KENOSHA — As more Wisconsin students continue to struggle with food insecurity, State Superintendent Dr. Jill Underly today proposed increasing access to meals at school by providing all Wisconsin students access to nutritious breakfast and lunch at no cost to families.

Joined by staff in the Kenosha Unified School District and education partners, Dr. Underly called for universal free meals as part of her 2025-27 Biennial Budget Request during a news conference. Dr. Underly’s universal free meals proposal, totaling nearly $294 million, expands access to nutritious school meals to all Wisconsin students.

One in four (25.4 percent) Wisconsin high school students reported hunger due to a lack of food in their home, data from the 2023 Youth Risk Behavior Survey shows.

CLICK HERE to read the full News Release from DPI or view it on the DPI website.

• Eligible retailers include supermarkets, grocery stores, farmers’ markets, nonprofit cooperatives, and farmers who sell directly to consumers, among other types of food sellers.
• Retailers must be authorized retailers in the FoodShare program participating in the healthy food incentive program.

SNA-WI supported this bill as part of its engagement efforts with The Speaker's Task Force on Childhood Obesity during the 2023-24 legislative session and is excited to see it become a reality! Read more about the bill becoming law here.

The following are updates on bills/resolutions of interest to SNA-WI: 

Thursday, February 22 Assembly Session

• AB-1103 DPI Remedial Legislation (Law Revision Committee) Requirements for school breakfast reimbursement and repealing a teaching license requirement (suggested as remedial legislation by the Department of Public Instruction).
• This bill passed the Assembly and has been sent to the Senate for its consideration.  Please note that this bill, which was requested by DPI, makes a very minor technical change to school breakfast reimbursement in state law.  Specifically, the bill removes a reference in state law to a federal regulation that was deleted and incorporated into current federal school breakfast regulations. 

Wednesday, February 21 Assembly Session

• AB-1013 Food Incentive Program (Joers, Alex) Healthy food incentive program.
• The Assembly passed this bill, and it now goes to the Senate for its consideration.
• AB-1014 Childhood Obesity (Hurd, Karen) Childhood obesity prevention and management grants.
• The Assembly passed this bill, and it now goes to the Senate for its consideration.
• AB-1015 Childhood Obesity (Hurd, Karen) Childhood obesity prevention and management grants and making an appropriation.
• The Assembly passed this bill, and it now goes to the Senate for its consideration.
• AB-1016 Physical Activity (Penterman, William) Requiring public and private schools to offer a minimum amount of physical activity each week.
• The Assembly passed this bill, and it now goes to the Senate for its consideration.
• AJR-110 Appreciation Week (Vining, Robyn) Proclaiming the week of April 29 to May 3, 2024, as School Nutrition Professionals Appreciation Week.
• The Assembly passed this joint resolution, and it now goes to the Senate for its consideration.  As this is a resolution, it does not go to the Governor for his signature or veto.

Tuesday, February 20 Senate Session

• SB-539 NonProfit Assistance (Tomczyk, Cory) County assistance to certain nonprofit organizations.
• This bill passed the Senate and was sent to the Assembly for its consideration.  However, the Assembly did not take any action on this bill before it adjourned on February 22.  Therefore, it is very likely that this bill will move no further in the legislative process.

The Speaker's Taskforce on Childhood Obesity had a press conference Tuesday morning and introduced three bi-partisan bills after holding several hearings across the state in late 2023 about potential policy and program solutions to this complex issue. Watch the video of the full press conference on Wisconsin Eye by creating a free account.

SNA-WI member Josh Perkins and the Madison Metro School District provided a school food service tour for the member of the Taskforce after the hearing on November 1. View the presentation and information shared and photos from the hearing.

Bills introduced as a result of the Taskforce include: 

Healthy Food Incentive Program: Introduced by Representatives Alex Joers, Karen Hurd, Robyn Vining, Elijah Behnke, William Penterman, Melissa Ratcliff, Donna Rozar, Peter Schmidt & Senator Joan Ballweg.  

Under the bill (5718) and program, “FoodShare recipients who use FoodShare benefits for purchases at an eligible retailer would receive an amount up to the amount of benefits used at the eligible retailer for the purpose of purchasing fruits and vegetables from the eligible retailer. According to the Co-Sponsorship memo, “Nutrition Incentive Programs allow families to stretch their grocery budget and prioritize buying healthy, locally-grown produce. They are oftentimes referred to as Double Dollars, Double Up Food Bucks, or Market Match. They provide matching dollars so that families participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) can purchase additional fruits and vegetables from participating farmers markets, community-supported agriculture programs (CSA’s), grocery stores, and other healthy food retailers.”

