DENVER (KDVR) Colorado could join a small list of states in the nation that allow Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program recipients to get a hot prepared meal using their benefits.

Lawmakers at the state capitol want Colorado SNAP beneficiaries to have access to food that is already made and does not need to be heated.

“This is a program that exists for individuals who are older or living with a disability or going through homelessness. It’s incredibly important that these individuals can still have access to hot, prepared food. That is currently something that SNAP benefits do not cover,” said Rep. Yara Zokaie.

Right now, SNAP benefits in Colorado only cover cold foods and ingredients. Zokaie is the House sponsor of a bipartisan bill looking to change that.

“There are people who are struggling who currently cannot use benefits to get a prepared meal. That is something that the state needs to step up and fill that gap,” Zokaie said.

The SNAP Restaurant Meals Program is a federal plan operated through the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In order for people who use SNAP benefits to have access to the program, the state would need to opt in. If the bill at the Capitol becomes law, Colorado would become the 10th state in the nation to take part in it, during a time when Colorado Blueprint to End Hunger’s executive director of systems, Joël McClurg, said the need is great.

“Due to persistent inflation over the last couple of years, there has been persistent hunger. What we’ve seen since the pandemic is that participation in these programs that alleviate hunger has been ongoing. We’re seeing the lines at food banks and food pantries that are still pretty high,” McClurg explained.

Any restaurant can choose to participate, but with the average SNAP benefit being about $6 a day per person and ineligible to cover tips, in other states, mostly fast food and quick service restaurants like Burger King and Subway have signed up to be a part of this. McClurg said Colorado could be different.

“We’re really trying to think hard about how we make sure there is an element of local production, and local procurement in the sort of retailers that are authorized, how we are casting a wide net to support as many people as possible and how we are thinking about these entities that would really benefit from these benefits and kind of moving away from that model that’s been done in a few other states, not all of them, that isn’t really just heavily focused on fast food outlets,” McClurg said.

The bill not only has bipartisan sponsorship but also has bipartisan support, with only one state lawmaker voting against the bill in the Senate. Representatives on the House Health and Human Services committee passed the bill by a vote of 10 to 3.

“Access to a prepared meal is so crucial to a family’s wellbeing. And when you have older adults, people struggling with a disability someone going through homelessness, they are not going to have access to a kitchen, they are not necessarily going to be able to prepare food for themselves. That’s something that isn’t a Republican or Democrat issue, it’s something we can all get behind and say this is a priority for our state,” Zokaie said.