Representative Melissa Romano presented House Bill 551 and a handout to the Appropriations Committee on Feb. 12, 2025, asking an appropriation of about $600,000 to eliminate the reduced-price category and absorb what families now pay for reduced-price school breakfast and lunch.

Romano’s handout multiplied student counts and eligible free-and-reduced numbers across three school years to estimate roughly $600,000 in annual cost if all eligible students took the subsidized meals for the school year. She said eliminating the 30¢ breakfast and 40¢ lunch copays reduces meal debt, administrative costs of collections and the burden on school staff who must act as debt collectors.

Rob Watson, director of the School Administrators of Montana, testified in support and said the $600,000 estimate aligned with experience; he told the committee that some families assume they will automatically qualify for free meals from year to year and that reduced-price balances often go unpaid and are written off or absorbed by school nutrition programs.

Samantha Dennison of the Montana Food Bank Network testified that 1 in 6 Montana children live in food-insecure households, and urged support. She cited counties with high food insecurity that include Lincoln, Glacier, Deer Lodge, Roosevelt, Liberty, Wibaux and Sanders counties. Tammy Wham, president of the Montana School Nutrition Association, also testified in favor, saying the change helps middle-income families and stabilizes school nutrition budgets.

Committee members asked technical questions about the handout’s enrollment and eligibility figures; Watson and the sponsor said revisions in income thresholds and family circumstances can cause year-to-year changes in eligibility counts. The sponsor noted the bill will require a coordination amendment to match language placed in the omnibus appropriations bill (House Bill 2).

No opponents appeared. The sponsor urged committee support in her closing remarks, calling the measure a “small investment with a very high return” in student wellbeing and administrative efficiency. The committee did not take a final vote on HB 551 during this hearing; staff and the sponsor noted an amendment will be needed to coordinate with the biennial appropriations bill.