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Committee tables $404.13 million request for New Mexico Grown supplier program
Summary
The House Appropriations and Finance Committee moved to table House Bill 229, a $404.13 million appropriation for the New Mexico Grown Supplier Program, after public testimony highlighted the program’s role connecting farmers to institutions.
House Appropriations and Finance Chair Small and members of the committee on Friday moved to table House Bill 229, an appropriation request tied to recurring funding for the New Mexico Grown Supplier Program.
The bill would appropriate $404,130,000 to the New Mexico Board of Regents and the New Mexico Department of Agriculture for the approved supplier program, which connects local producers to institutional buyers. "The approved supplier program is simply the pathway to farm to institution sales for all producers," said Elena Paesano, approved supplier program director with the New Mexico Farmers Marketing Association. "The New Mexico grown program supports K‑12 schools, early childhood centers, aging centers, homebound meal programs and our farm to food bank program in this state." Paesano told the committee she has seen the program "personally change lives and grow new farms."
Nut graf: Supporters told the committee the program creates a predictable market for small and mid‑scale producers and that funding is necessary to ensure staff and administrative continuity. Susan Wilger of the New Mexico Food and Farm Policy Council and Farm to Table and Sergio Matas Cisneros, government relations manager for The Food Depot, urged continued investment so small producers can meet institutional requirements and supply lines.
Committee discussion: Representative Dow and Representative Luhan thanked supporters and confirmed the funding language is in the budget package. Representative Luhan and other committee members noted the request had been worked into the budget bill (HB2) and that tabling would allow the committee to proceed while accounting for that budget placement. Representative Vincent moved to table the bill; committee leadership announced there was no opposition and the motion carried.
Ending: The bill was tabled during the committee meeting; committee members said the appropriation remains addressed through the broader HB2 budget process. No roll‑call tally for the tabling motion was recorded in the transcript beyond the committee chair’s announcement that there was no opposition.
