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HB428
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
H.B. NO.
428
THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2025
STATE OF HAWAII
A BILL FOR AN ACT
relating
to farm to families
.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:
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SECTION 1.
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The legislature finds that one in three
households in Hawaii is struggling to secure consistent access to food.
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This data paints a sobering picture of
families in distress, underscoring the need for immediate action to restore the
basic dignity of nourishment to every household across the islands.
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The
legislature further finds that the crisis disproportionately affects the most
vulnerable in Hawaii, the keiki.
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Nearly
thirty per cent of children in Hawaii are growing up in food-insecure homes,
some enduring entire days without a meal.
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When experiencing hunger, keiki can face increased risk of cognitive
issues, aggression, anxiety, behavioral problems, depression, and suicide
ideation.
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For families facing hunger,
fresh, healthy produce is often one of the first things to fall off grocery
lists, negatively affecting long-term health.
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The
legislature also finds that this emergency disproportionately impacts Native
Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders the most, with more than forty per cent of
households experiencing hunger, a reflection of longstanding inequities in
access to resources, economic opportunity, and essential services.
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The legislature believes that the State's
communities should not bear this burden alone.
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The
legislature recognizes that Hawaii's food banks worked with over five hundred
agency partners, such as schools, community-based nonprofits, churches,
community centers, and food pantries, to distribute more than twenty-seven
million meals in 2023, collectively serving two hundred forty thousand
individuals each month, in every community across the State.
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These numbers are nearing the numbers served
during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the support systems available
during the COVID-19 pandemic are no longer there.
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The
legislature additionally finds that to try to bridge the gap between the
State's food banks and their partners to bring fresh, Hawaii-grown produce to
families, the food banks have partnered with five hundred seventy-five local
farms and food hubs to create a consistent market for Hawaii agriculture
producers, strengthening the State's community food systems and creating a
healthier, more resilient Hawaii.
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For example, the Hawaii Foodbank invested
over
$11,000,000 in Hawaii-grown produce over the last five years, which using the
local foods economic multiplier, equates to an investment of nearly $19,000,000
in our local economy.
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The
legislature notes that as the cost of importing food continues to rise,
increasing the State's reliance on local agriculture is not only a sustainable
solution but also a necessary one.
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Farmers across Hawaii have the potential to grow more fresh, nutritious
food that can directly serve those most in need.
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By strengthening the connection between local
farms and community food systems, the State can reduce its dependence on
imports and ensure that more families have access to Hawaii-grown produce like
Okinawan sweet potato, choy sum, bok choy, long beans, breadfruit, kalo, and
more.
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The
legislature further finds that programs that encourage partnerships between
farmers and food assistance programs can make a profound impact.
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By investing in Hawaii-grown agriculture
producers, the State can support not only local farmers but also the
communities they feed.
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This approach
aligns with the values of mālama
ʻ
āina,
caring for the land, and ensures that the State honors the deep connection
between the land and the people of Hawaii.
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Uplifting local farmers will also uplift the entire community, fostering
a more resilient food system that can withstand future challenges.
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Accordingly,
the purpose of this Act is to establish and appropriate funds for the Hawaii
farm to
families
program to fund
food banks in the State to purchase, store, and transport fresh, Hawaii-grown
or -produced food to food insecure communities.
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This program will serve the State's food needs, provide Hawaii's
agriculture producers with a market to support their operations, and keep
moneys circulating within the State to boost the local economy.
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SECTION
2.
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Chapter 141, Hawaii Revised Statutes,
is amended by adding a new part to be appropriately designated and to read as
follows:
"
Part .
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hawaii farm to Families program
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�141-
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Definitions.
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For
the purposes of this part:
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"Department" means the department
of agriculture.
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"Food bank" has the same meaning as
in title 7 United States Code section 7501(5).
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"Fresh, Hawaii-grown or -produced
food" means fruits, vegetables, nuts, coffee, eggs, poultry and poultry
products, livestock products, milk and milk products, aquacultural and
maricultural products, and horticultural products that are one hundred per cent
grown, raised, and harvested in Hawaii.
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�141-
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Hawaii farm to families program.
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(a)
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There is established the Hawaii farm to families
program to be administered by the department.
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Under the program, the department shall relieve food shortages by
providing funds to food banks located in the State to facilitate consistent
supply chains of fresh, Hawaii-grown or -produced food to food insecure
communities.
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(b)
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Food banks that receive support pursuant to this section shall use the
funds to purchase, store, and transport fresh, Hawaii-grown or -produced food
in the State to recipients at no cost to the recipients.
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�141-
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Rules.
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The department shall adopt
rules pursuant to chapter 91 necessary for the purposes of this part."
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SECTION 3.
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The department of agriculture shall submit a report to the legislature
no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the regular sessions of
2026 and 2027 that contains a summary of the activities of the Hawaii farm to
families program established under section 2 of this Act, including:
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(1)
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The amount of funds expended by the program;
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(2)
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Food banks participating in the program,
broken out by county;
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(3)
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Amount of food purchased and distributed; and
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(4)
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Any other findings and recommendations,
including any proposed legislation.
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SECTION 4.
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There is appropriated out of the general
revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $2,000,000 or so much thereof as may
be necessary for fiscal year 2025-2026 and the same sum or so much thereof as
may be necessary for fiscal year 2026-2027 for the Hawaii farm to
families
program.
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The sums
appropriated shall be expended by the
department of agriculture for the purposes of this Act.
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SECTION 5.
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This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2025.
INTRODUCED BY:
_____________________________
Report Title:
Department
of Agriculture; Hawaii Farm to F
amilies
Program; Reports; Appropriation
Description:
Establishes the Hawaii Farm to F
amilies
Program to alleviate food shortages in the State.
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Requires reports to the Legislature prior to
the Regular Sessions of 2026 and 2027.
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Appropriates
funds.
The summary description
of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is
not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.