If you asked most Kentuckians what March is about, you would probably hear something along the lines of basketball or winning their March Madness bracket. However, there is a lesser-known reason to celebrate in March: National Nutrition Month. 

Access to healthy foods is essential for a child to learn, grow, and thrive, yet almost one in six Kentucky kids are experiencing hunger. Many of these children rely on meals served through government programs, such as school and child care meals, SNAP, and WIC. 

This legislative session, we have seen several bills to support the food security of Kentucky kids, as well as bills that could limit access to food support. Three bills that would be especially beneficial to the food security and nutrition of Kentucky families include: 

  • House Bill 189 and Senate Bill 256 would establish the Kentucky Proud School Match Program, which would support Kentucky schools that serve free meals to all students through the Community Eligibility Provision by providing extra funds to cover rising food costs and encourage them to buy from Kentucky farmers. 
  • House Bill 93, sponsored by Representative Dossett, would establish the Kentucky Healthy Farm and Food Board. This board would provide the funds needed for organizations and farmers markets across Kentucky to participate in nutrition incentive programs, such as the Kentucky Double Dollars Program. 

House Bill 367 – which has passed through the House and been assigned to the Senate Economic Development, Tourism and Labor Committee agenda – would exacerbate the impact of the benefits cliff and severely limit Kentucky families’ access to SNAP, which provides modest grocery benefits to low-income Kentuckians.

HB 367 would: 

  • Lower SNAP eligibility from 200% Federal Poverty Line (FPL) to 130% FPL – Data from the Division of Family Support shows us that at least 21,400 kids would no longer be income-eligible for SNAP under this bill. Children who are SNAP recipients are automatically enrolled in the free and reduced meals program at schools and child care centers. 
  • Place a limit on SNAP access due to a family’s own “rainy day fund” – An asset test would disproportionately impact older Kentuckians who have retirement savings, such as kinship caregivers who unexpectedly have to care for a child. CHFS estimates that at least 5,500 SNAP households will be disqualified because of the asset test. 
  • While it wouldn’t directly affect kids, the bill would also impact able-bodied adult households without dependents who live in economically distressed counties. 

As we enter into National Nutrition Month, we are calling on advocates and the Kentucky General Assembly to make a slam dunk for child nutrition by supporting legislation that would strengthen the food security of Kentucky kids and rejecting legislation – such as HB367 – that would harm access to critical child feeding programs.