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THE SENATE                           S.C.R. NO.            S.D. 1
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 1999                                
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
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                    SENATE  CONCURRENT
                        RESOLUTION

  REQUESTING THE CONVENING OF A HUNGER AND FOOD INSECURITY AD HOC
    COMMITTEE TO DEVELOP A SYSTEM FOR PROVIDING VALID AND
    RELIABLE ESTIMATES OF HUNGER AND FOOD INSECURITY.


 1        WHEREAS, an estimated 115,000 adults and children in
 2   Hawaii may face hunger or food insecurity as a consequence of
 3   welfare reform and a stagnant economy that may result in a $1.3
 4   million shortfall in food under the food stamp program for
 5   fiscal years 1997-2002, which is equivalent to an estimated
 6   115,000,000 pounds of food; 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 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 households 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   
35        WHEREAS, the Office of Community Services of the
36   Department of Labor and Industrial Relations is charged with

 
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 1   the responsibility to "Serve as the principal official in state
 2   government responsible for the coordination of programs for the
 3   needy, poor, and disadvantaged persons, refugees, and
 4   immigrants" in accordance with section 371K-3, Hawaii Revised
 5   Statutes (HRS), and to "Study the facts concerning the needs of
 6   disadvantaged persons, refugees, and immigrants in the State
 7   through adequate research studies" in accordance with section
 8   371K-4, HRS; now, therefore,
 9   
10        BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twentieth Legislature
11   of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 1999, the House of
12   Representatives concurring, that the Department of Labor and
13   Industrial Relations, through its Office of Community Services,
14   is requested to convene a Hunger and Food Insecurity Ad Hoc
15   Committee of public and private agencies, and recipients of
16   charitable food donations who are knowledgeable about hunger,
17   food insecurity, and monitoring; and
18   
19        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the ad hoc committee develop a
20   preliminary report on the feasibility and methodology of
21   developing a valid, reliable, and useful food insecurity
22   monitoring system; and
23   
24        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Office of Community
25   Services report its findings and recommendations, including the
26   preliminary report of the ad hoc committee, to the Legislature
27   no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular
28   Session of 2000; and
29   
30        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this
31   Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Director of Labor
32   and Industrial Relations, Executive Director of the Office of
33   Community Services, Director of Health, Director of Human
34   Resources, President of the University of Hawaii, Hawaii
35   Foodbank, Kauai Food Bank, and Maui Community Food Bank, and
36   Hawaii Island Food Bank.