10 Key State Policy Initiatives LiveWell has Supported in the Past 10 years
1 – 2018 – Healthy Food Incentive Funding: LiveWell is working on a legislative initiative to obtain state funding for healthy food incentives for programs like Double Up Food Bucks and Fruit and Vegetable Prescriptions. State funding will provide stability and sustainability for programs providing low-income Coloradans access to healthy foods while simultaneously ensuring Colorado producers and local economies benefit. Triple Win!
2 – 2018 (and 2017) – Transportation: LiveWell is active in a coalition to provide solutions to Colorado’s transportation issues, including guaranteed funding for multi-modal options. In 2017, LiveWell supported House Bill 17-1242, a bi-partisan bill that would have a referred measure to the voters to increase the state sales tax, creating a stable funding source for transportation, including addressing transit, bike/pedestrian, and first mile/last mile concerns. The 2017 effort failed to pass the Senate. This year, transportation remains a focus of the legislature which has already seen the introduction of Senate Bill 18-001 (does not contain multi-modal funding) and will see a ballot initiative that contains multi-modal funding.
3 – 2018 (and 2010, 2013, 2017) – Colorado Food Systems Advisory Council (COFSAC): This body launched in 2010 and renewed in 2013, provides Colorado with a multi-disciplinary food policy council to assess and advance recommendations regarding Colorado’s food system, including addressing healthy food access issues. In 2017, LiveWell, along with several partners, sought to combine COFSAC and the Farm to School Task Force into one council while providing some staffing infrastructure to ensure recommendations could be pursued. While unsuccessful in 2017, we are back again in 2018!
4 – 2018 (and 2014) – School Lunch Protection Program: In 2014, LiveWell participated in a coalition that successfully passed House Bill 14-1156, which provided state funding to cover the $0.40 reduced price school lunch co-pay for kids in 3rd through 5th grades (PK-2 had been done in ’08 and ’09). This year, LiveWell is again participating in a broad coalition seeking to, at a minimum, cover the reduced price co-pay for 6th through 8th grade.
5 – 2016 – Colorado Healthy Beverage Policy: LiveWell, along with several partners, opposed the Colorado State Board of Education’s reversal of a 2009 decision (supported by LiveWell) that banned all soda sales in Colorado high schools, including diet soda. While the 2016 decision by the Board of Education did allow diet soda sales back into high schools, the advocacy effort around the issue garnered significant media attention and gave voice to parents concerned about wellness in their children’s school environments.
6 – 2015 (and 2014) – Safe Routes to School Funding (SRTS): In 2014, LiveWell worked with a coalition of partners on the successful passage of House Bill 14-1301 which provided one year of funding, $700,000, for non-infrastructure SRTS projects. We worked with partners again in 2015 on House Bill 15-1003, to continue funding but the bill died in the Senate State Affairs Committee. Not to be deterred, the coalition then worked to have the Colorado State Transportation Commission (TC) include SRTS funding in the Colorado Department of Transportation’s budget. In September 2015 the Commission agreed to fund the program with $2.5 million annually.
7 – 2014 – Charitable Crop Donation Act: House Bill 14-1119, the product of a broad-based coalition including LiveWell, enables Colorado farmers and ranchers to claim a 25% tax credit (up to $5,000) for donated foods. The purpose of the credit is to increase access to fresh, healthy, locally produced foods (including fruits and vegetables, dairy and meat products) for low-income Coloradans.
8 – 2013 – Breakfast After the Bell: LiveWell was a part of a coalition of advocates that came together and passed House Bill 13-1006, requiring schools where at least 70 percent of students are eligible for free and reduced meals, to offer free breakfast after the official start of the school day. This law gives more than 80,000 children in the state access to breakfast.
9 – 2013 (and 2010) – Colorado Farm to School Task Force: LiveWell was among the organizations that supported the formation of the Colorado Farm to School Task Force in 2010 whose mission was to help schools develop and implement Farm to School Programs. The popularity and success of these programs resulted in the General Assembly, in 2013, to continue the task force.
10 – 2011 – Physical Activity Expectation in Schools: In 2011, LiveWell was part of a large coalition that supported House Bill 11-1069, requiring all Colorado public elementary schools to provide their students the opportunity for 600 minutes of physical activity per month (approximately 30 minutes a day).
