STAND. COM. REP. NO.48

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2003

RE: S.B. No. 865

S.D. 1

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2003

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Human Services, to which was referred S.B. No. 865 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A STATE FOOD SECURITY COUNCIL,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to establish and appropriate funds for a State Food Security Council within the Office of Planning under the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism.

Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the Department of Education; Full Plate, Inc., a nonprofit organization; and two concerned citizens. Testimony in support of the intent of this measure was submitted by the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism; the Department of Human Services; the University of Hawaii-College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources; and the Board of Agriculture. Testimony opposing this measure was submitted by the Department of Budget and Finance.

Food insecurity is a public health problem that exacerbates obesity, nutritional inadequacies, diabetes, and asthma. According to the Hawaii Health Survey, one in five Hawaii residents lived in food insecure households in 1999-2000. High rates of food insecurity continue to occur in Hawaii, despite over $250 million in federal food assistance and vigorous efforts by emergency food assistance network of food banks, food pantries, and soup kitchens. Consequently, in 2002, the Legislature passed Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 75, requesting the Office of Planning to convene a food security task force, which recommended, among other things, the creation of a Food Security Council as a first step in a coordinated government effort to enhance food security in Hawaii.

Your Committee finds that Hawaii as a state is particularly sensitive to external events, including natural disasters, bioterrorism, and aggressive acts, which may disrupt our food transportation network. Your Committee believes that the creation of the Food Security Council provides an opportunity to develop emergency response strategies in preparation for the occurrence of a natural disaster or an act of bioterrorism or aggression. Accordingly, your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Amending §   -1, to add a definition of "community food security";

(2) Amending §   -2, to provide for a member representing the Office of Hawaii Child Nutrition Programs (which is in the Office of the Superintendent of Education) instead of school food services;

(3) Amending §   -3, to require the Food Security Council to advise the Legislature and the Governor on the development of emergency response strategies to maintain community food security in the event a natural disaster, act of bioterrorism or aggression, or other event disrupts the State's food transportation network;

(4) Amending §   -5, to clarify in paragraph (1) that the food security council special fund may receive funds from grants, awards, and donations;

(5) Amending §   -5, to delete subparagraph (3) as duplicative of subparagraph (1);

(6) Amending §   -6, to require the Food Security Council to include information on federally-funded assistance programs in its annual report; and

(7) Making other technical, nonsubstantive changes for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Human Services that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 865, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 865, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

 

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Human Services,

____________________________

SUZANNE CHUN OAKLAND, Chair