The Pueblo Chieftain: (Local) food for thought
The idea of having government agencies buy goods and services from local suppliers has been around for a while. But this year, the Colorado Legislature has come up with a new twist by passing a bill that would provide incentives to school districts that buy and serve locally produced food.
Democratic Rep. Bri Buentello of Pueblo is one of the primary sponsors of the legislation, which was approved by both the Senate and House of Representatives with bipartisan support. The bill, which also was co-sponsored by fellow Democrat and Pueblo area Rep. Donald Valdez and a host of others, awaits the governor’s signature.
Under the bill, the state would provide reimbursement to school districts that buy certain amounts of their food from local sources, up to an annual maximum of $500,000 per school. The bill also would establish a grant program to help promote locally produced food.

