Report Title:

Food Security Council

Description:

Establishes the State Food Security Council to address food, nutrition, and agricultural issues. Establishes the State Food Security Council Special Fund. Appropriates funds. (HB251 HD1)

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

251

TWENTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2003

H.D. 1

STATE OF HAWAII

 


 

A BILL FOR AN ACT

 

relating to the establishment of a state food security council.

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

SECTION 1. Food is a critical part of island life. It nourishes our bodies, comforts our soul, and plays a critical role in our cultures and traditions. The food system is comprised of a chain of activities connecting food production, processing, distribution, wholesaling and retailing, consumption, and waste management. It affects our local economy, our environment and land use, public health, housing, and the quality of our communities.

Nationally, agricultural and nutritional policies are designed to ensure the adequate availability of food and promote the health and well-being of United States citizens. Federally-funded food assistance programs, such as the food stamp program (FSP), child nutrition programs (CNP), and special supplemental nutrition program for women, infants and children (WIC), are designed as a safety net to ensure that no one is food insecure or undernourished.

According to the United States Department of Agriculture, in 2001, thirty-one million individuals in the United States resided in food insecure homes that did not have access to enough food to meet basic needs. The United States government has set an objective of reducing the rate of food insecurity of the nation's households to half of its 1994 level by 2010 (Health People 2010: Objective 19-8). National experts believe that achieving targeted improvements in national household food security rates by 2010 will require:

(1) Renewed economic growth, especially improved employment and income opportunities for less skilled workers;

(2) Improved employment opportunities and increased income of single mothers with children; and

(3) Maintenance of a strong nutrition safety net.

Data from the Hawaii health survey documents that in 1999-2000, one in five island residents, equivalent to two hundred twenty-one thousand individuals, resided in food insecure households. These statistics do not take into account the economic fallout from the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks or include the homeless or those without phones. Reports document that food insecurity is a public health problem that exacerbates obesity, nutritional inadequacies, diabetes, and asthma. High rates of food insecurity continue to occur in Hawaii despite over $250,000,000 in federal food assistance and vigorous efforts by the emergency food assistance network of food banks, food pantries, and soup kitchens. In essence, we have a public policy environment in Hawaii in which food, agriculture, and hunger issues are fragmented and federal funds may be underutilized.

To begin to address these issues in 2002, the legislature passed S.C.R. No. 75, S.D.1, H.D.1, requesting that the office of planning convene a food security task force. The purpose of the task force was to examine the best possible ways to ensure food security for Hawaii's people by developing an action plan that more effectively and reliably improves food security in Hawaii. The food security task force confirmed in a report to the legislature that although the fundamental cause of food insecurity stems from poverty, insufficient state food policy compromises the extent of the nutrition safety net in Hawaii. Currently the State has no food or food security policy, goals, or objectives.

Food security is too important, too complex, and the stakes too high to be dealt with in an uncoordinated fashion. Significant opportunities exist for increased federal spending, more efficient government services, increased homeland security, and improved health and wellness. To do the job effectively requires a coordinating body with dedicated funding and staff to mobilize the necessary resources and coordinate public and private activities.

To commence a coordinated government effort to enhance food security in Hawaii, the task force recommended that the legislature:

(1) Create state food policy goals and objectives that outline the State's desire and commitment to enhance the food security of Hawaii's people – so that "no one in our ohana goes hungry", to assure the continued adequacy of the nutrition safety net, and to be in line with the national Healthy People 2010 food security objective;

(2) Create a food security council (FSC) attached to the state office of planning. The FSC would be charged with developing an integrated food security plan, facilitating its implementation, and assisting both public and private efforts to improve food security in Hawaii; and

(3) Provide $192,000 a year to fund FSC operations, to include: a FSC coordinator, continued monitoring through the yearly departments of health and human services' Hawaii health survey, and key "matching funds" that can then be used as leverage in securing additional federal funds and other projects that serve to improve local food security.

The purpose of this Act is to affirm the State's commitment to ending food insecurity in Hawaii by establishing and appropriating funds for a state food security council.

