246
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES             H.C.R. NO.            
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 1999                                
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
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                     HOUSE  CONCURRENT
                        RESOLUTION

  REQUESTING THE CONVENING OF A HUNGER AND FOOD SECURITY TASK
    FORCE TO DEVELOP A SYSTEM FOR PROVIDING VALID AND RELIABLE
    ESTIMATES OF HUNGER AND FOOD INSECURITY.
 


 1        WHEREAS, an estimated 90,359 adults and children in Hawaii
 2   may face hunger or food insecurity as a consequence of welfare
 3   reform and a stagnant economy that may result in a $1.3 million
 4   shortfall in food under the food stamp program for fiscal years
 5   1997-2002, which is equivalent to 114,280,000 pounds of food;
 6   and
 7   
 8        WHEREAS, hunger and malnutrition are the potential
 9   consequences of food insecurity that can affect physical
10   health, mental stability, medical costs, and the growth and
11   well-being of Hawaii's children; and
12   
13        WHEREAS, private nonprofit charitable food providers such
14   as food banks, food pantries, and soup kitchens have expressed
15   a consistent increase in demand for services in the last four
16   years; and
17   
18        WHEREAS, in 1996, University of Hawaii experts advised
19   that the extent of hunger and food insecurity should should be
20   determined in order to avoid substantial future social costs
21   and to better ensure adequate nourishment for all Hawaii
22   residents; and
23   
24        WHEREAS, nationally developed methods to monitor food
25   insecurity, available and tested for cultural validity in
26   Hawaii, are currently in limited use by the Hawaii Foodbank and
27   the State Department of Health; and
28   
29        WHEREAS, although the federal government's most recent
30   estimate found that 9.2 per cent of Hawaii's residents faced
31   hunger in 1995, data are not available to monitor food
32   insecurity by geographic areas or other demographic indices
33   that can be used to guide public policy decisions; and 
34   

 
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                                  H.C.R. NO.            
                                                        
                                                        

 
 1        WHEREAS, the Office of Community Services of the
 2   Department of Labor and Industrial Relations is charged with
 3   the responsibility to "Serve as the principal official in state
 4   government responsible for the coordination of programs for the
 5   needy, poor, and disadvantaged persons, refugees, and
 6   immigrants" in accordance with section 371K-3, Hawaii Revised
 7   Statutes (HRS), and to "Study the facts concerning the needs of
 8   disadvantaged persons, refugees, and immigrants in the State
 9   through adequate research studies" in accordance with section
10   371K-4, HRS; now, therefore,
11   
12        BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the
13   Twentieth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session
14   of 1999, the Senate concurring, that the Department of Labor
15   and Industrial Relations, through its Office of Community
16   Services,  is requested to convene a Hunger and Food Security
17   Task Force to develop a system for providing valid and reliable
18   estimates of food security with appropriate geographic and
19   demographic identifiers that can be used by public and private
20   organizations to assist those in need; and
21   
22        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that members of the Task Force
23   include representation from nonprofit food assistance programs,
24   consumers, Department of Health, Department of Human Services,
25   and academics from the University of Hawaii who are
26   knowledgeable about hunger and food insecurity; and
27   
28        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Office of Community
29   Services report its findings and recommendations to the
30   Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of
31   the Regular Session of 2000; and
32   
33        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this
34   Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Director of Labor
35   and Industrial Relations, Executive Director of the Office of
36   Community Services, Director of Health, Director of Human
37   Resources, President of the University of Hawaii, Hawaii
38   Foodbank, Kauai Food Bank, and Maui Community Food Bank, and
39   Hawaii Island Food Bank.
40 
41 
42 
43                         OFFERED BY:  ____________________________