HB 26-1350

HB 26-1350, a Colorado bill that has been signed into law, changes how the state handles funding for various school food programs. It makes it optional for the government to provide specific amounts of money for programs like the summer EBT program and the start smart nutrition program, instead allowing these funds to come from a different source called the healthy school meals for all program cash fund if needed. This bill also deals with how leftover funds are managed and transferred between accounts. Overall, it gives more flexibility in funding decisions while ensuring that essential programs like local school food purchasing can still be supported.

Official Summary

The act makes optional an appropriation to comply with matching requirements under the federal 'Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act' and allows the amount to be appropriated from the healthy school meals for all program cash fund.      The act allows money for administration of the summer electronic benefits transfer for children program to be appropriated from the healthy school meals for all program cash fund.     The act makes an appropriation for the start smart nutrition program optional, repeals the start smart nutrition program cash fund, transfers the start smart nutrition program cash fund balance to the general fund, and allows an appropriation for the start smart nutrition program to be made from the healthy school meals for all program cash fund.     The act makes an appropriation for the child nutrition school lunch protection program optional and allows an appropriation for the child nutrition school lunch protection program to be made from the healthy school meals for all program cash fund.     Under current law, the department of education administers a local school food purchasing program and a local school food purchasing technical assistance and education grant program (legacy local school food programs) that are distinct from the local school food purchasing program and technical assistance and education grant programs within the 'Healthy School Meals for All Act' (HSMA local school food programs). The act permits the general assembly to appropriate money for the legacy local school food programs if the healthy school meals for all program cash fund does not fully fund the HSMA local school food programs.     The act appropriates $3,001,741 from the healthy school meals for all program cash fund to the department of education for the affected programs. The act reduces appropriations for the 2026-27 state fiscal year to the department of education for the affected programs by $3,839,685, of which $229,097 is from the general fund and the remainder from various cash funds.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

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