Bill > SCR130

This concurrent resolution urges the Department of Education and the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity to jointly create a plan to connect local farmers with institutions, specifically aligning with the rollout of the AINA Kitchen Network, a statewide initiative to build local food infrastructure and prepare meals for schools. The resolution highlights that the Department of Education is significantly behind its goal of sourcing 30% of school meal ingredients from local producers by 2030, with current procurement at only 5.43%, and that previous audits revealed systemic issues and unspent federal funds designated for local produce. The proposed Farmer-to-Institution Coordination Plan must identify specific food needs for the AINA Kitchen Network, assess current local production capacity and the resulting supply gaps, outline strategies for building farmer capacity (including land, infrastructure, and workforce development), establish procurement contracts that offer farmers long-term certainty, and include a timeline with measurable goals. Additionally, the plan should propose a digital system for tracking local food procurement statewide, replacing current manual methods, and the Department of Education is asked to ensure full use of federal funding for local produce. Finally, the resolution requests a report to the Legislature by early 2027 detailing the plan, findings, recommendations, any proposed legislation, and information on federal local food funding.

Education

https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=SCR&billnumber=130&year=2026