STAND. COM. REP. NO. 320-26

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2026

RE: H.B. No. 2300

H.D. 1

Honorable Nadine K. Nakamura

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2026

State of Hawaii

Madame:

Your Committee on Education, to which was referred H.B. No. 2300 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION PROCUREMENT,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to temporarily exempt the procurement of local edible produce and packaged food products by the Department of Education from the $100,000 threshold for the small purchase procurement method.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Education; Local Food Coalition; and Hawaiʻi Farm Bureau. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the State Procurement Office.

Your Committee finds that, as the largest department in the State with 295 schools and 42,000 salaried and part-time employees, the Department of Education must procure voluminous amounts of goods and services to run its operation. To meet this demand, adjustments were made to the Department's small purchase procurement capacity for local edible produce and packaged food products.

Your Committee also finds that Act 134, Session Laws of Hawaii 2025 (Act 134), provides a temporary adjustment to the Department of Education's small purchase procurement capacity by exempting purchases of local edible produce and packaged food products of less than $250,000 from the electronic procurement system requirement and instead requiring no less than three written quotes for those purchases. However, to fully effectuate Act 134, its provisions must also be exempt from the $100,000 threshold for the small purchase procurement method. This will reduce the administrative burden of procuring local food in schools and increase the provision of more local and nutritious meals for students.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Prohibiting the artificial division and parceling of procurements of local edible produce and packaged food products by the Department of Education;

(2) Changing the effective date to July 1, 3000; and

(3) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Education that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2300, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2300, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Education,

____________________________

JUSTIN H. WOODSON, Chair