HB 2296: DOE; School Cafeteria Meals; Costs
- Session Year: 2025-2026
- House: House
- Latest Version Date: 2026-04-08
Current Status:
Passed
(2026-07-14: Act 236, on 07/13/2026 (Gov. Msg. No. 1338).)
Introduced
In Committee
First Chamber
In Committee
Second Chamber
Final Decking
Enacted
Requires the Department of Education to charge not less than one-quarter of the cost of preparing a school meal for each school meal. (SD2)
Requires the Department of Education to charge not less than one-quarter of the cost of preparing a school meal for each school meal. Effective 7/31/2055. (SD1)
Reduces the amount the Department of Education is authorized to charge for school meals to all students enrolled in department schools to no more than one-quarter of the cost of preparing the meals. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)
Reduces the minimum revenue requirement that the Department of Education must recover through school meal charges in department schools.
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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES |
H.B. NO. |
2296 |
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THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2026 |
H.D. 1 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
S.D. 2 |
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A BILL FOR AN ACT
RELATING TO SCHOOL MEALS.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:
SECTION 1. Section 302A-405, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended as follows:
1. By amending subsection (a) to read:
"(a) The price for school meals shall be set by
the department to ensure that moneys received from the sale of the meals shall
be not less than [one-half] one-quarter of the cost of preparing
the meals. The prices for school meals
may be adjusted annually based on the previous year's costs rounded to the
nearest five cents; provided that the department by rule shall provide a lower
rate or free meals to children based on their economic need."
2. By amending subsection (c) to read:
"(c) It is the intent of this section not to
jeopardize the receipt of any federal aid and to the extent, and only to the
extent necessary to effectuate this intent, the governor may modify the strict
provisions of this section, but shall promptly report [any such] the
modification with the governor's reasons therefor to the next succeeding
session of the legislature for review."
SECTION 2. Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken. New statutory material is underscored.
SECTION 3. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.
Report Title:
DOE; School Cafeteria Meals; Costs
Description:
Requires the Department of Education to charge not less than one-quarter of the cost of preparing a school meal for each school meal. (SD2)
The summary description of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.
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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES |
H.B. NO. |
2296 |
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THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2026 |
H.D. 1 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
S.D. 1 |
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A BILL FOR AN ACT
RELATING TO SCHOOL MEALS.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:
SECTION 1. Section 302A-405, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended as follows:
1. By amending subsection (a) to read:
"(a) The price for school meals shall be set by
the department to ensure that moneys received from the sale of the meals shall
be not less than [one-half] one-quarter of the cost of preparing
the meals. The prices for school meals
may be adjusted annually based on the previous year's costs rounded to the
nearest five cents; provided that the department by rule shall provide a lower
rate or free meals to children based on their economic need."
2. By amending subsection (c) to read:
"(c) It is the intent of this section not to
jeopardize the receipt of any federal aid and to the extent, and only to the
extent necessary to effectuate this intent, the governor may modify the strict
provisions of this section, but shall promptly report [any such] the
modification with the governor's reasons therefor to the next succeeding
session of the legislature for review."
SECTION 2. Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken. New statutory material is underscored.
SECTION 3. This Act shall take effect on July 31, 2055.
Report Title:
DOE; School Cafeteria Meals; Costs
Description:
Requires the Department of Education to charge not less than one-quarter of the cost of preparing a school meal for each school meal. Effective 7/31/2055. (SD1)
The summary description of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.
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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES |
H.B. NO. |
2296 |
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THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2026 |
H.D. 1 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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A BILL FOR AN ACT
RELATING TO SCHOOL MEALS.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:
The legislature further finds that encouraging more students to participate in school meal programs is crucial for promoting equity, ensuring students have access to healthy food, and fostering an environment conducive to learning. By reducing the financial burden on families, the State can help mitigate the impacts of economic hardship and support the health and academic achievement of Hawaii's keiki.
The purpose of this Act is to reduce the minimum revenue requirement for the department of education from the sale of school meals from no less than one-half of the cost of preparing the meals to no more than one-quarter of the cost of preparing the meals, thereby making school meals more affordable for families and encouraging greater student participation in school meal programs.
SECTION 2. Section 302A-405, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by amending subsection (a) to read as follows:
"(a)
The price for school meals shall be set by the department to ensure that
moneys received from the sale of the meals shall be [not less] no
more than [one-half] one-quarter of the cost of preparing the
meals. The prices for school meals may
be adjusted annually based on the previous year's costs rounded to the nearest
five cents; provided that the department by rule shall provide a lower rate or
free meals to children based on their economic need."
SECTION 3. Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken. New statutory material is underscored.
SECTION 4. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 3000.
Report Title:
DOE; School Meals; Student Prices
Description:
Reduces the amount the Department of Education is authorized to charge for school meals to all students enrolled in department schools to no more than one-quarter of the cost of preparing the meals. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)
The summary description of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.
|
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES |
H.B. NO. |
2296 |
|
THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2026 |
|
|
|
STATE OF HAWAII |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
|
|
||
A BILL FOR AN ACT
RELATING TO SCHOOL MEALS.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:
The legislature further finds that encouraging more students to participate in school meal programs is crucial for promoting equity, ensuring students have access to healthy food, and fostering an environment conducive to learning. By reducing the financial burden on families, the State can help mitigate the impacts of economic hardship and support the health and academic achievement of Hawaii's keiki.