Childhood Obesity Prevention Grants: Introduced by Representatives Karen Hurd, Robyn Vining, Elijah Behnke, William Penterman, Donna Rozar, Peter Schmidt, Alex Joers, Melissa Ratcliff & Senator Cory Tomczyk

LRB-5317 requires the Department of Health Services, in coordination with relevant state agencies, to award two-year grants (total $5 million) to organizations, cities, villages, towns, counties, school districts, or Indian tribes for childhood obesity prevention and management programs. Under the bill, “childhood obesity prevention and management program” means any of the following designed to assist a person who is 22 years of age or younger or an unborn child (collectively,“child”):

1. Early interventions and screenings to better identify and promote healthy growth and development and to prevent and manage childhood obesity.
2. Parental support for and education on childhood weight management, including support for guardians, caregivers, or others who have or will have responsibility for the child other than the parent.
3. Removal of barriers and promotion of better access to proper nutrition and spaces for play and other physical activities.
4. School-based efforts to impact circumstances contributing to childhood weight management.
5. Early childhood care and education, including both school-based and out-of-school care efforts to impact circumstances contributing to healthy growth and development and reduce childhood obesity.
6. Any other type of program, approach, or innovative practice that addresses the factors that prevent childhood obesity and mitigate its impact.

Hours of Physical Activity for Students: Introduced by Representatives Penterman, Rozar, Hurd, Behnke, Schmidt and Sen. Tomczyk

Under this bill, beginning in the 2024-25 school year, public schools, including independent charter schools, and private schools participating in a parental choice program must offer at least 180 minutes of physical activity each week to pupils in kindergarten to eighth grade. Under the bill, physical activity is defined as participation in exercise, sports, recreation, wellness, or fitness activities. The bill specifies that physical activity may occur during recess, physical education class, school-sponsored athletics, or any other school-sponsored activity.

Other Notes:
In addition to the press conference, Rep. Robyn Vinning, Co-Chair of the Taskforce, released a press release of her "10 Takeaways" from her work on the Taskforce.

Mentioned during the press conference, the Taskforce plans to recognize and appreciate school lunch providers in a Joint Resolution in the Assembly and Senate and on social media. More, hopefully, to come on this well-deserved resolution very soon!

The Healthy School Meals for All Wisconsin bill was reintroduced  on Monday, November 6! Thanks to all who joined us at the Capitol and online via WisEye.

SNA-WI Board President, Bobbie Guyette and President-Elect, Kaitlin Tauriainen both spoke alongside other HSM4A WI Coalition members. Michael Gasper, SNA Board member also shared a powerful story about how the current system for funding and reimbursing schools for meals impacts kids.

If you couldn’t tune in or join live, check out the recording on WisEye and news coverage from around the state:

• Channel 3000 story and video
• Channel 3000 YouTube
• WORT FM audio and transcript
• WHBL
• The 715 Newsroom
• SeehaferNews.com

The Pandemic Child Hunger Prevention Act is co-led by Rep. Marcia Fudge (OH-11), Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), Rep. Jim McGovern (MA-02), and Rep. Ilhan Omar (MN-05).

According to the Brookings Institute, 35 percent of households with children under 18 already were experiencing food insecurity in April. As the pandemic continues to cause widespread economic hardship, experts fear that the child hunger crisis could become even worse.

School meal programs, which have suffered severe financial losses due to the pandemic, are struggling to maintain services for students. In May, program directors reported a median estimated loss of $200,000 per district, with an estimated loss of as much as $2.35 million in larger districts. By increasing school meal participation rates, the Pandemic Child Hunger Prevention Act would help save these programs from insolvency.

The proposal would also eliminate paperwork for families and school officials, who would not have to fill out and process applications during a time of crisis.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated our nation’s child hunger crisis, created record high unemployment, and caused prolonged economic hardship—leaving many families struggling to cover basic essentials,” said Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott. “The Pandemic Child Hunger Prevention Act would help address the child hunger crisis, make it easier for schools to operate school meal programs, and provide financial relief to school meal programs that have suffered heavy losses during the pandemic. This legislation will ensure that all children will have access to nutrition during this public health emergency.”

