STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1285

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.R. No. 27

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2021

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Education, to which was referred S.R. No. 27 entitled:

"SENATE RESOLUTION URGING THE HAWAI‘I STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION SCHOOL FOOD SERVICES BRANCH TO ADOPT AN ADDENDUM TO ITS AGREEMENTS FOR THE ‘AINA PONO HAWAI‘I STATE FARM TO SCHOOL PROGRAM REQUIRING THE PROCUREMENT OF GOODS AND/OR SERVICES FROM FOOD HUBS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to urge the Department of Education School Food Services Branch to adopt an addendum to its agreements for the Aina Pono Hawaii state farm to school program for the purpose of requiring the procurement of goods and services from food hubs.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Research and Development, County of Hawaii.

Your Committee finds that Act 218, Session Laws of Hawaii 2015, spearheaded by the Office of the Lieutenant Governor, established a farm-to-school program within the Department of Agriculture to address the issues of supply, demand, procurement, and consumption of Hawaii-grown foods in state facilities, primarily education facilities, and take reasonable steps to incorporate more agriculture and nutrition education in schools. Your Committee further finds that the Department of Education and Office of the Lieutenant Governor rebranded the farm-to-school program into the Aina Pono Hawaii state farm to school program in 2018 to unite the Department of Education School Food Services Branch's existing health and nutrition education programs, such as Aina Pono Harvest of the Month, test kitchens, meal programs, menu planning, and school gardens.

Your Committee additional finds that farmers in Hawaii face many challenges on their way to achieving economic sustainability. Food hubs provide these small to mid-sized farmers and producers, who are often unable to afford or manage trucks, warehouses, processing space, and storage spaces, with facilities for aggregation, storage, processing, distribution, and marketing support. This measure will increase the procurement of local agricultural products for schools from food hubs.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Clarifying that the Department of Education is urged to include food hubs as part of the overall procurement strategy for goods and services related to the Aina Pono Hawaii state farm to school program, however, goods and services are not exclusively to be procured from food hubs; and

(2) 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 concurs with the intent and purpose of S.R. No. 27, as amended herein, and recommends its adoption in the form attached hereto as S.R. No. 27, S.D. 1.

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

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MICHELLE N. KIDANI, Chair