We’re one month into the 2024 Colorado Legislative Session and nearly 350 bills have been introduced so far. We’ll see at least 500 bills before the session ends, and likely many more as legislators are lining up to introduce late bills.
Yesterday’s session was the most exciting for us as we saw the introduction of our primary bill for the year. SB24-152 Regenerative Agriculture Tax Credit. This farm-to-restaurant bill would provide a tax incentive to food and beverage businesses for purchasing from local farmers and ranchers who are using regenerative practices. We’ve been working on this bill since late last year with community partners at Good Business Colorado and local community members, producers, and restaurant owners, up and down the West Slope.
In the briefest of summaries, if passed this bill would:
We’re thrilled to see it introduced in the Senate, and thankful to our sponsors Senators Cleave Simpson (R) and Dylan Roberts (D), along with House sponsor Representative Karen McCormick (D). All three legislators sit on the chamber’s agriculture committees with Rep. McCormick and Sen. Roberts Chairing their respective committees. As it’s been introduced in the Senate, it has been assigned to the Senate Agriculture & Natural Resources Committee, and we expect it to be scheduled for testimony soon. If you are interested, you can learn more in our info sheet here.
This isn’t the only bill we’re tackling this session. Other bills we’ve discussed in our legislative committee include:
From local food and agriculture, to healthcare, to housing, to energy, we have exciting bills to focus on this year.
We’re excited to head to the Capitol at the end of this month to discuss these and other bills with our legislators in person. We choose the bills we discuss based on member input and relevancy the impact they could have on West Slope residents. If you are interested in joining us, please sign up to attend the People’s Lobby Trip here! And if you’d like to join, but have some questions, please feel free to reach out to me at jeriel@westerncoloradoalliance.org. As a reminder, members of our organization are provided free travel, lodging, and most meals. We only ask you to cover the cost of your lunches. Our deadline for registrations is Friday, February 16, so please sign up or get in touch before then!
Jeriel joined the Western Colorado Alliance staff in February 2017 (back when we were still Western Colorado Congress), but you may remember her as our Canvass Director for the successful Minimum Wage ballot initiative in 2016! In her young career, Jeriel has worked with engaged citizens across Colorado on issues ranging from veterans' affairs, healthcare and women’s rights. Jeriel has called Grand Junction and the Western Slope home for 16 years, and enjoys running, hiking, biking and crafting with her daughter Emma.