Alabama children could receive millions of dollars in summer meal benefits next year if lawmakers approve proposed updates to the state’s education budget.

The budget, approved by a Senate committee Tuesday, would give $10 million to administer the federal summer EBT program in 2025. If passed by both chambers, eligible children would get $40 a month, or $120 for the summer, for meals and groceries while school is out of session in 2025.

“This funding demonstrates Alabama’s commitment to serving the children of Alabama,” Laura Lester, CEO of Feeding Alabama, said in a statement to AL.com Tuesday. “We want to thank the Governor’s office, Alabama legislators, the Alabama Department of Human Resources, and the Alabama Department of Education for their support of this essential new program.”

Congress created the summer EBT program in 2023 in an effort to ensure children had access to meals while school was out.

“These benefits will help ensure that children can continue getting the nutritious food they need when school meals are unavailable,” LaTrell Clifford Wood, a hunger policy advocate with Alabama Arise, said Tuesday. “This ultimately will help kids stay healthier and be better prepared to learn.”

According to Arise, the investment also could spur up to $100 million in economic activity across the state.

To participate in summer EBT, states must agree to front half of the administrative cost, and the federal government will pay for the rest. The program would be administered by the Alabama Department of Human Resources.

About half a million Alabama children would be eligible to receive the benefits, according to the Food Research and Action Center. If the state puts in $10 to $15 million, according to estimates, the federal government would send an estimated $65 million in benefits to Alabama families.

But last year, Alabama was one of just 14 states that declined to participate in the program for 2024. The Governor’s office said at the time that lawmakers were unable to budget the money in time.

This spring, when the topic came up again, House Republicans voted to table the proposal, prompting pushback from Democrats.

The budget sponsor, Rep. Danny Garrett, R-Trussville, said at the time that he needed more time to work out the details.

In committee Tuesday, chairman Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, said he had whittled down the amount from $13 million to $10 million at the advice of DHR officials.

“It’s your budget,” Orr told Sen. Vivian Figures, D-Mobile, who championed the program, after he presented the change. “You advocated and other members advocated.”

If approved by the full Senate, the program will go into effect in the summer of 2025. Advocates say there’s still lots of work to be done to ensure families get needed support in the coming months.

Feeding Alabama is accepting donations and support from volunteers to help provide summer meals this year. Families can find a list of local food pantries and other information from the organization here. The federal Summer Food Service Program also provides free meals in locations across the state.

Other changes to the education budget

Orr said few other changes were made to the budget as the Senate coordinated with the House.

A “first grade readiness pilot project” – with a $900,000 allocation – is in the Senate committee version, but Orr did not give any details about what the project entails.

A $5 million allocation also was added in order to place automatic external defibrillators, or AEDs, in schools.

A $14.9 million allocation for a not-yet-created workers’ compensation program for educators was added in the Senate committee version, but that allocation will only be made if SB278, which creates the program, is enacted.

Orr did not share details about changes in the $651 million supplemental appropriation that is available thanks to more-than-expected tax receipts for the 2023 year.

The $1 billion appropriation from the Advancement and Technology Fund was maintained, with the addition of Covenant Academy of Mobile, a public charter school, to the schools receiving funding. The K-12 allocations are based on enrollment. The higher education allocations are calculated based on enrollment but also by whether the student is an in-state or an out of state student.

The full Senate is expected to vote on the budget Thursday.