STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3043

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: H.B. No. 2670

H.D. 2

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2018

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Agriculture and Environment and Human Services, to which was referred H.B. No. 2670, H.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to require the Department of Agriculture to develop and administer a farmers' market matching incentive program for beneficiaries of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Health; Office of the Mayor of the County of Hawaii; Ulupono Initiative; Hawaii Primary Care Association; Hawai‘i Pacific Health; Hawai‘i Public Health Association; Hawai‘i Public Health Institute; Hawai‘i Farm Bureau; Pioneering Healthier Communities Initiative of Honolulu; Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center; The Food Basket Inc.; Hawaii Island's Food Bank; American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network; Hawaii Children's Action Network; O‘ahu County Committee on Legislative Priorities of the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i; Hawaii Appleseed Center for Law & Economic Justice; Community First; We Are One, Inc.; and sixty-five individuals. Your Committees received comments on this measure from the Department of Human Services and Department of Agriculture.

Your Committees find that fresh fruits and vegetables are an integral part of a healthy diet and central to the prevention of obesity and disease. Every community should have adequate access to healthy dietary options; however, the high cost of healthy food often makes this difficult. Your Committees find that this measure provides a mechanism by which low income households can have greater access to high quality fresh fruits and vegetables.

Your Committees urge the Department of the Attorney General to weigh in on the implications of this measure with regard to the "equal treatment" clause under the United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service regulations and the commerce clause under the United States Constitution.

Your Committees have amended this measure by:

(1) Renaming the program as the "local healthy food incentive program";

(2) Making the incentive program applicable to purchases of Hawaii-grown fruits and vegetables;

(3) Expanding the incentive program to include other direct food retailers who participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program;

(4) Specifying that the dollar-for-dollar match is up to $20 per visit;

(5) Deleting language that would have established a special fund;

(6) Inserting an appropriation amount of $300,000 for the incentive program;

(7) Changing the effective date to July 1, 2018; and

(8) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Agriculture and Environment and Human Services that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2670, H.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2670, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Agriculture and Environment and Human Services,

________________________________ JOSH GREEN, Chair

________________________________ MIKE GABBARD, Chair