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SB1189
THE SENATE
S.B. NO.
1189
THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2025
STATE OF HAWAII
A BILL FOR AN ACT
Relating
to Agriculture
.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:
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SECTION
1
.
�
The legislature finds that supporting local
agriculture and strengthening local food systems are matters of statewide
concern that can improve the resilience of Hawaii's economy, environment,
culture, and public health.
�
The
legislature further finds that setting clear and ambitious goals for the
purchase of locally grown food ensures that the State plays its role in
supporting local farmers and guarantees that revenue derived from local produce
remains in the State and feeds local people.
�
Act 175, Session Laws of Hawaii 2021, established a programmatic goal
for the department of education to provide a minimum of thirty per cent locally
sourced food in Hawaii public school meals by 2030.
�
Act 176, Session Laws of Hawaii 2021, also
established five-year benchmarks ensuring a certain percentage of locally grown
produce is purchased by state departments.
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The
legislature also finds that existing goals have established different standards
for various state departments.
�
Specifically,
the department of education's programmatic goal to locally source at least
thirty per cent of food served in public schools by 2030 is a higher threshold
than other state departments.
�
Furthermore, the department of education's progress towards its goal
suggests that other state departments should be held to the same standard for
the benefit of the people of Hawaii.
�
The
legislature believes that the goals to provide locally sourced food should be
consistent across all pertinent state departments to avoid any confusion
between departments.
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Accordingly,
the purpose of this Act is to:
����
(1)
�
Increase the percentages of local
agricultural products that certain state departments and the university of
Hawaii system are required to purchase by certain deadlines;
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(2)
�
Expand the annual reporting
requirements to include total spending by certain market channels;
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(3)
�
Require each relevant state department
and the university of Hawaii system to include a corrective action plan in its
respective report to the legislature, should it not meet its benchmark;
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(4)
�
Repeal the separate benchmark for the
department of education that requires thirty per cent of food served in public
schools to consist of locally sourced products by 2030; and
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(5)
�
Appropriate funds for the establishment
of a farm-to-state liaison within the office of the governor to facilitate
reporting requirements and procurement of locally grown food.
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SECTION
2
.
�
Section 27-8,
Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by amending subsections (a) and (b) to read
as follows:
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"
(a)
�
The
department of education, department of health, department of corrections and
rehabilitation, department of defense, and [
University
]
university
of Hawaii system shall each ensure that a certain percentage of the
food
purchased for public schools, youth campuses, public hospitals, public prisons,
and any purchases made directly by the [
University
]
university
of
Hawaii for use in its academic programs, as applicable, is fresh local
agricultural products and local value-added, processed, agricultural, or food
products, as follows:
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(1)
�
By January 1, 2025, fresh local
agricultural products and local value-added, processed, agricultural, or food
products shall constitute a minimum of ten per cent of the total
food
purchased during each calendar year, as measured by the per cent of total food
cost;
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(2)
�
By January 1, 2027, fresh local
agricultural products and local value-added, processed, agricultural, or food
products shall constitute a minimum of twenty‑five per cent of the total
food
purchased during each calendar year, as measured by the per cent of total food
cost;
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[
(2)
]
(3)
�
By January 1, 2030, fresh local
agricultural products and local value-added, processed, agricultural, or food
products shall constitute a minimum of [
eighteen
]
thirty
per cent
of the total
food
purchased during each
calendar year, as measured by the per cent of total food cost;
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[
(3)
]
(4)
�
By January 1, 2035, fresh local agricultural products and local
value-added, processed, agricultural, or food products shall constitute a
minimum of [
twenty-six
]
thirty-five
per cent of the total
food
purchased during each calendar year, as measured by the per cent of total food
cost;
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[
(4)
]
(5)
�
By January 1, 2040, fresh local agricultural products and local
value-added, processed, agricultural, or food products shall constitute a
minimum of [
thirty-four
]
forty
per cent of the total
food
purchased during each calendar year, as measured by the per cent of total food
cost;
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[
(5)
]
(6)
�
By January 1, 2045, fresh local agricultural products and local
value-added, processed, agricultural, or food products shall constitute a
minimum of [
forty-two
]
forty-five
per cent of the total
food
purchased during each calendar year, as measured by the per cent of total food
cost; and
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[
(6)
]
(7)
�
By January 1, 2050, fresh local agricultural products and local
value-added, processed, agricultural, or food products shall constitute a
minimum of fifty per cent of the total
food
purchased during each
calendar year, as measured by the per cent of total food cost.