SECTION 2. The Hawaii Revised Statutes is amended by adding a new chapter to be appropriately designated and to read as follows:

"Chapter

state food security council

§ -1 Definitions. As used in this chapter unless the context requires otherwise:

"Community food security" means the availability of sufficient nutritionally adequate and safe foods, in light of the underlying social, economic, environmental, and institutional factors within a community that affect the quantity and quality of food available, and affordability, that is, price relative to the financial ability of people to acquire food.

"Council" means the state food security council.

"Food security" means the availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods or the ability to acquire acceptable foods in socially acceptable ways.

§ -2 State food security council. There is established within the department of business, economic development, and tourism, a state food security council for administrative purposes as provided in section 26-35. The council shall consist of fifteen members. Nine members shall be appointed by the governor pursuant to section 26-34 in the following manner:

(1) One member representing the food stamp program;

(2) One member representing the Office of Hawaii Child Nutrition Programs;

(3) One member representing the special supplemental nutrition program for women, infants and children;

(4) Three members representing the emergency food assistance network;

(5) One member representing the food system;

(6) One member from a neighbor island; and

(7) One member who has benefited from at least two federally-funded assistance programs, and otherwise has experienced food insecurity.

The director of health, director of human services, director of agriculture, director of labor and industrial relations, director of the office of planning within the department of business, economic development, and tourism, and the dean of the college of tropical agriculture and human resources or their designees shall serve as ex-officio members. The director of the office of planning will convene the food security council and provide oversight of the food security council special fund.

§ -3 Duties and responsibilities. The council shall:

(1) Advise the legislature and the governor on the formulation of state food security policy;

(2) Integrate efforts of state agencies toward a common and coordinated approach to food, nutrition, and agricultural issues;

(3) Educate the public and state policy-makers about the state's food system;

(4) Assist with the coordination of federally-funded food and nutrition assistance programs;

(5) Facilitate collaboration between emergency food organizations, food retailers, food producers, and government and food and nutrition assistance programs;

(6) Assist efforts to improve accountability through annual local food security monitoring from which improvements can be measured and the consolidation of information of federally-funded assistance programs into a biennial report to the legislature;

(7) Provide a clearinghouse of information about food security and food assistance resources and disseminate this information to the appropriate agencies and individuals in the most efficient and effective ways practicable;

(8) Assist efforts to increase local food production and related planning efforts that serve to increase food security;

(9) Facilitate funding and cost-sharing partnerships that aim to reduce and eliminate food insecurity;

(10) Collaborate with public and private agencies to develop necessary legislation or administrative rule changes to efficiently and effectively address food security issues; and

(11) Manage and expend moneys deposited in the state food security council special fund.

§ -4 Compensation. The members of the state food security council shall serve without compensation but shall be reimbursed for expenses, including travel expenses, necessary for the performance of their duties.

§ -5 State food security council special fund. (a) There is established in the state treasury the state food security council special fund, into which shall be deposited:

(1) Moneys directed, allocated, or disbursed to the state food security council from other government agencies or private sources;

(2) Moneys appropriated by the legislature; and

(3) Moneys directed, allocated, or disbursed to the state food security council from nonstate sources, including grants, awards, and donations.

(b) The state food security council special fund shall be used to help defray the cost of the following:

(1) Operating costs of the state food security council, including the compensation of staff, necessary travel, and annual food security monitoring; and

(2) State food security council activities, including the provision of state funds to match federal funds from the United States Department of Agriculture or other federal agencies.

(c) Investment earnings credited to the assets of the funds shall become part of the assets of the fund.

§ -6 Biennial report. The state food security council shall report biennially to the legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of each session, beginning with the 2005 regular session. This report shall document the state of household and community food security status in Hawaii, summarize activities stemming from the food security council, account for funds spent from the funds secured for the food security council special fund, and provide recommendations for policy actions which are needed to enhance food security in Hawaii."

SECTION 3. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $192,000 or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2003-2004 and the sum of $192,000 or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2004-2005 to be deposited into the state food security council special fund to carry out the purposes of this Act.

SECTION 4. There is appropriated out of the state food security council special fund the sum of $192,000 or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2003-2004 and the sum of $192,000 or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2004-2005 to enable the state food security council to carry out the purposes of this Act.

SECTION 5. The sums appropriated shall be expended by the department of business, economic development, and tourism for the purposes of this Act.

SECTION 6. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2003.