SCR45

WHEREAS, a 2012 report from the Department on Business, Economic Development, and Tourism on food insecurity and food self-sufficiency stated that about eighty-five to ninety percent of the State's food is imported; and

WHEREAS, local families, restaurants, and farmers are among those who were greatly impacted by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic; and

WHEREAS, Pacific Business News reported that the State experienced the highest increase in unemployment rates in the nation between January and December of 2020 at two hundred one percent; and

WHEREAS, the Hawaii Restaurant Association reported that at least fifteen percent of the State's 3,600 restaurants have closed down since the pandemic began; and

WHEREAS, the Department of Agriculture estimates that farmers have lost fifty to sixty percent of their market because of shutdowns last year; and

WHEREAS, the Hawaii Foodbank has distributed over nineteen million pounds of food to Hawaii residents between March through November of 2020; and

WHEREAS, there has been a great increase of food insecure residents in Hawaii last year, and this increased reliance on food assistance highlights the vulnerability of Hawaii's food supply; and

WHEREAS, gleaning is an ancient agricultural practice of food recovery that the United States Department of Agriculture defines as the act of collecting excess fresh foods from farms, gardens, farmers markets, grocers, restaurants, state or county fairs, or any other sources in order to provide it to those in need; and

WHEREAS, the legislature recognizes the opportunity to increase the self-sufficiency and food security of the State by examining and building upon the State's ability to utilize gleaning in state and county parks; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-first Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2021, the House of Representatives concurring, that there be convened a working group to examine and make recommendations regarding gleaning in state and county parks; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the working group examines and identifies:

(1) Gleaning activities in state and county parks;

(2) Types of foods that are gleaned in state and county parks;

(3) Recommended strategies to promote awareness of gleaning in state and county parks, including potential gleaning initiatives the State can implement to benefit its communities; and

(4) Other topics as the working group deems necessary; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the working group consists of the following members or their designees:

(1) The Chairperson of the Board of Land and Natural Resources;

(2) The Dean of the University of Hawaii College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources;

(3) The Director of the City and County of Honolulu Department of Parks and Recreation;

(4) The Director of the County of Maui Department of Parks and Recreation;

(5) The Director of the County of Hawaii Department of Parks and Recreation; and

(6) The Director of the County of Kauai Department of Parks and Recreation; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the working group may also consist of other interested members as the six members specified above deem necessary; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the members select a chair of the working group from among themselves and that the chair of the working group be assigned the administrative responsibilities of the working group; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED the working group is requested to convene by September 1, 2021 and hold no fewer than three meetings prior to the Regular Session of 2022; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the working group is requested to submit a report of its findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2022 and that the working group be dissolved on June 30, 2022; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Chairperson of the Board of Land and Natural Resources, Dean of the University of Hawaii College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, Director of the City and County of Honolulu Department of Parks and Recreation, Director of the County of Maui Department of Parks and Recreation, Director of the County of Hawaii

Department of Parks and Recreation, and Director of the County of Kauai Department of Parks and Recreation.

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title:

REQUESTING THE CONVENING OF A WORKING GROUP TO EXAMINE AND MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS REGARDING GLEANING IN STATE AND COUNTY PARKS.

THE SENATE	S.C.R. NO.	45
THIRTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2021
STATE OF HAWAII