HB1779 • 2026

RELATING TO SCHOOL MEALS.

Education

Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor: LA CHICA, AMATO, BELATTI, EVSLIN, GARRETT, GRANDINETTI, ILAGAN, IWAMOTO, KAPELA, KEOHOKAPU-LEE LOY, KILA, LOWEN, MARTEN, MATAYOSHI, MIYAKE, MORIKAWA, OLDS, PERRUSO, POEPOE, QUINLAN, REYES ODA, SOUZA, TAKAYAMA, WOODSON
Last action: 2026-03-10
Official status: Referred to EDU, WAM.
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill summary does not explicitly mention that the effective date of July 1, 3000 is a placeholder or needs clarification. This remains an uncertainty based on the provided information.

Expanding Free School Meals

This bill would make free school meals available to all public school students in Hawaii, including charter school students, starting with the 2029-2030 school year.

What This Bill Does

Makes free school meals available to every student enrolled in a Department of Education (DOE) or public charter school beginning with the 2029-2030 school year.

Who It Names or Affects

All public school students in Hawaii, including those attending charter schools.
Schools that provide meals to students during the day.

Terms To Know

Department of Education (DOE): The government agency responsible for managing and operating public schools in Hawaii.
Charter school: A type of public school that operates under a contract with the state, giving it more flexibility than traditional public schools.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill does not specify how funding for these free meals will be provided.
It is unclear if there are any limits on the governor's ability to modify this law to ensure federal aid is received.
The effective date of July 1, 3000 appears to be a placeholder and needs clarification.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

HD1

Hawaii published version HD1

Plain English: This amendment expands free school meal coverage to all public school students, including charter school students, starting in the 2029-2030 school year.

Free school meals will be provided to every student enrolled in a public or charter school beginning with the 2029-2030 school year.
No student can be denied a meal for not being able to pay.

The effective date of July 1, 3000 is likely an error and should be corrected in future versions of the bill.

Bill History

2026-03-10 S
Referred to EDU, WAM.
2026-03-10 S
Passed First Reading.
2026-03-10 S
Received from House (Hse. Com. No. 154).
2026-03-06 H
Passed Third Reading with Representative(s) Alcos voting aye with reservations; Representative(s) Garcia, Shimizu voting no (2) and Representative(s) Perruso, Sayama excused (2). Transmitted to Senate.
2026-03-06 H
Reported from FIN (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 953-26), recommending passage on Third Reading.
2026-03-04 H
The committee on FIN recommend that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. The votes were as follows: 16 Ayes: Representative(s) Todd, Takenouchi, Hartsfield, Hussey, Keohokapu-Lee Loy, Kitagawa, Kusch, Lee, M., Miyake, Morikawa, Perruso, Templo, Yamashita, Gedeon, Reyes Oda; Ayes with reservations: Representative(s) Alcos; Noes: none; and Excused: none.
2026-03-02 H
Bill scheduled to be heard by FIN on Wednesday, 03-04-26 10:00AM in House conference room 308 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.
2026-02-17 H
Passed Second Reading as amended in HD 1 and referred to the committee(s) on FIN with Representative(s) Garcia voting aye with reservations; Representative(s) Shimizu voting no (1) and Representative(s) Cochran, Lee, M., Poepoe excused (3).
2026-02-17 H
Reported from EDN (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 319-26) as amended in HD 1, recommending passage on Second Reading and referral to FIN.
2026-02-10 H
The committee on EDN recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 10 Ayes: Representative(s) Woodson, La Chica, Amato, Evslin, Garrett, Kapela, Kila, Olds, Muraoka, Souza; Ayes with reservations: none; Noes: none; and Excused: none.
2026-02-06 H
Bill scheduled to be heard by EDN on Tuesday, 02-10-26 2:15PM in House conference room 309 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.
2026-01-26 H
Referred to EDN, FIN, referral sheet 1
2026-01-22 H
Introduced and Pass First Reading.
2026-01-21 H
Pending introduction.

Official Summary Text

RELATING TO SCHOOL MEALS.
DOE Schools; Public Charter Schools; School Meals; Free
Expands free school meal coverage, beginning with the 2029-2030 school year, to all public school students, including public charter school students, regardless of whether the student participates in a federal school meals program. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

HB1779

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

1779

THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2026

STATE OF HAWAII

A BILL FOR AN ACT

relating
to school meals
.

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

����
SECTION
1.
�
The legislature finds that Hawaii's
working families face significant economic challenges, including the rising
cost of living, inflation, and limited affordable options for basic needs.
�
Access to nutritious meals is essential for
the overall well-being of Hawaii's people.
�

Further, for students, healthy meals are critical to academic
success.
�
However, for some students,
school meals may be their only consistent source of food.

����
The
legislature further finds that research shows students experiencing food
insecurity face a higher risk of stress, depression, and chronic disease.
�
Additionally, studies have found that free
school meal programs lead to improved student performance.
�
When universal free school meals have been
implemented elsewhere, student test scores rose the equivalent of six
additional weeks of school, making the program one of the most cost effective
and sustainable academic interventions that the State can establish.

����
The
legislature additionally finds that Act 139, Session Laws of Hawaii 2025,
expands free school meal coverage to students who currently qualify for
reduced-price lunch beginning with the 2025-2026 school year and expands
coverage to students whose family income is not more than three hundred per
cent of the federal poverty level beginning with the 2026-2027 school
year.
�
Despite these gains, however,
thousands of students across the islands are still going hungry because of a
lack of resources to ensure consistent food security for themselves and their
families.

����
Accordingly,
the purpose of this Act is to expand fee school meal coverage to all public
school students beginning in the 2029-2030 school year.

����
SECTION
2
.
�
Section 302A-404, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is
amended to read as follows:

����
"
�302A-404
�
School meals.
�

(a)
�
School meals shall be made
available under the school meals program in every school where the students are
required to eat meals at school.

����
(b)
�

Beginning with the 2025-2026 school year, students who qualify for
reduced-price meals under the National School Lunch Program shall receive free
school meals.

����
(c)
�

Beginning with the 2026-2027 school year, free school meals shall be
provided to every student enrolled in a department school whose family income
is [
not
]
no
more than three hundred per cent of the federal
poverty level, regardless of a student's eligibility for participation in the
federal school meals program.

����
(d)
�

Beginning with the 2029-2030 school year, free school meals shall be
provided to every student enrolled in a department school, regardless of a
student's eligibility for participation in a federal school meals program.

����
[
(d)
]
(e)
�
No student shall be denied a meal solely for
failure to pay
.

����
[
(e)
]
(f)
�
The department may adopt rules or policies
governing the collection of funds for student meal accounts with a negative
fund balance; provided that no rule or policy shall prohibit feeding a student
or otherwise conflict with subsection [
(d).
]
(e).

����
[
(f)
]
(g)
�
It is the intent of this section not to
jeopardize the receipt of any federal aid and, only to the extent necessary to
effectuate this intent, the governor may modify strict provisions of this
section, but shall promptly report any modification with the governor's reasons
therefore to the next succeeding session of the legislature for review."

����
SECTION
3.
�
Statutory material to be repealed is
bracketed and stricken.
�
New statutory
material is underscored.

����
SECTION 4.
�
This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

INTRODUCED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title:

DOE;
Public Education; School Meals; Free

Description:

Expands free
school meal coverage, beginning with the 2029-2030 school year, to all
Department of Education students regardless of whether the student participates
in a federal school meals program.

The summary description
of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is
not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.