REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO PROVIDE FREE SCHOOL MEALS TO EVERY STUDENT ENROLLED IN A DEPARTMENT SCHOOL, REGARDLESS OF A STUDENT'S ELIGIBILITY FOR PARTICIPATION IN A FEDERAL SCHOOL MEALS PROGRAM, BEGINNING WITH THE 2029-2030 SCHOOL YEAR.

SCR70

THE SENATE

S.C.R. NO.

70

THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2026

STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

Requesting the Department of Education to provide free
school meals to every student enrolled in a department school, regardless of a
student's eligibility for participation in a federal school meals program,
beginning with the 2029-2030 school year
.

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WHEREAS, the
State's working families face significant economic challenges, including the
rising cost of living, inflation, and limited affordable options for basic
needs; and

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WHEREAS, access
to nutritious meals is essential for the overall well-being of the State's
people and particularly critical to academic success for students; and

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WHEREAS, for
some students, however, school meals may be their only consistent source of
food; and

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WHEREAS, research
shows students experiencing food insecurity face a higher risk of stress,
depression, and chronic disease; and

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WHEREAS,
studies have also found that free school meal programs lead to improved student
performance; and

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WHEREAS, when
universal free school meal programs have been implemented elsewhere, student
test scores rose at a rate equivalent to six additional weeks of school, making
the program one of the most cost effective and sustainable academic
interventions available to the State; and

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WHEREAS, Act
139, Session Laws of Hawaii 2025, expanded free school meal coverage to
students who qualify for reduced‑price lunch beginning with the 2025-2026
school year and will expand coverage to students whose family income is not
more than three hundred percent of the federal poverty level beginning with the
2026-2027 school year; and

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WHEREAS, despite
these gains, however, thousands of students across the islands of the State are
still going hungry because of a lack of resources to ensure consistent food
security for themselves and their families; now, therefore,

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BE IT
RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-third Legislature of the State of Hawaii,
Regular Session of 2026, the House of Representatives concurring, that the
Department of Education is requested to provide free school meals to every
student enrolled in a department school, regardless of a student's eligibility
for participation in a federal school meals program, beginning with the
2029-2030 school year; and

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BE IT FURTHER
RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the
Chairperson of the Board of Education and Superintendent of Education.

OFFERED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title:
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DOE;
Public Education; School Meals; Free