Advocates ask legislature to invest $5 million for Sun Bucks (Summer EBT) infrastructure to unlock federal dollars

Representatives of No Kid Hungry Georgia described the Sun Bucks (Summer EBT) program and urged the committee to invest $5,000,000 in state infrastructure to enable benefit distribution and coordination between the Department of Human Services and the Department of Education.

Kate Gutten (speaker 9), identified as No Kid Hungry Georgia State Lead, said Sun Bucks provides a grocery benefit that averages about $120 per eligible child over the summer and that 37 other states participated in the program the prior year. She told the committee that a modest state investment could unlock federal benefits, estimating that $5,000,000 in state funds would allow Georgia to draw approximately $138,000,000 in federal dollars and reach roughly 1,150,000 eligible children (numbers as presented to the committee).

Gutten explained that the state investment would fund infrastructure: technology, staffing and program administration needed by state agencies to process applications and issue benefits (the Department of Human Services would handle card issuance and coordinate with the Department of Education on eligibility pathways using school meals applications). She emphasized that Sun Bucks is means‑tested (eligibility tied to 185% of the federal poverty level) and said families must be verified through established income documentation pathways.

When the chair summarized the ask as a $5,000,000 state investment enabling $40 a month per eligible child across three summer months, Gutten agreed and reiterated that funding would primarily support state administrative capacity and that federal matching funds would provide the benefits to families. No formal action or appropriation was taken during the meeting.