Bill Text: HI SB894 | 2025 | Regular Session | Amended

Hawaii Senate Bill 894

Bill Title: Relating To Education.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2025-02-28 - 48 Hrs. Notice 03-04-25. [SB894 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2025-SB894-Amended.html

THE SENATE	S.B. NO.	894
THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2025		S.D. 3
STATE OF HAWAII

A BILL FOR AN ACT

RELATING TO EDUCATION.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

Section 1. The legislature finds that Act 175, Session Laws of Hawaii 2021, mandates that the department of education serve school meals using thirty per cent locally sourced products by 2030. However, according to the 2024 annual report on farm-to-school meals, the percentage of locally sourced products remains at 6.14 per cent. The report highlights the challenges of increasing this percentage, including the effects of invasive species, agricultural theft, labor shortages, inadequate capital, and climate change.

The legislature acknowledges that many schools struggle with outdated equipment and limited space to handle fresh food products effectively. Therefore, the department of education requires new and improved facilities such as regional kitchens to achieve the mandated thirty per cent goal.

The legislature further finds that without a market incentive, local agricultural producers will not be able to scale up operations to meet the consistent production needs of the State. A statewide system of regional kitchens provides an opportunity to create broad market stimulation for local agricultural products from across the State: from rice grown on Kauai; pork products from Oahu; vegetables and fruits from Maui; to beef and dairy from Hawaii island. This market stimulation will provide the stability and revenues for local agriculture to scale up and provide more food and more jobs to local residents.

The legislature notes that in order to efficiently and effectively create regional kitchens across the State, the department of education must identify and assess the appropriate sites on each island. Site selection, assessment, planning and design must be conducted to best meet the needs of our students and ensure accessibility for farmers and agricultural producers.

Accordingly, the purpose of this Act is to appropriate funds to the department of education for statewide regional kitchen expansion to fulfill its statutory mandate to provide farm to school meals that consist of at least thirty per cent locally sourced products.

SECTION 2. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $ or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2025-2026 and the same sum or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2026-2027 for the purposes of this Act; provided that the sums appropriated shall be expended as follows:

(1) $ for the Honolulu, central, leeward, and windward district complex areas in the city and county of Honolulu;

(2) $ for the Hawaii district complex areas in the county of Hawaii;

(3) $ for the Maui district complex areas in the county of Maui; and

(4) $ for the Kauai district complex area in the county of Kauai.

The sums appropriated shall be expended by the department of education for the purposes of this Act.

SECTION 3. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2050.

Report Title:

DOE; School Meals; Farm to School; Locally Sourced Products; Regional Kitchens; Appropriations

Description:

Appropriates funds to the Department of Education for regional kitchen expansion to fulfill the local farm-to-school meal goal requiring thirty per cent of the food served in public schools to consist of locally sourced products. Effective 7/1/2050. (SD3)

The summary description of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.