House panel advances bill to let Colorado schools redistribute and compost surplus food

Representative Weinberg, a sponsor of House Bill 10 59, told the House Education Committee the bill is a “straightforward, common sense” measure to reduce food waste in public schools and make it easier for districts to donate or redistribute prepared food rather than discard it.

The bill would encourage schools to adopt share tables, composting and food redistribution and amends state law to clarify immunity from civil and criminal liability for specified redistribution activities. Sponsors said an amendment distributed before the hearing corrected earlier language about the scope of immunity. Representative Frey, the bill’s co-prime sponsor, described the measure as bipartisan and said it builds on federal Good Samaritan protections by explicitly addressing…