Senate committee approves transfer repaying State Education Fund tied to Healthy School Meals program

The Senate Appropriations Committee adopted House Bill 13‑51, a technical transfer that sponsors said repays the State Education Fund for money initially advanced to the Healthy School Meals for All program.

Senator Bridges moved the bill on the committee floor; sponsor remarks and committee questioning described the action as a repayment to ensure the program continues to be funded as voters intended. Senator Kirk Meyer explained the mechanism: funds originally came from the State Education Fund to start the program and the transfer returns roughly $45.6 million to that account so the program’s cash fund reflects the voters’ intent.

During public testimony, Erin Meschke argued for a no vote, saying one‑time transfers are being used frequently and that removing reporting requirements reduces transparency. “Voters should get wise to the bait and switch,” she said, and urged the committee to honor the specified purposes of voter‑approved tax revenue.

Senator Kirk Meyer responded that eliminating a reporting requirement is a bookkeeping change because the cash fund that would have been reported will no longer exist after the transfer; he said the program itself remains funded and noted an expected $52 million reserve.

The committee passed the measure unanimously and placed it on the consent calendar. The sponsor and committee indicated the bill’s purpose was to correct prior cash‑flow bookkeeping and preserve program funding for school meals.