CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REP. NO. 115

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2025

RE: S.B. No. 1300

S.D. 1

H.D. 1

C.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2025

State of Hawaii

Honorable Nadine K. Nakamura

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2025

State of Hawaii

Sir and Madam:

Your Committee on Conference on the disagreeing vote of the Senate to the amendments proposed by the House of Representatives in S.B. No. 1300, S.D. 1, H.D. 1, entitled:

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

having met, and after full and free discussion, has agreed to recommend and does recommend to the respective Houses the final passage of this bill in an amended form.

The purpose of this measure is to:

(1) Beginning with the 2025-2026 school year, expand free school meal coverage to students who currently qualify for reduced-price lunch;

(2) Beginning with the 2026-2027 school year, expand free school meal coverage to students whose family income is no more than three hundred per cent of the federal poverty level; and

(3) Appropriate funds.

Your Committee on Conference finds that healthy, nutritious school breakfasts and lunches allow students at Department of Education schools to remain focused in school. In fact, for some students, meals served during the school day may be the only meals those students eat each day. While the Department of Education offers free and reduced price meals to certain eligible students, students whose families are asset limited, income restrained, employed (ALICE) face additional hardships as they are ineligible for this benefit, but still struggle to afford basic necessities. Expanding food security to more students will alleviate financial burdens for certain working families, thereby ensuring students receive a complete meal each school day. As educating Hawaii's youth is of paramount importance to the future and economic success of the State, providing greater access to school meals will allow more students to concentrate on their academic growth and future life goals.

Your Committee on Conference has amended this measure by:

(1) Inserting an appropriation amount of $565,000 in general revenues for the fiscal biennium for meal subsidies for students eligible for reduced-price meals;

(2) Inserting an appropriation amount of $2,800,000 in general revenues for fiscal year 2026-2027 for meal subsidies for students whose family income is not more than three hundred percent of the federal poverty level;

(3) Changing its effective date to July 1, 2025; and

(4) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the managers of your Committee on Conference that is attached to this report, your Committee on Conference is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1300, S.D. 1, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Final Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1300, S.D. 1, H.D. 1, C.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the managers:

ON THE PART OF THE HOUSE

ON THE PART OF THE SENATE

____________________________ JUSTIN H. WOODSON Co-Chair	____________________________ MICHELLE N. KIDANI Chair
____________________________ DEE MORIKAWA Co-Chair	____________________________ LORRAINE R. INOUYE Co-Chair