STAND. COM. REP. NO. 566

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2025

RE: H.B. No. 1075

H.D. 1

Honorable Nadine K. Nakamura

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2025

State of Hawaii

Madame:

Your Committee on Education, to which was referred H.B. No. 1075 entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to reduce the minimum revenue requirement from the sale of school meals from one-half to one-quarter of the cost of preparing the school meals.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Education; Hawaiʻi State Teachers Association; Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi Education Caucus; Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi; Hawaiʻi Children's Action Network Speaks!; Hawaiʻi Public Health Institute; Healthy Eating, Active Living Coalition; and Hawaiʻi Food Bank. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Hawaii Appleseed Center for Law & Economic Justice.

Your Committee finds that access to nutritious meals is essential for students' academic success and overall well-being. However, the increasing cost of school meals places an undue burden on families, leading to reduced student participation in school meal programs. This measure will reduce the required meal cost offset collection and will make school meals in Department of Education schools more affordable.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Specifying that the price for school meals shall be set by the Department of Education to ensure that monies received from the sale of the meals shall be no more than one-quarter of the cost of preparing meals;

(2) Changing the effective date to July 1, 3000; and

(3) 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 Education that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1075, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1075, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

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

____________________________

JUSTIN H. WOODSON, Chair