After over 45 county mayors in Tennessee signed onto a letter urging Governor Bill Lee to take nearly $80 million in federal aid meant to help school kids get food over the Summer, Republican lawmakers have introduced a bill in the state’s General Assembly which would do just that.
Rep. Michael Hale, R-Smithville, is sponsoring the bill in the state House, where it’s already received the support of six other GOP legislators. Hale says he feels the issue of child hunger addressed by the bill is bipartisan, and that it will quickly get the support it needs to become law.
“This is not a Republican or Democrat issue,” Hale said. “This is about people, and this is about being able to provide food for approximately 700,000 kids in the state of Tennessee. … If we can make an effort to help those children that can’t help themselves, then why do we not step up to the plate and do that?”
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Summer EBT program provides $120 per child enrolled in school who receives free or reduced-price lunches. Gov. Bill Lee withdrew Tennessee from the initiative in late 2024 citing the $5 million state cost to distribute the $77 million in federal funds to roughly 650,000 kids each year.
Instead, the governor set up a more limited fund – the Tennessee Summer Nutrition Initiative (TSNI) – which serves 18,000 students in 15 of Tennessee’s 95 counties at a cost of around $3 million. To be eligible, families have to already be enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) – a restriction that isn’t levied on recipients of the Summer EBT program but makes it simpler for the Tennessee government to administer.
While advocates acknowledge the state initiative is better than nothing, they question the effectiveness of that program. Signe Anderson is the director of nutrition advocacy at the Tennessee Justice Center. She says the stricter requirements of Lee’s plan mean families who may be living on the very edge of poverty are left out.
“TSNI felt very thrown together at the last minute with not a lot of education and information and research done to weigh the financial benefit,” Anderson said. “And also it missed some of the counties that the governor has selected as the most distressed counties.”
According to the Tennessee Justice Center, 20% of children in the state go without food across every county, regardless of a region’s perceived advantages or disadvantages. The group’s lobbying in the general assembly helped get this bill on the floor in the first place. Anderson considers the introduction of the legislation to be a win.
“The introduction of [this bill] is a critical step toward bringing Summer EBT back to Tennessee,” Anderson said in a news release. “Families, mayors, and faith leaders have made it clear: this program is essential for combatting childhood hunger.”
Rep. Hale says the bill is facing some opposition from the Department of Human Services, which would be responsible for administering the program if the legislation becomes law. The department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Legislators are hopeful the bill can get the support it needs quickly. While it wouldn’t go into effect until next year, Hale thinks there’s still a chance Governor Lee could opt the state into the federal program for 2026.
“It’s money we’re already spending,” Hale said. “So let’s pull those federal funds down and let’s do what we should do. Let’s step up to the plate and do what’s right.”
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