Fwd: Michigan School Meals Coalition Update

FYI, an update on Healthy School Meals for All (SB 500)  and a call to action! Please contact your state senators as there will hopefully be a vote for this bill very soon. This link: https://act.yourethecure.org/mVJFu60 will take you to the contact page where you can modify an email as you see fit or submit as is.

Additional resources: 

• Michigan School Meals coalition website
• Updated one-pager
• Updated talking points

See email below from Collin McDonough for more details on the House Bill which has just been introduced. 

Thanks,

Seema

--

Seema Jolly | she/her/hers

FoodCorps | Impact & Partnerships Lead, Michigan

(269) 352-6224 (cell)

foodcorps.org | @foodcorps

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Collin McDonough <Collin.McDonough@heart.org>
Date: Mon, Oct 9, 2023 at 10:01 AM
Subject: Michigan School Meals Coalition Update
To: Collin McDonough <Collin.McDonough@heart.org>

Good morning, Michigan School Meals Coalition:

 

We wanted to provide an update on the progress of our campaign for a permanent Health School Meals for All program in Michigan.

  

We now have bills in both the House and Senate. House Bill 5042 was introduced by Representative Jaime Churches on September 26^th.

 

Senate Bill 500 and House Bill 5042 would codify the program and ensure consistency and peace of mind for families, students, and schools. SB 500 creates a permanent program embedded in the school code, while HB 5042 describes the funding mechanism within the state school aid act. Taken together, the two bills are similar to the language in the one-year budget deal.

 

On September 19^th, the Senate Education Committee heard testimony on SB 500, and on September 26^th, the committee voted the bill out of committee without any opposition.

 

Now is the time to contact your senators to vote yes on SB 500 to ensure our kids are fed for success. We will have more specific updates on when to weigh in with the House Education Committee, but to support your outreach, we have made updates to the following important links:

• Michigan School Meals coalition website
• Updated one-pager
• Updated talking points

 

Thank you all for your continued effort! If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at collin.mcdonough@heart.org or Bernadette Downey at nkhmichigan@strength.org.

 

Collin McDonough Michigan Government Relations Director American Heart Association M 231.675.4326

 

 

MIFARMTOSCHOOL is a listserv that links farm-to-school stakeholders and practitioners in Michigan, from school food service directors and school administrators to growers and distributors. Content posted to MIFARMTOSCHOOL does not necessarily reflect the views of Michigan State University or the Michigan State University Center for Regional Food Systems.