Colorado Propositions LL and MM would bolster state’s beleaguered universal school meals program ...Saudi Arabia

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Voters will decide the future of Colorado’s universal free school meals program this November through a pair of ballot measures sent to them by the legislature.

Propositions LL and MM are aimed at fulfilling the promises made for the new program when nearly 57% of voters approved Proposition FF in 2022 — by allowing the state to keep over-collected revenue and raising nearly $100 million more each year by increasing taxes on the wealthiest Coloradans.

The program, called Healthy School Meals for All, has faced repeated annual funding shortfalls of about $50 million, not including the costs of some of its auxiliary aims. Backers say the cash crunch comes from the program’s popularity, coupled with unforeseen spikes in inflation in recent years, while critics say the program is too broad to function within the budget set by voters when they approved it.

The passage of the referendums, whether both are approved or just one, will determine if the program reaches solvency, continues to limp along or must be significantly curtailed. Prop. MM also would generate extra cash for a general food assistance program.

What is Proposition LL?

This is the simpler of the measures: It asks voters for permission for the state to keep tax dollars it already collected under the voter-approved Proposition FF. 

Under the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, the state must estimate how many tax dollars will be collected from any new or increased tax. If the government raises more than that estimate, it must return the money or ask voters’ permission to retain and spend the money. In this case, the state — after Prop. FF limited income tax deductions for households with adjusted gross incomes of more than $300,000 — collected $12.4 million above the limit set by FF, including interest.

If Prop. LL passes, the state can put that money toward the program and continue collecting revenue beyond the original projection. If LL fails, all the excess money will be returned to households with adjusted gross incomes of $300,000 or more, since that’s who paid for the program.

What is Proposition MM?

Proposition MM seeks to increase the taxes paid by those same high-income households. Like the 2022 measure, Prop. MM would limit the amount of federal deductions that can be applied to Colorado taxable income — in this case, restricting it to $1,000 for individual tax filers with incomes higher than $300,000. (They can now claim up to $12,000 in federal deductions on their state tax forms.)

The deduction limit for joint filers with more than $300,000 in household income would drop from $16,000 to $2,000.

According to nonpartisan state fiscal analysts, Prop. MM would generate an estimated $95 million more for the school meals program each year by raising taxes on those high-income filers by an average of $327 for individual filers and by $574 for joint filers. Taxes for households with less than $300,000 in annual income would not be affected.

If MM passes, it will allow the free school meals portion of Healthy School Meals for All to continue unimpeded, while paying for grants for schools to buy local food and giving a raise to school workers who make the meals.

It will also provide some money to bolster the state’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, in light of federal changes to the program under the tax bill passed by Congress and signed by President Donald Trump in July. State lawmakers amended the ballot measure’s language during an August special session called to deal with the fallout of that federal legislation.

What happens under different scenarios?

If Prop. MM fails and Prop. LL passes, the state will receive no new SNAP funding. The free school meals program will continue along only as funding allows, with the state keeping about $13.8 million in excess revenue per year above FF’s earlier limits.

If both measures fail, Healthy School Meals for All will be limited to low-income schools and students.

What do supporters say?

The state’s Blue Book voter guide includes submitted arguments for and against the measures. For Prop. LL, supporters argue that the state has already collected the money, and it should be spent on the program voters already approved rather than returned to high-income taxpayers.

For Prop. MM, backers say the demand on Healthy School Meals for All proves its need, especially with rising food costs and cuts to federal food assistance such as SNAP. Full bellies lead to better academic, health and economic outcomes for students and families alike, supporters say.

What do opponents say?

For Prop. LL, opponents counter that further reducing the write-offs available to taxpayers constitutes a tax increase in already-challenging economic times. Backers of Healthy School Meals for All misjudged how much money they’d raise, they say, and the state should return the overcollection instead of putting it toward a program that includes buying meals for families that can afford them.

For Prop. MM, opponents see a tax increase to pay for another excessive government program. It’s raising taxes amid economic uncertainty to pay for free meals for kids who don’t need the help and who don’t eat all the food. Assistance should be targeted to those who need it, they argue. Further, opponents say, the state should not try to cover for lost federal SNAP benefits when federal changes to that program were aimed at making it more efficient and cost-effective.

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