STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1118

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    H.B. No. 515

       H.D. 1

       S.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2021

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committees on Education and Government Operations, to which was referred H.B. No. 515, H.D. 1, 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 require the Auditor to perform an audit of the Department of Education's School Food Services Branch to determine how much local produce is being purchased and served to students.

 

     Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Education, Ulupono Initiative, Hawaii Farm Bureau, and one individual.

 

     Your Committees find that the State should increase its use of local foods within the Department of Education's school meal programs.  As such, it is in the State's best interest to establish a baseline which will assist the Department of Education in making administrative decisions to increase locally grown food in the State's schools.  This measure supports the use of locally sourced produce in the State's schools by requiring a baseline determination of where produce used by the School Food Services Branch is being purchased and whether the produce is locally sourced.   

 

     Your Committees have amended this measure by:

 

     (1)  Making it effective upon its approval; 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 Government Operations that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 515, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 515, H.D. 1, 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 Government Operations,

 

________________________________

SHARON MORIWAKI, Chair

 

________________________________

MICHELLE N. KIDANI, Chair