STAND. COM. REP. NO. 434

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 659

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2025

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Education and Agriculture and Environment, to which was referred S.B. No. 659 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

(1) Exempt from the electronic procurement system the Department of Education's purchase of fresh local agricultural products and local value-added processed, agricultural, or food products not exceeding $100,000, subject to certain requirements; and

(2) Require the Department of Education to establish guidelines for determining a geographic preference for locally sourced products.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Education, Climate Protectors Hawaii, Ka Ohana O Na Pua, and one individual.

Your Committees received comments on this measure from the Department of Agriculture and State Procurement Office.

Your Committees find that alleviating certain requirements of the Hawaii Public Procurement Code regarding fresh local agricultural products and local value-added processed, agricultural, or food products will ensure the Department of Education can attain its goal of thirty percent of locally sourced food by 2030 in school meals. Therefore, this measure provides fresh, nutritious, meals for students while supporting the State's agricultural industry.

Your Committees have amended this measure by:

(1) Inserting an effective date of July 1, 2050, to encourage further discussion; and

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

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Education and Agriculture and Environment that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 659, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 659, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Education and Agriculture and Environment,

________________________________ MIKE GABBARD, Chair

________________________________ MICHELLE N. KIDANI, Chair