SENATE JOINT MEMORIAL 16

53rd legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - second session, 2018

INTRODUCED BY

Michael Padilla and G. Andres Romero

A JOINT MEMORIAL

REQUESTING THE PUBLIC EDUCATION DEPARTMENT TO IDENTIFY THE AVAILABILITY OF ADDITIONAL FEDERAL PROGRAMS TO IMPROVE NEW MEXICO SCHOOL MEALS, STUDENT HEALTH, PROGRAM FUNDING AND TRAINING AND TO STUDY THE IMPACT THAT INCREASED APPLICATIONS FOR FUNDING FROM FEDERAL SCHOOL LUNCH OR BREAKFAST PROGRAMS COULD HAVE ON SCHOOL LUNCH DEBT.

     WHEREAS, school nutrition programs provided through the national school lunch program and the school breakfast program have provided millions of healthy and nutritious meals to schoolchildren throughout New Mexico for more than seventy years; and

     WHEREAS, New Mexico schools provide meals through the following federal nutrition programs: the national school lunch program, the school breakfast program, the fresh fruit and vegetable program, the after school snack program and the seamless summer program; and

     WHEREAS, other federal school nutrition programs may be available to New Mexico; and

     WHEREAS, New Mexico's Hunger-Free Students' Bill of Rights Act provides for free meals to students, regardless of whether or not a student has money to pay for a school meal or owes money for previously charged meals; and

     WHEREAS, a student must complete a meal application to receive free or reduced-fee meals from the national school lunch program and the school breakfast program; and

     WHEREAS, by federal law, if a school becomes aware that a student who has not submitted a meal application is eligible for free or reduced-fee meals, the school is authorized to complete and file an application for the student; and

     WHEREAS, if a student owes money for five or more meals, procedures are in place to check a state list of students eligible for free meals or to contact the student's parent or guardian to have a meal application for the student filled out; and

     WHEREAS, if a student meal debt is written off as an uncollectible bad debt, a school is required to repay the operating loss from writing off the debt with non-federal funds; and

     WHEREAS, a missed application by the state for funding from federal school lunch or breakfast programs may represent a missed opportunity to help students and their families reduce school lunch debt; and

     WHEREAS, the percent of school lunch debt that could be eliminated by filing meal applications for eligible students is unknown;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the public education department be requested to identify the availability of additional federal programs to improve New Mexico school meals, student health, program funding and training; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the public education department be requested to include an analysis of the impact that increased applications for funding from federal school lunch or breakfast programs would have on school lunch debt; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the public education department be requested to report its findings to the legislative education study committee by October 1, 2018; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the governor, the secretary of public education, the chair of the legislative education study committee, the chair of the senate education committee and the chair of the house education committee.

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