Rep. Stansbury Votes To Protect Children's Access To School Meals

As one in four kids in New Mexico face food insecurity, U.S. Representative Melanie Stansbury (N.M.-01) voted to pass the bipartisan Keep Kids Fed Act(H.R. 8150) to ensure that schools can continue providing meals for students despite ongoing supply chain issues. The bill allows the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to provide additional assistance to child nutrition programs by extending meal waivers and reimbursingproviders at a higher rate to keep children across New Mexico from going hungry this summer.

Last week, Rep. Stansbury spoke on the House floor alongside her colleagues to call for the urgent passage of legislation to extend pandemic anti-hunger funding to support reliable, healthy meals for children across New Mexico facing food insecurity.

"Our children should never have to wonder where their next meal is coming from, but one in four kids in New Mexico face food insecurity every day," said Rep. Stansbury. "During the pandemic, Congress made a game-changing decision that no child should face bureaucratic obstacles to getting enough food to eat. That's why I joined my colleagues in calling on Congress to hold a vote to extend these waivers last week and I am grateful to the Congressional leaders who found a way to move this bill forward to provide our kids with the meals they need to thrive."

Under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA), Congress provided the USDA with key flexibilities to help child nutrition programs continue serving children during the COVID-19 Pandemic. This relief has helped feed hungry students during the school closures, virtual learning, and social distancing that disrupted traditional meal service. Without the Keep Kids Fed Act, important flexibilities provided under FFCRA were set to expire on June 30, 2022.

The Keep Kids Fed Act would:

Provide nationwide waiver authority for school meal flexibilities that do not increase costs;
Allow waivers related to the Summer Food Service Program and the Seamless Summer Option during the summer months;
Increase reimbursement rates for the 2022-2023 school year by an additional 15 cents per breakfast and 40 cents per lunch; and
Provide enhanced support to the Child and Adult Care Feeding Program.
During her service in the New Mexico State Legislature, Rep. Stansbury was a key sponsor of legislation to address hunger and food insecurity in New Mexico, including passing a law to eliminate school meal co-pays and expand school meals to thousands of children across New Mexico.

Rep. Stansbury is a member of the bipartisan House Hunger Caucus and has continued her fight to tackle hunger at a federal level, cosponsoring key legislation to address childhood hunger, including:

H.R. 3115, The Universal School Meals Program Act to eliminate school lunch debt and permanently provide 3 locally- sourced meals a day and a snack to all schoolchildren, regardless of income.
H.R. 5177, The Schools Preventing Hunger in At Risk Kids (SPARK) Act, a bipartisan bill to make sure kids living with relatives or family friends can enroll in school meals. This would connect nearly 400,000 kids nationwide to the food they need to learn and grow.
H.R. 5048, The Streamlining Nutrition Assistance Paperwork Act, a bill that would cut red tape for New Mexicans seeking food assistance by allowing them to sign up for food assistance over the phone.

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