Things are moving quickly at the Capitol as the Minnesota Legislature enters the final weeks of the regular session. Here’s where the Senior Meals and Services Coalition’s priorities stand:
Senior Nutrition Policy Bill
We are pleased to share that our proposed updates to the Senior Nutrition Program statute have been included in both the House and Senate omnibus human services policy bills: House File 729 and Senate File 476.
The proposed changes would modernize the statute language, improve efficiency in service delivery and provide greater flexibility for innovative solutions to address senior nutrition needs. The updated language would expand the types of partnerships providers can create to serve older adults and would allow providers to offer not only prepared meals but also fresh produce, food boxes, meal kits and other delivery methods.
While the omnibus bills still need to pass out of their respective chambers, we feel confident that our proposed policy language will remain in the final bill that will be sent to Governor Walz for his approval.
We are grateful to our policy bill authors for championing older adult nutrition: Senators Erin Maye Quade, John Hoffman and Zaynab Mohamed, and Representatives Peter Fischer and Bianca Virnig. This achievement would not have been possible without the hard work of coalition members, as well as many service providers, community organizations and individuals who have spoken up about the need to keep older Minnesotans healthy and fed.
Senior Nutrition Funding Bill
The coalition’s bill requesting $4.7 million in bridge funding for the Senior Nutrition Program did not receive a hearing in either the House or the Senate this session and is not included in the omnibus finance bills. While disappointing, this outcome is not surprising given that this is not a budgeting year in the Legislature’s fiscal biennium. We gained traction with several legislators on both sides of the aisle, and we are grateful for the support of our bill authors: Representatives Peter Fischer, Liz Reyer and David Gottfried, and Senators Erin Maye Quade, Jim Abeler and Liz Boldon.
The coalition will build on the momentum we gained this session going into the 2027 legislative season. We will continue to uplift the urgent need for senior nutrition funding throughout the year to keep the issue top of mind for community partners and elected officials.
What You Can Do
The 2026 legislative session is set to adjourn May 18, so there is plenty of time to advocate for older adults! Please reach out to your state senators and representatives and ask them to support the changes in the human services omnibus bill (HF729/SF476) related to the Senior Nutrition Program to help providers meet the changing needs of our aging population.
We also welcome organizations to join the Senior Meals and Services Coalition on an ongoing basis. Please share our website with any contacts who may be interested in joining us to advocate for older Minnesotans: www.seniorservicesmn.org.
Stay tuned for updates as the legislative session wraps up. Thank you for your commitment to older adults and caregivers across Minnesota.