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Committee sends Healthy School Meals funding bill to appropriations after debate on retain/raise options
Summary
House Bill 12 74, which would preserve and optionally expand funding for the state's Healthy School Meals for All program and the local food pilot, was advanced to the Appropriations Committee. Sponsors framed the measure as implementing Proposition FF and creating a fund; opponents raised TABOR, single-subject and spending-priority concerns.
House Bill 12 74, a bill tied to the implementation and potential expansion of the Healthy School Meals for All program, was advanced by the House Finance Committee to the Appropriations Committee with a favorable recommendation.
Representative Garcia, the sponsor, told the committee the bill has three primary objectives: retain voter-approved funding where necessary, create a Healthy School Meals Cash Fund, and, if voters approve an additional revenue measure in the bill, expand and stabilize program components such as local-food purchasing grants, technical assistance, and a wage-boost program for school nutrition staff. "We are striving to make sure that the funds that we passed with Prop FF... are retained and, when necessary, raised to keep the program operating," Garcia said.
The measure contains conditional provisions tied to two ballot questions the legislature would send to voters: a "retain" question (to keep previously collected funds under TABOR treatment) and a "raise" question that would limit certain federal itemized-deduction benefits for higher-income taxpayers and direct resulting revenue into the program. The bill also includes statutory clarifications to the existing local-food pilot, new reporting requirements, and a mechanism to create a program reserve if the raise question passes.
Witness testimony was mixed. Supporters included Nourish Colorado, Hunger Free Colorado, school nutrition directors and business groups; they emphasized increased student participation, reduced stigma, local economic benefits and the need for a reserve to absorb cost shocks from federal or market changes. Dan Sharp, a school nutrition director in Mesa County, said participation rose 40% in the program's first full year and called the program "the largest social determinant to student success." Supporters urged a yes vote on the measure to secure ongoing funding and to expand local purchasing and workforce investments.
Opponents raised TABOR and single-subject concerns and questioned whether the bill masks tax changes in a measure titled for school meals; opponents asked for clearer ballot language and warned that new revenue provisions would reduce future TABOR refunds and could displace private charitable giving.
Legislative staff from the Office of Legislative Council and Legislative Legal Services answered committee questions about ballot language, fiscal accounting and TABOR implications. Sponsors offered drafting amendments (technical and clarifying changes to take account of revenue scenarios), which the committee adopted.
After debate and amendment, the committee voted 7-6 to send House Bill 12 74 as amended to Appropriations with a favorable recommendation.
