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Colorado Voters Approve LL and MM to Sustain Universal School Meals

Voter approval supplies the missing dollars to keep universal school meals running by pairing retained overcollections with higher taxes on top earners.

Overview

  • The Associated Press projected Proposition LL a winner at 8:06 p.m. and Proposition MM at 8:25 p.m., confirming both measures passed.
  • Proposition LL lets the state keep roughly $11.3 million already collected for the program, plus about $1.1 million in interest, rather than issuing TABOR refunds to high‑income taxpayers.
  • Proposition MM limits deductions for households earning over $300,000, expected to raise about $95 million annually and affect roughly 200,000 households who would pay about $480 more on average, with any surplus directed to SNAP.
  • Passage ensures universal free breakfasts and lunches continue statewide and funds long‑promised raises or stipends for cafeteria workers and grants to buy Colorado‑grown ingredients.
  • Lawmakers sought the measures after participation and inflation drove costs beyond 2022 projections, with state data showing millions of additional meals served in 2023–24.