STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2897

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2615

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2026

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 2615 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO SCHOOL CAFETERIA MEAL COSTS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to support the provision of affordable meals in the State's schools.

More specifically, this measure reduces the amount that the Department of Education is required to charge for school meals from an amount not less than one-half of the cost of preparing the meals, to an amount not less than one-quarter of the cost of preparing the meals.

Your Committee received written comments in support of this measure from the Office of the Governor, Department of Education, Hawaii Public Health Institute, and Hawaii Food+ Policy.

Your Committee finds that, according to the written comments provided by the Department of Education, the cost of producing a school lunch in fiscal year 2024-2025 was $9.05, while the student meal price was $2.50, or approximately twenty-eight percent of the cost. Your Committee notes that, to comply with the existing law, school meal prices would need to be raised, which would likely result in fewer students purchasing the schools meals. Accordingly, your Committee believes that reducing the statutory cost-recovery threshold to one-fourth of the meal preparation costs, as provided by this measure, is necessary to prevent this outcome and to ensure that school meals remain affordable for the State's families.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2615 and recommends that it pass Third Reading.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

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DONOVAN M. DELA CRUZ, Chair