Gov. Janet Mills speaks in favor of the bill during a news conference and rally Thursday in support of LD 577, “An Act to Maximize Federal Funding and Protect Maine’s Universal School Meals Program,” at the Maine State House’s Hall of Flags in Augusta. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

AUGUSTA — A Maine lawmaker introduced legislation Thursday to safeguard against federal cuts to funding for school meals and ensure the state is able to continue providing free meals for all K-12 students.

The bill from Sen. Mike Tipping, D-Orono, would ensure that the state continues to cover the cost of making school meals free if federal funding is reduced. It includes additional state funding for school meals and would also require schools to access federal funding that’s currently available to make sure the state is using it while it can.

“Universal school meals, one of the most important steps we’ve ever taken to combat hunger, are now under threat,” Tipping said during a State House press conference. “This bill is designed to meet that threat and ensure we can continue to fulfill the fundamental promise we’ve made to Maine children, that they can get the food they need, and without stigma.”

House Republicans in Washington, D.C., are looking at $12 billion in cuts to school breakfast and lunch, which advocates have warned could dramatically reduce the number of schools across the country that are able to offer free meals to all students.

One proposal seeks to roll back a recent expansion of the Community Eligibility Provision, a program for schools in low-income areas that allows them to feed all students for free through a federal reimbursement. The program currently covers schools where at least 25% of students are living in poverty, but the proposed change would raise that to 60%.

Advocates have also said that cuts to other federal programs, like Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, could strain school meal programs because eligibility is used as a determinant for federal school meal reimbursements.

In his district alone, Tipping said, Full Plates Full Potential, the nonprofit focused on child food insecurity in Maine, has estimated that potential cuts could result in the loss of over $580,000 in federal funding.

Sen. Mike Tipping, D-Orono, speaks in favor of the bill he’s sponsoring during a news conference and rally Thursday for LD 577, “An Act to Maximize Federal Funding and Protect Maine’s Universal School Meals Program,” at the Maine State House’s Hall of Flags in Augusta. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

His bill, LD 577, would ensure that Maine continues to fund school meals even if there are cuts. Tipping said he did not have an estimate on the potential cost to Maine, but it is something he expects to be attached to the bill in a fiscal note at a later date.

The bill already includes a $6 million price tag representing increased state costs in the next biennium. That money was originally part of Gov. Janet Mills’ proposed budget but was not approved in the baseline budget lawmakers passed last month.

Tipping said it’s possible there will be no federal cuts and additional money won’t be needed. But the additional cost is something he expects other lawmakers would also support, even in a tight budget year, he said.

“These are cuts being made to some of the most vulnerable people in our society,” he said. “This is an important moment to make a real moral choice here, and I’m happy to stand up for kids and make sure they don’t go hungry.”

The bill also requires eligible Maine schools to participate in the Community Eligibility Provision program, something he said is already in place in other states that provide free school meals for all. “Having this law on the books will help Maine to maximize federal funding while we can, regardless of federal changes and even if the federal funding for Maine is significantly reduced,” he said.

According to the Maine Department of Education, 425 of 562 schools in Maine qualify for the CEP program, but only 114 participate.

Maine was among the first states in the country to institute free meals for all in 2021 when lawmakers approved budget funds to pay the difference between the federal reimbursements the state gets for free meals and the cost of school meals for all. The state currently spends $64 million annually on the program.

Mills joined supporters of the bill at Thursday’s press conference, where she said free school meals for all have saved families money and ensured students are getting the nutrition they need.

Gov. Janet Mills gestures thanks people holding signs behind her during a news conference and rally Thursday in support of LD 577, “An Act to Maximize Federal Funding and Protect Maine’s Universal School Meals Program,” at the Maine State House’s Hall of Flags in Augusta. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

The governor said she supports the additional $6 million in state funding and encouraged lawmakers to do so. But she said Maine “cannot pick up the tab if the federal government cuts billions of dollars from school meal programs.”

She called on President Donald Trump and Congress to protect school meals. “School meals shouldn’t be a partisan issue,” Mills said. “It shouldn’t be a DOGE issue. It should be a commonsense issue for Congress to continue funding school meals and for the state to include it in our budget as we’ve proposed.”

Asked for clarification Thursday on whether the governor supports the bill, a spokesperson referred to informational testimony submitted by the Maine Department of Education that does not take a position for or against, though the department said encouraging participation in the CEP program would be a benefit.

Lawmakers on the Education Committee heard nearly two hours of testimony in support of the bill Thursday.

Roz O’Reilly, a senior at Orono High School, said the free school meals program has transformed the culture at her school. “I’ve seen social stigma dissipate, gender barriers fall and the school menu flourish,” O’Reilly said. “Before, students who got school lunch were labelled poor or lazy … Now, everyone eats school lunch. It doesn’t matter who you are, you belong in our lunch line.”