STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2689

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2782

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2020

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Education, to which was referred S.B. No. 2782 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO SCHOOL MEALS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

(1) Require the Department of Education to establish a plant-based food and beverage program;

(2) Authorize the payment of quarterly allotments of funds or limit the amount of the award to participating public school;

(3) Make participation in the program voluntary;

(4) Require the Department of Education to establish rules to carry out the purposes of the program; and

(5) Appropriate an amount to implement the program.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Education, 350Hawaii.org, Climate Protectors Coalition, and ten private individuals.

Your Committee finds that offering plant-based food and beverages is an important option which would provide healthy and wholesome food for public school students. The Department of Education has begun working towards serving more plant-based food options, and is currently doing research for menu items that use plant-based substitutes for meat and has begun training its cafeteria workers on building the skills needed to make both plant and non-plant-based meals for the students. This measure aids in the ongoing effort.

Your Committee has amended this measure to include it as an amendment to chapter 302A of the Hawaii Revised Statutes and by making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Education that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2782, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2782, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Education,

________________________________

MICHELLE N. KIDANI, Chair