food Collective has complied resources here (https://tinyurl.com/4jsbb29z). SNAP freezes and cuts put extreme stress on Coloradans, and we can’t let our seniors, veterans and hardworking families go hungry.
On another note, I am deeply troubled by the detention of Fernando Jaramillo Solano and his two children last Monday on their way to school in Durango. As a mother, I cannot fathom the anguish of being separated from one’s children. Schools should represent safety and opportunity, not uncertainty and fear, and students should never fear being detained on their way to get their education. That night, when I learned that no one had been permitted to check on the children’s well-being, I went myself to see if they were being fed, treated with care and allowed to contact their attorney. I was also refused access.
In this moment, our community has come together to live out its values – offering compassion where it is most needed. I have been working with Rep. Jeff Hurd and Sens. Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper to see how we can help this family. Hurd’s office is researching their active asylum case, as they were detained by mistake while immigration officers were looking for another individual.
In the past, it's been America’s policy not to arrest families with pending asylum cases because they are pursuing residency through the legal channels. I join my congressional colleagues in calling on the federal government to provide answers regarding the detention of children; the people of Southwest Colorado deserve transparency, dignity and justice.
Katie Stewart represents House District 59 in the Colorado State House, which encompasses Archuleta, La Plata, and San Juan counties and most of Montezuma County. Reach her at katie.stewart.house@coleg.gov.
