Date: 02/18/2015

Final
BILL SUMMARY for HB15-1088

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION

Votes: View--> Action Taken:
Adopt amendment L.001 (Attachment A). The motion p
Refer House Bill 15-1088, as amended, to the Commi		Pass Without Objection
PASS



09:58 AM -- HB15-1088

Representative Buckner, Chair, welcomed the committee. He introduced students from Pine Lane Elementary. He introduced Dr. Tony Frank, new chancellor at Colorado State University (CSU), who spoke about his personal experiences and about his vision for his role as chancellor. Dr. Frank discussed public universities, student debt loads, and default rates. Dr. Frank responded to questions from the committee.

Representative Winter, sponsor, presented House Bill 15-1088, which creates the Interagency Farm-to-School Grant Program. She spoke about the need to connect Colorado schools to Colorado farms. She discussed the needs of small farmers, and their struggles to meet the standards required to sell produce to schools.

The following people testified on the bill:

10:10 AM -- Frances Butler, representing herself, spoke in opposition to the bill. She discussed her economic analysis of the program, including information from similar programs in other states. She described the necessity of helping only disadvantaged farmers. Ms. Butler responded to questions from the committee.


10:17 AM

Representative Winter responded to questions from the committee.

10:28 AM -- Monica Dimes-Henderson, representing the Falcon School District and the Colorado School Nutrition Association, spoke in favor of the bill. She discussed the challenges faced by food service directors. Representative Winter and Ms. Dimes-Henderson responded to questions from the committee.

10:39 AM -- Jeremy West, Nutrition Services Director for Greeley School District, spoke in support of the bill. He discussed the work of the Farm-to-School Task Force, how the freshness of food affects its nutrition value, and the purchasing power of schools. Mr. West responded to questions from the committee.

10:56 AM -- Anthony Zamora, representing Leffler Family Farms, spoke in support of the bill. He discussed his experiences as a farmer providing produce to local public schools. Mr. Zamora responded to questions from the committee.

11:09 AM -- Theresa Hafner, representing the Farm-to-School Task Force and Denver Public Schools, spoke in support of the bill. She discussed her experiences as a Task Force member and as a food services employee at a large urban district. She described Denver Public Schools' farming efforts. Ms. Hafner responded to questions from the committee.

11:19 AM -- Scott Covalt, representing himself as the owner-operator of Covalt Farms and The Generous Farmer Farms, spoke in support of the bill. He described his personal experiences. Mr. Covalt responded to questions from the committee.

11:29 AM -- Mona Martinez-Brosh, Director of Nutrition Services for Aurora Public Schools, spoke in support of the bill. She described her district and her experiences purchasing produce for the district.

11:34 AM -- Leslie Colwell, Vice President of K-12 Education Initiatives for the Colorado Children's Campaign, spoke in support of the bill. She spoke about the importance of good nutrition during childhood. Ms. Colwell responded to questions from the committee.


11:38 AM

Representative Winter introduced Amendment L.001 (Attachment A), which is a strike-below amendment. She spoke about the changes it makes to the bill and about moving the program from the Colorado Department of Education (CDE) to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE). She described changes to the types of grants, new eligibility requirements, and a report to the General Assembly.

15HouseEd0218AttachA.pdf15HouseEd0218AttachA.pdf
BILL:HB15-1088
TIME: 11:39:57 AM
MOVED:Pettersen
MOTION:Adopt amendment L.001 (Attachment A). The motion passed without objection.
SECONDED:Moreno
VOTE
Everett
Fields
Garnett
Lee
Lundeen
Moreno
Priola
Wilson
Windholz
Pettersen
Buckner
YES: 0 NO: 0 EXC: 1 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: Pass Without Objection


11:45 AM

Representative Winter offered closing comments to the bill. Committee discussion ensued. Lynn Kathleen, representing the Farm-to-School Task Force, came to the table to respond to questions from the committee.
BILL:HB15-1088
TIME: 11:49:31 AM
MOVED:Pettersen
MOTION:Refer House Bill 15-1088, as amended, to the Committee on Appropriations. The motion passed on a vote of 6-5.
SECONDED:Buckner
VOTE
Everett
No
Fields
Yes
Garnett
Yes
Lee
Yes
Lundeen
No
Moreno
Yes
Priola
No
Wilson
No
Windholz
No
Pettersen
Yes
Buckner
Yes
Final YES: 6 NO: 5 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS