THE SENATE
S.R. NO.
65
THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2026
STATE OF HAWAII
SENATE 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, 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 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