THE SENATE
S.C.R. NO.
70
THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2026
STATE OF HAWAII
SENATE CONCURRENT
RESOLUTION
Requesting the Department of Education to provide free school meals to every student enrolled in a department school, regardless of a student's eligibility for participation in a federal school meals program, beginning with the 2029-2030 school year.
WHEREAS, the State's working families face significant economic challenges, including the rising cost of living, inflation, and limited affordable options for basic needs; and
WHEREAS, access to nutritious meals is essential for the overall well-being of the State's people and particularly critical to academic success for students; and
WHEREAS, for some students, however, school meals may be their only consistent source of food; and
WHEREAS, research shows students experiencing food insecurity face a higher risk of stress, depression, and chronic disease; and
WHEREAS, studies have also found that free school meal programs lead to improved student performance; and
WHEREAS, when universal free school meal programs have been implemented elsewhere, student test scores rose at a rate equivalent to six additional weeks of school, making the program one of the most cost effective and sustainable academic interventions available to the State; and
WHEREAS, Act 139, Session Laws of Hawaii 2025, expanded free school meal coverage to students who qualify for reduced‑price lunch beginning with the 2025-2026 school year and will expand coverage to students whose family income is not more than three hundred percent of the federal poverty level beginning with the 2026-2027 school year; and
WHEREAS, despite these gains, however, thousands of students across the islands of the State are still going hungry because of a lack of resources to ensure consistent food security for themselves and their families; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-third Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2026, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Department of Education is requested to provide free school meals to every student enrolled in a department school, regardless of a student's eligibility for participation in a federal school meals program, beginning with the 2029-2030 school year; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Chairperson of the Board of Education and Superintendent of Education.
OFFERED BY:
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Report Title:
DOE; Public Education; School Meals; Free