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(b)
�
The department of education,
department of health, department of
corrections and rehabilitation
,
department of defense, and [
University
]
university
of Hawaii
system shall each
submit a report to the legislature no later than
twenty days prior to the convening of each regular session on progress made toward
meeting the benchmarks described in subsection (a), including:
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(1)
�
The total cost of food purchased during
the calendar year preceding that regular session, or in the case of the
department of education, during the school year preceding that regular session;
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(2)
�
The percentage of the total cost of
food purchased during the calendar year preceding that regular session,
accounted for by the total cost of fresh local agricultural products and local
value-added, processed, agricultural, or food products purchased, or in the
case of the department of education, during the school year preceding that
regular session; [
and
]
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(3)
�
Total spending by the following
market channels:
���������
(A)
�
Directly from a farmer, fisher,
rancher, or food processor;
���������
(B)
�
A food hub or farmer cooperative
focused on local sourcing; and
���������
(C)
�
A specialty or broadline
distributor; and
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[
(3)
]
(4)
�
If the department or [
University
]
university
of
Hawaii system did not meet the relevant benchmark described in subsection (a),
an explanation of why the department or [
University
]
university
of
Hawaii system did not meet that benchmark[
.
]
and a corrective action
plan with specific steps and deadlines to meet the benchmark.
"
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SECTION
3
.
�
Section
302A-405.6, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is repealed.
����
["
[�302A-405.6]
�
Farm to school meals.
�
(a)
�
By
2030, the department shall meet the local farm to school meal goal that
thirty per cent of
food served in public schools shall consist of locally sourced products
, as measured by the percentage of the total
cost of food.
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(b)
�
The department shall submit an
annual report to the legislature
no later than twenty days prior to the
convening of each regular session, beginning with the regular session of
2022,
containing the following information:
����
(1)
�
The status of the department's
progress in meeting the local farm to school meal goal;
����
(2)
�
The percentage
of food served in public schools that
consists of locally sourced products
,
by county,
as measured by the percentage of the total cost of
food;
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(3)
�
The costs associated with the farm to school meals program and any
savings realized;
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(4)
�
A list of all large purchases of locally sourced products and the
identity of the seller;
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(5)
�
A list of meals on a school menu consisting of the largest percentage of
locally sourced products,
as measured by the percentage of the total
cost of food
;
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(6)
�
The percentage
of fresh
food served
,
by county,
as
measured by the percentage of the total cost of food
;
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(7)
�
The percentage of processed food served
,
by county,
as measured by the percentage of the total cost of food
;
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(8)
�
A description of the training conducted to prepare cafeteria staff for
cooking meals from scratch; and
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(9)
�
The percentage of locally sourced products purchased from the
department's largest distributors,
as measured by the percentage of the
total cost of food
.
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(c)
�
For the purposes
of this section:
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"Fresh local agricultural products" means fruits, vegetables,
nuts, coffee, eggs, poultry and poultry products, livestock and 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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"Local value-added processed, agricultural, or food products"
means at least fifty-one per cent of the product's primary agricultural product
shall be grown, raised, and harvested in Hawaii.
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"Locally sourced products" means fresh local agricultural
products or local value-added processed, agricultural, or food products.
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"Primary agricultural product" means the major agricultural
product in a processed or value-added agricultural or food product.
"]
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SECTION
4.
�
There is appropriated out of the
general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of
$ 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
establishment of one full-time equivalent (1.0 FTE) permanent farm-to-state
liaison position within the office of the governor to facilitate reporting
requirements and procurement of locally grown food to meet the requirements of
section 27-8, Hawaii Revised Statutes.
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The
sums
appropriated shall be expended
by the office of the governor for the purposes of this Act.
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SECTION
5.
�
Statutory material to be repealed is
bracketed and stricken.
�
New statutory
material is underscored.
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SECTION
6.
�
This Act shall take effect on July 1,
2025; provided that section 3 shall take effect on January 1, 2026.
INTRODUCED BY:
_____________________________
Report Title:
Food
Contracts; Local Agricultural Products; Benchmarks; Reporting Requirements;
Farm-to-State Liaison Position; Appropriations
Description:
Increases
the percentages of local agricultural products that certain departments are
required to purchase by certain deadlines.
�
Expands annual reporting requirements to include the total spending by
certain market channels.
�
Requires certain
departments and the University of Hawaii System to include a corrective action
plan in their respective reports to the Legislature, should they not meet their
benchmarks.
�
Repeals the separate
benchmark for the Department of Education that requires thirty per cent of food
served in public schools to consist of locally sourced products by 2030.
�
Appropriates funds for the establishment of a
farm-to-state liaison position within the Office of the Governor.
The summary description
of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is
not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.