SB885

SECTION 1. The legislature finds that empowering children with knowledge is the most effective way to keep our communities healthy for the long-term. Teaching healthy eating habits is essential to addressing the increasing rates of obesity in our children. Teaching children how to grow their own food and how to prepare it in a healthy way will enable them to adopt healthy eating habits and maintain a healthy lifestyle through adulthood.

The purpose of this Act is to establish an agricultural and culinary education pilot program that teaches students healthy eating habits and encourages the culinary arts, farming, diversified agriculture, and related industries such as market development and science and technology, as long-term career goals.

SECTION 2. Section 302A-431.7, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended to read as follows:

"[[]§302A-431.7[]] Vocational agriculture education program. (a) The department shall establish and administer a vocational agriculture education program. The program shall include adequate staffing of individuals trained or experienced in the field of vocational agriculture to coordinate the program and to provide assistance to school districts for the coordination of the activities of student agricultural organizations and associations.

(b) The vocational agriculture education program shall be administered by a director who shall:

(1) Assess the agricultural needs of the State and devise methods of meeting those needs with the vocational agriculture education program;

(2) Assist school districts in establishing vocational agriculture programs;

(3) Review school district applications for approval of vocational agriculture programs;

(4) Evaluate existing programs;

(5) Plan research and studies for the improvement of curriculum materials for specialty areas of vocational agriculture;

(6) Ensure that the standards and criteria developed under this section satisfy the mandates of federally- assisted vocational education;

(7) Develop in-service programs for teachers and administrators of vocational agriculture;

(8) Review applications for vocational agriculture teacher certification;

(9) Assist in teacher recruitment and placement in vocational agriculture programs;

(10) Serve as a liaison with the Future Farmers of America, representatives of business, industry, appropriate public agencies, and institutions of higher education to facilitate dissemination of information;

(11) Promote improvement of vocational agriculture programs;

(12) Assist in the development of adult and continuing education programs in vocational agriculture; [~~and~~]

(13) Establish an advisory task force of agriculturists, who represent the diverse areas of the agricultural industry in the State, that shall make annual recommendations on the development of curriculum, staffing, and strategies to establish a source of trained and qualified individuals in agriculture and strategies for developing the state program in vocational agriculture education, including youth leadership throughout the public schools[.]; and

(14) Assist in the administration of the agricultural and culinary education pilot program.

(c) The department shall establish and administer an agricultural and culinary education pilot program that integrates culinary arts with the school lunch program and the vocational agriculture education program to teach students healthy eating habits and encourage culinary arts, farming, diversified agriculture, and related industries such as market development and science and technology as a career options. The department of agriculture shall assist the department of education with the implementation of this pilot program.

[~~(c)~~] (d) The department may adopt rules pursuant to chapter 91 to effectuate this section."

SECTION 3. The department of education shall submit a report to the legislature evaluating the agricultural and culinary education pilot program no later than twenty days prior to the convening of each regular legislative session in which the program is administered.

SECTION 4. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $ , or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2007-2008, and the same sum, or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2008-2009, for the establishment and administration of the agricultural and culinary education pilot program.

The sums appropriated shall be expended by the department of education for the purposes of this Act.

SECTION 5. Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken. New statutory material is underscored.

SECTION 6. This Act shall take effect upon its approval; provided that section 4 shall take effect on July 1, 2007; and provided further that this Act shall be repealed on July 1, 2012, and section 302A-431.7, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is reenacted in the form in which it read on the day before the approval of this Act.

INTRODUCED BY:	_____________________________

THE SENATE	S.B. NO.	885
TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2007
STATE OF HAWAII