STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3124

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2264

S.D. 2

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2020

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 2264, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO SCHOOL LUNCH REFORM,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to reduce situations in which a student may be denied a school meal due to the student's inability to pay.

Specifically, this measure:

(1) Increases the number of days by which students must apply for free or reduced lunch or replenish the student's meal fund;

(2) Prohibits a school from serving an alternative meal to a student solely for failure to pay within:

(A) Thirty days of the first semester of a school year; or

(B) Thirty days after a student's meal fund account reaches a zero or negative balance;

(3) Prohibits a school from publicly identifying or stigmatizing a student who is unable to pay for a school meal;

(4) Requires a school to direct any communication relating to a student's meal fund account balance to the student's parent or guardian;

(5) Requires the Department of Education to report to the Legislature annually regarding the prevalence of students being denied a school meal;

(6) Requires the Department of Education to use moneys 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) Deposits moneys into the special school lunch fund.

Your Committee received written comments in support of this measure from the LGBT Caucus of the Democratic Party of Hawaii, Pioneering Healthy Communities, Democratic Party of Hawaii Education Caucus, Hawaii Appleseed Center for Law and Economic Justice, Hawaii State Teachers Association, Parents and Children Together, Blue Zones Project, and six individuals.

Your Committee finds that students who are consistently fed nutritious meals have better behavior, better attendance records, and higher math and reading scores.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Changing the amount deposited into the special school lunch fund from $800,000 to an unspecified sum;

(2) Appropriating an unspecified sum out of the special school lunch fund;

(3) Changing the effective date to July 1, 2050, to facilitate further discussion on the measure; and

(4) Making technical nonsubstantive changes for purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2264, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2264, S.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

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DONOVAN M. DELA CRUZ, Chair