“Nutritious meals help students stay healthy while they learn and grow,” said Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici. “For many children, school meals provided their primary source of nutrition before the pandemic, and now even more families struggle to put food on their tables because of unemployment and unexpected financial distress. We must provide students with the meals they need to reach their full potential, no matter where they are learning this upcoming school year. I’m glad to be joining Chairman Scott and Representatives Fudge, McGovern, and Omar in introducing this important legislation to prevent child hunger and expand access to meals for more families.”

“We are one of the largest food-producing nations in the world, and yet, children in the United States are still susceptible to experiencing hunger,” said Congresswoman Fudge.  “As many school districts move toward distance learning and modified schedules in the fall, we cannot forget about the students who rely on school meals as their only primary source of food and nutrition.  I am proud to co-introduce the Pandemic Child Hunger Prevention Act, which will help streamline meal service for schools across the country and allow children to focus on their education, rather than the uncertainty of where they will get their next meal.  No child should have to learn on an empty stomach.”   

“No child in America should face food insecurity,” said Congresswoman Omar. “As a Member of the Education and Labor Committee, I have been proud to lead the push for universal school meals. This year, we passed the MEALS Act to ensure 22 million kids have school meals during the pandemic. But we cannot stop there. I am thrilled to co-lead the Pandemic Child Hunger Prevention Act to ensure every child has access to free school lunches. This legislation will allow us to move one step closer to eliminating child hunger.”  

“For months, I have been on the ground talking with principals, superintendents, teachers, and parents across my district who are worried sick about how this pandemic is affecting students,” said Congressman McGovern. “They’re scared because even before this crisis hit, there were kids in our classrooms who came to school hungry and couldn’t focus. My sisters are both public school teachers, and they’ve told me time and again that healthy meals are just as important as text books. As our school districts work to sustain the vital nutrition programs that help prevent child hunger, we’ve written this bill to make sure Congress has their back and that students can continue to access the anti-hunger resources they deserve.”

Under the Pandemic Child Hunger Prevention Act:

• All students will temporarily be made eligible for free school meals during the 2020-2021 school year through the School Breakfast Program (SBP) and the National School Lunch Program (NSLP).
• Due to the flexibility granted to USDA under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, free school meals will be available to students during remote learning through “grab and go” or meal delivery.
• All school districts, including those operating off-site services, can serve all children without having to certify the eligibility of each individual child.
• Anywhere in the country, schools and non-profit community partners can operate meal services, including off-site, under the Summer Food Service Programs (SFSP) and the Summer Seamless Option (SSO), where they can serve all children without having to certify the eligibility of each individual child.
• Anywhere in the country, schools and non-profit community partners will be able to serve afterschool meals and snacks, under the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) At-Risk Afterschool Program or the NSLP Afterschool Snack Program, without having to certify the eligibility of each individual child.
• All Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) day care homes will be eligible for reimbursement at the Tier 1 level.

The legislation is cosponsored by Susan A. Davis (CA-53), Lori Trahan (MA-03), Joe Morelle (NY-25), Susan Wild (PA-07), Joaquin Castro (TX-20), Mark DeSaulnier (CA-11), Alma Adams (NC-12), Jahana Hayes (CT-05), and Raul Grijalva (AZ-03), Nydia M. Velázquez (NY-07), Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12), and Tim Ryan (OH-13).

This legislation is endorsed by AASA, The School Superintendents Association; the American Academy of Pediatrics; Food Research and Action Center (FRAC); Feeding America; the National Education Association (NEA); the American Federation of Teachers (AFT); the School Nutrition Association; the American Public Health Association; Center for American Progress; Hunger Free America; UConn Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity; FoodCorps; National Farm to School Network; Bread for the World; American Commodity Distribution Association; National Association of School Nurses; Children’s HealthWatch; Trust for America’s Health; National PTA; United Fresh Produce Association; MomsRising; Urban School Food Alliance; the American Heart Association; MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger; the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics; Center for Science in the Public Interest; Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP); the Laurie M. Tisch Center for Food, Education and Policy, Teachers College, Columbia University; First Focus Campaign for Children; Association of School Business Officials International (ASBO); and Social Security Works.

For a fact sheet of the Pandemic Child Hunger Prevention Act, click here.

For the bill text of the Pandemic Child Hunger Prevention Act, click here.

**We strongly encourage your to call your Representative and advocate for free meals for all students!