STAND.
COM. REP. NO. 1148-20
Honolulu, Hawaii
, 2020
RE: S.B. No. 2264
S.D. 2
H.D. 1
Honorable Scott K. Saiki
Speaker, House of Representatives
Thirtieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 2020
State of Hawaii
Sir:
Your Committee on Lower & Higher Education, to which was referred S.B. No. 2264, S.D. 2, entitled:
"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO SCHOOL LUNCH REFORM,"
begs leave to report as follows:
The
purpose of this measure is to
minimize situations in which a student may be denied a school meal because of
the student's inability to pay by:
(1) Increasing the number of days in which students can apply for free or reduced lunch or replenish the student's meal fund without being denied a meal;
(2) Prohibiting a school from serving an alternative meal to a student solely for failure to pay within thirty days of the first semester of a school year or after a student's meal fund account reaches a zero or negative balance;
(3) Prohibiting a school from publicly identifying or stigmatizing a student for the inability to pay for a school meal;
(4) Requiring a school to direct any communication relating to a student's meal fund account balance to the student's parent or guardian;
(5) Requiring the Department of Education to report to the Legislature annually regarding the prevalence of students being denied a school meal solely for failure to pay and any actions taken by the Department or individual schools to address the issue;
(6) Requiring the Department of Education to use monies in the special school lunch fund to provide school meals at no charge for children in kindergarten through twelfth grade who are participating in the school meals program and who would otherwise be required to pay a reduced price for meals; and
(7) Appropriating monies into and out of the special school lunch fund to provide school meals at no charge for students participating in the school meals program and who would otherwise be required to pay a reduced price for meals.
Your Committee finds
that proper nutrition is an important part of a student's healthy learning
environment. The removal of a student's
lunch due to the inability to pay creates an unhealthy learning environment for
the student. This measure will minimize
situations in which a student may be denied a school meal because of the
student's inability to pay for the meal.
Your Committee has amended this measure by:
(1) Changing its effective date to July 1, 2051; and
(2) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.
As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Lower & Higher Education that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2264, S.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2264, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.
Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Lower & Higher Education,
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____________________________ JUSTIN H. WOODSON, Chair |
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