Coloradans voted Tuesday to increase taxes on wealthy households to fully fund free breakfast and lunch for all public school kids and bolster the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as SNAP or food stamps.
The Associated Press projected that Proposition MM would pass at 8:25 p.m. when 57% of the votes counted were in support of the measure and 43% were opposed.
The increased taxes on households earning at least $300,000 will shore up funding for free school meals for all public school children, provide raises for school meal staff, and support school district efforts to buy locally-sourced food.
Any leftover funding will go toward new state costs for administering the SNAP program as a result of cuts enacted by the Trump administration and Republicans in Congress earlier this year.
The passage of Proposition MM marks the second time Coloradans have voted to tax themselves to provide meals for public school kids in recent years. Democrats in the state legislature referred Proposition MM to the ballot this year when funding for the state’s free school meals program began to wane.
In 2022, voters passed Proposition FF to increase taxes on the same group of wealthy Coloradans to start the Healthy School Meals for All Program. The program did not have enough funding to continue in future years because of inflation and the program’s higher than anticipated popularity.
Proposition MM will bring in new revenue by reducing the income tax deductions that can be claimed by Colorado households earning at least $300,000 in federal adjusted gross income. Nonpartisan legislative staff estimate the average single filer earning $300,000 or more in adjusted gross income will owe an additional $327 in taxes and the average joint filer earning $300,000 or more would owe an extra $574.
The change will affect an estimated 200,000 households, or about 6% of households filing taxes in Colorado.
The new funding from Proposition MM will ensure meals continue to be provided to all Colorado school children. Before Proposition FF, only children from families with low incomes could access free school meals.
If Proposition MM and another Healthy School Meals for All funding measure on the ballot this year, Proposition LL, had both failed, then only certain students would have been offered free school meals starting next year.
Any leftover funding from Proposition MM will go toward new state expenses to administer the SNAP, or food stamps, program. Colorado estimates it will cost the state $50 million starting next year to administer new work requirements for SNAP participants enacted by the Trump administration and Republicans in Congress.
Keep Kids Fed Colorado was the committee supporting Propositions LL and MM. It raised nearly $740,000 through Oct. 27 and spent about $645,000 of that haul. Major donors to the committee included Hunger Free Colorado, Nourish Colorado and Save the Children Action Network, which are all nonprofits.
Billionaire Pat Stryker, a prolific donor to Democratic campaigns and causes from Colorado, and the Rose Community Foundation were also major donors to the group.
“Thank you to every voter, volunteer, community partner, and endorsing organization who turned out to pass Propositions LL and MM, ensuring every child in Colorado can continue to get a healthy meal at school,” Joe Kabourek, who managed the Keep Kids Fed campaign, said in a written statement.
There wasn’t any organized opposition to the measures, though some Republicans have blasted the initiatives for increasing the tax burden on high-earning Coloradans.
Editor’s note: The Bohemian Foundation, funded by Pat Stryker, has been a financial supporter of The Colorado Sun. Donors have no influence over editorial decisions.
