STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1364

                                   Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                     , 1999

                                   RE:  S.C.R. No. 122
                                        S.D. 1




Honorable Norman Mizuguchi
President of the Senate
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 1999
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Health and Human Services, to which was
referred S.C.R. No. 122 entitled:

     "SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE CONVENING OF A
     HUNGER AND FOOD SECURITY TASK FORCE TO DEVELOP A SYSTEM FOR
     PROVIDING VALID AND RELIABLE ESTIMATES OF HUNGER AND FOOD
     INSECURITY,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to request the convening of a
hunger and food security task force to develop a system for
providing valid and reliable estimates of hunger and food
insecurity.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure
from the Office of Community Services, Hawaii Foodbank, Maui
Foodbank, University of Hawaii College of Tropical Agriculture
and Human Resources, and God's Store House Food Pantry at Word of
Life.

     An estimated 115,000 adults and children in Hawaii may face
hunger or food insecurity as a consequence of welfare reform and
a stagnant State economy.  This could result in a $1.3 million
shortfall in food under the food stamp program for fiscal years
1997-2002, which is equivalent to an estimated 115,000,000 pounds
of food.

     There are nationally developed methods to monitor food
insecurity, available and tested for cultural validity in Hawaii,

 
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that are used by the Hawaii Foodbank and the State Department of
Health.  However, data is not available to monitor food
insecurity by geographic areas or other demographic indices in
Hawaii that can be used to guide public policy decisions.  The
intent of this measure is to develop a system for providing valid
and reliable estimates of food insecurity with appropriate
geographical and demographic identifiers that can be used by
public and private organizations to assist those in need.

     Your Committee has amended this measure on the
recommendation of the Hawaii Foodbank, Inc., by:

     (1)  Changing, in the first WHEREAS clause, the number of
          adults and children from 90,359 to 115,000;

     (2)  Changing, in the sixth WHEREAS clause, the term
          "residents" to "households" in reference to the 9.2 per
          cent of Hawaii's population and the pounds of food from
          114,280,000 to "an estimated 115,000,000";

     (3)  Requesting the convening of a Hunger and Food
          Insecurity Ad Hoc Committee instead of a task force;
          and

     (4)  Specifying that the ad hoc committee develop a
          preliminary report which is to be included in the
          report to the legislature from the Office of Community
          Services.

     Your Committee has also amended the title to reflect the
convening of a "Hunger and Food Insecurity Ad Hoc Committee" and
to correct a typographical error.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
Committee on Health and Human Services that is attached to this
report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of
S.C.R. No. 122, as amended herein, and recommends that it be
referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, in the form attached
hereto as S.C.R. No. 122, S.D. 1.

                                   Respectfully submitted on
                                   behalf of the members of the
                                   Committee on Health and Human
                                   Services,



                                   ______________________________
                                   SUZANNE CHUN OAKLAND, Chair

 
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