Democratic lawmakers plan to introduce legislation in the upcoming legislative session that would revive funding for free school meals to all K-12 Nevada students — setting up a standoff with Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo, who vetoed a similar measure last year.

The bill draft request was filed last Wednesday by Assembly Majority Leader Sandra Jauregui (D-Las Vegas), the sponsor of the 2023 bill, and Assemblywoman Shea Backus (D-Las Vegas), who said the legislation would be able to alleviate the financial burdens families are facing. 

“I’m just hoping [Lombardo] realizes how important and popular this is … with Nevadans,” Backus said.  

Nevada offered free school breakfasts and lunches to all K-12 students over the past four years funded through a combination of federal waivers and the state’s federal COVID relief funds. However, an effort in the 2023 legislative session to allocate $43 million in state funds to continue the program was vetoed by Lombardo, who said in his veto message it would contribute to food waste and that it was time for school districts to “return to the normalcy of pre-pandemic operations.”

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But the issue of free school meals has continued to resonate politically — at least eight states, including Minnesota where Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz is governor — have passed laws to make universal school meals permanent. A state-by-state analysis by Food Research & Action Center — an organization that advocates for free school meals — found Nevada and Connecticut were the only two states to drop their universal free meal programs after the pandemic.

Lombardo’s spokeswoman Elizabeth Ray said in a Friday statement that the governor’s office wouldn’t comment on the bill draft request, but added that the Nevada Department of Agriculture “has worked diligently to ensure that eligible students continue to receive free or reduced-cost meals following the end of the federal waiver program.” 

Ray has also highlighted the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), which allows for certain schools and districts in low-income areas to offer free meals to all students regardless of their familial income. The program covers all schools in the Churchill, Clark, Mineral, and Nye county school districts.

Still, Nevada Democrats have continued to attack Lombardo over his veto — most recently holding a press conference last week that featured signs accusing the governor of having stolen “our kids’ lunch money.”

How we got here:

During the 2022-23 school year, when the program was in place, 6.5 million school meals were served for free each month to 460,000 students, including 206,000 students who otherwise wouldn't have access to a free meal. 

It was a roughly 67 percent increase from the 2019-20 school year, when only 275,830 students had access to free meals.

Research shows school meals are associated with better attendance rates, fewer missed school days and better test scores. Critics have generally raised concerns about the cost — in Minnesota, the estimated cost of the free meals program was pegged at around $480 million for two years.

For the 2024-25 school year, a family of four making between $40,560 to $57,720 a year would qualify for reduced price meals, and a family of four making $40,056 or less would be eligible for free meals. 

During the 2022-23 school year, 81 percent of the state’s nearly 400,000 students qualified for free or reduced price meals, according to data from the Nevada Department of Education. 

Students at non-CEP schools will need to apply to see if they are eligible for school meals for free or at a reduced price under the School Breakfast Program and the National School Lunch Program. 

A list of schools and districts that offer free meals under the Community Eligibility Provision is embedded below: