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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES |
H.R. NO. |
236 |
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TWENTY-FIFTH LEGISLATURE, 2010 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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HOUSE RESOLUTION
requesting state public ENTITIES to commit to healthier and more nutritious meals in their programs by spending ten per cent of their food dollars for locally-produced produce or other Hawaii agricultural products.
WHEREAS, Hawaii is heavily dependent on imported food to feed its residents, with an estimated eighty-five to ninety percent of the food consumed in the state imported; and
WHEREAS, Hawaii residents spend an estimated $3,700,000,000 annually on food, and if some of the dollars spent on imported food were invested in locally produced food, it would yield multiple benefits to Hawaii's economy; and
WHEREAS, a recent publication by the University of Hawaii College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources and the State Department of Agriculture evaluates the economic multiplier effects of increasing food self-sufficiency in Hawaii's economy; and
WHEREAS, assuming that eighty-five per cent of the food consumed in Hawaii is imported, $3,100,000,000 is leaving the State to support agribusinesses elsewhere, and replacing just ten per cent of these imported foods – assuming appropriate resources and infrastructures are available for such an expansion - would amount to some $313,000,000, or $94,000,000 at the farm gate, given a thirty per cent farm share; and
WHEREAS, taking into account the multiplier effects, this $94,000,000 would generate an estimated economy-wide impact of $188,000,000 in sales, $47,000,000 in earnings, $6,000,000 in state tax revenues and more than 2,300 jobs; and
WHEREAS, other non-monetary benefits include better environmental stewardship, reduced risk of invasive species, and land preservation; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-fifth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2010, that the University of Hawaii, Department of Education, Hawaii Health Systems Corporation and other state public entities are requested to commit to healthier and more nutritious meals in their programs by spending ten per cent of their food dollars for locally-produced produce or other Hawaii agricultural products; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that these agencies report to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the Regular Session of 2011 on the status of their respective purchases and use of locally-produced produce or other Hawaii agricultural products and any recommendations for improvements in meeting this goal; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, President of the University of Hawaii, Superintendent of Education, and President and Chief Executive Officer of the Hawaii Health Systems Corporation.
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OFFERED BY: |
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State Agencies; Ten Per Cent on Local Food