Date: 03/06/2013

Final
BILL SUMMARY for SB13-153

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE, LIVESTOCK, & NATURAL RESOURCES

Votes: View--> Action Taken:
Refer Senate Bill 13-153 to the Committee of the WPASS



10:57 AM -- Senate Bill 13-153

Staff distributed a handout from the Farm-to-School Task Force (Attachment A).

130306 AttachA.pdf130306 AttachA.pdf

Representative Vigil and Representative Schafer, sponsors, presented Senate Bill 13-067. Under current law, the interagency farm-to-school coordination task force sunsets on December 31, 2013, following a sunset review performed by the Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA). This bill continues the task force indefinitely; adds two members to the task force, increasing the membership from 13 to 15; permits the addition of ex-officio members to the task force; expands the focus of the task force to explore statewide data collection systems to track farm-to-school activities; and modifies reporting requirements.

Representative Schafer described Senate Bill 10-081, the Farm-to-School Healthy Kids Act, and explained how this aforementioned legislation relates to Senate Bill 13-153. Representative Vigil described details outlined in the fiscal note for this bill and answered questions from the committee regarding why certain areas of Colorado are not involved with the Farm-to-School task force. Representative Schafer addressed this question as well. Representative Vigil and Representative Schafer answered questions from the committee regarding where the task force was started and who is involved with the task force.

The following individuals testified on the bill:

11:06 AM -- Lyn Kathlene, Spark Policy Institute and Farm-to-School task force; Andrew Nowak, Farm-to-School task force; and Jeremy West, Farm-to-School Task Force, introduced themselves and all spoke in support of the bill.

Mr. West talked about the growth of the Farm-to-Table task force, the far-reaching benefits of the task force, and the actions of the task force. Mr. West also addressed why a Farm-to-School task force is needed, how the task force operates, and funding for the task force.

Mr. Nowak discussed his role as a parent advocate within the task force and talked about the 5 major gaps that drive the focus of his work. He also provided a few examples of how he has addressed those gaps. Mr. Nowak offered details regarding outreach and technical assistance including a centralized food hub, the task force website, pilot projects, and an evaluation toolkit.

Ms. Kathlene talked about how the Spark Policy Institute helps the Farm-to-School task force to addresses policy and legal regulatory issues, including numerous analyses that have been conducted. Ms. Kathelene discussed the importance of developing the supply side and detailed some of the lessons that the task force has learned over the years as well as the goals of the task force.

Ms. Kathlene answered questions from the committee regarding why school food procurement falls under federal regulation and rules and regulations that should be made at the state level to support the program. Mr. Nowak, Mr. West, and Ms. Kathelene answered questions from the committee regarding the role of parents in the task force. Ms. Kathlene answered questions from the committee regarding outreach and working with other organizations, including the LiveWell program.

11:27 AM -- Saul Larson, DORA, offered to answer questions from the committee. There were none.

11:28 AM

Representative Vigil and Representative Schafer wrapped up their presentation of the bill.

BILL:SB13-153
TIME: 11:28:41 AM
MOVED:Vigil
MOTION:Refer Senate Bill 13-153 to the Committee of the Whole. The motion passed on a vote of 11-1 with one excused.
SECONDED:Garcia
VOTE
Buck
Yes
Coram
Yes
Garcia
Yes
Lebsock
Yes
McLachlan
Yes
McNulty
Yes
Mitsch Bush
Yes
Rankin
Yes
Rosenthal
Yes
Saine
No
Sonnenberg
Excused
Vigil
Yes
Fischer
Yes
Final YES: 11 NO: 1 EXC: 1 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS