Voters Misled on Colorado Ballot Measures LL and MM as Costs Outpace Promises

By: Nash Herman | Complete Colorado

Were Colorado voters duped into passing Propositions LL and MM based on false information? It certainly looks that way based on a recent Joint Budget Committee (JBC) hearing on the Department of Education’s budget request for the coming fiscal year where some enlightening information was revealed about the Healthy School Meals for All (HSMA) program (the relevant discussion began at the 9:38 am mark). 

Background on ‘free’ school lunch

As I previously explained, HSMA, also known as the “free” school lunch program, was created via Proposition FF in 2022 and was quickly recognized as financially unsustainable in just its first year of operation. 

The legislature responded by asking voters to save the program by de-TABORing the program and further raising taxes on the wealthy via Propositions LL and MM, which passed easily in the November election. 

Many voters were led to believe that needy kids would no longer receive free lunches if Props LL and MM failed. Actually, kids who required state aid for lunches were going to continue receiving free lunches from the state due to the legislature’s contingency measure, Senate Bill 25-214. 

What shortfall?

Now, according to JBC analyst Amanda Bickel, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) actually resolved a major source of revenue uncertainty for the program when Congress passed it in July 2025. 

Meaning, in fiscal year 2024-25, the HSMA’s $128.4 million in expenses were suddenly within the program budget. Moreover, those costs were still projected to be within the program’s budget regardless of LL’s and MM’s passage. 

READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT COMPLETE COLORADO