1-minute voter guide: What to know about Proposition LL and MM
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Three years ago, Colorado voters approved ballot measure Proposition FF to provide free school meals to all interested students.
Yes, but: Now the popular the Healthy School Meals for All program needs more money to stay alive.
State of play: To address the issue, Colorado lawmakers put two questions on the November ballot.
Proposition LL asks to keep $12.4 million in excess tax revenue collected above the 2022 projections for Prop. FF, which created Healthy School Meals for All.
- The Taxpayer's Bill of Rights requires voter approval to keep the extra money, which came from an increase in taxes on those with adjusted gross incomes greater than $300,000.
- If rejected, the state would refund the money to those who paid the higher tax.
Proposition MM wants voters to increase taxes again on individuals and households earning more than $300,000 a year to generate an estimated $95 million annually for the program.
- Without its passage, only the most in-need students would receive free school meals, supporters warn.
The big picture: The free meals program covers the costs for free breakfasts and lunches at participating schools. Its expenses total roughly $150 million each year.
The fine print: Any additional revenue collected from Prop. MM could also bolster the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) after President Trump's "big, beautiful" bill trimmed funding for the program and put additional costs on states.
- SNAP provides monthly payments to low-income families to purchase food.
The bottom line: The future of the Healthy School Meals for All program is once again in the hands of voters.