The purpose of this Act is to reduce the minimum revenue requirement for the department of education from the sale of school meals from one-half to one-quarter of the cost of preparing the meals, thereby making school meals more affordable for families and encouraging greater student participation in school meal programs.
SECTION 2. Section 302A-405, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by amending subsection (a) to read as follows:
"(a)
The price for school meals shall be set by the department to ensure that
moneys received from the sale of the meals shall be not less than [one-half]
one-quarter of the cost of preparing the meals. The prices for school meals may be adjusted
annually based on the previous year's costs rounded to the nearest five cents;
provided that the department by rule shall provide a lower rate or free meals
to children based on their economic need."
SECTION 3. Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken. New statutory material is underscored.
SECTION 4. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.
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INTRODUCED BY: |
_____________________________ |
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BY REQUEST |
Report Title:
DOE; School Meals; Student Prices
Description:
Reduces the minimum revenue requirement that the Department of Education must recover through school meal charges in department schools.
The summary description of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.
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Date
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Status
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| Jul 14, 2026 | Act 236, on 07/13/2026 (Gov. Msg. No. 1338). |
| Jul 14, 2026 | Act 236, 07/13/2026 (Gov. Msg. No. 1338). |
| Apr 27, 2026 | Received notice of House agreement and passage on Final Reading (Hse. Com. No. 824). |
| Apr 24, 2026 | Transmitted to Governor. |
| Apr 24, 2026 | Passed Final Reading as amended in SD 2 with Representative(s) Alcos, Garcia, Gedeon voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Kapela excused (1). |
| Apr 24, 2026 | House agrees to Senate amendment(s). |
| Apr 24, 2026 | Received notice of House reconsideration of action in disagreeing to the amendments proposed by the Senate (Hse. Com. No. 822). |
| Apr 23, 2026 | Reconsideration of action taken on 04-16-26. |
| Apr 17, 2026 | Received notice of disagreement (Hse. Com. No. 780). |
| Apr 16, 2026 | House disagrees with Senate amendment (s). |
| Apr 14, 2026 | Returned from Senate (Sen. Com. No. 676) in amended form (SD 2). |
| Apr 14, 2026 | Report adopted; Passed Third Reading, as amended (SD 2). Ayes, 25; Aye(s) with reservations: none . Noes, 0 (none). Excused, 0 (none). Transmitted to House. |
| Apr 9, 2026 | 48 Hrs. Notice 04-14-26. |
| Apr 9, 2026 | Reported from WAM (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 3676) with recommendation of passage on Third Reading, as amended (SD 2). |
| Apr 6, 2026 | The committee(s) on WAM recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes in WAM were as follows: 12 Aye(s): Senator(s) Dela Cruz, Moriwaki, DeCoite, Elefante, Hashimoto, Inouye, Kanuha, Kidani, Kim, Richards, Wakai, Fevella; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 1 Excused: Senator(s) Lee, C.. |
| Apr 1, 2026 | The committee(s) on WAM deferred the measure until 04-06-26 10:31AM; Conference Room 211 & Videoconference. |
| Mar 30, 2026 | Report adopted; Passed Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referred to WAM. |
| Mar 30, 2026 | The committee(s) on WAM will hold a public decision making on 04-01-26 10:03AM; Conference Room 211 & Videoconference. |
| Mar 30, 2026 | Reported from EDU (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 3391) with recommendation of passage on Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referral to WAM. |
| Mar 25, 2026 | The committee(s) on EDU recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes in EDU were as follows: 3 Aye(s): Senator(s) Kim, Hashimoto, DeCorte; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 2 Excused: Senator(s) Kidani, Fukunaga. |
| Mar 20, 2026 | The committee(s) on EDU has scheduled a public hearing on 03-25-26 1:12PM; Conference Room 229 & Videoconference. |
| Mar 10, 2026 | Referred to EDU, WAM. |
| Mar 10, 2026 | Passed First Reading. |
| Mar 10, 2026 | Received from House (Hse. Com. No. 200). |
| Mar 6, 2026 | Passed Third Reading with Representative(s) Garcia voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Perruso, Sayama excused (2). Transmitted to Senate. |
| Mar 6, 2026 | Reported from FIN (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 954-26), recommending passage on Third Reading. |
| Mar 4, 2026 | The committee on FIN recommend that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. The votes were as follows: 16 Ayes: Representative(s) Todd, Takenouchi, Hartsfield, Hussey, Keohokapu-Lee Loy, Kitagawa, Kusch, Lee, M., Miyake, Morikawa, Perruso, Templo, Yamashita, Gedeon, Reyes Oda; Ayes with reservations: Representative(s) Alcos; Noes: none; and Excused: none. |
| Mar 2, 2026 | Bill scheduled to be heard by FIN on Wednesday, 03-04-26 10:00AM in House conference room 308 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE. |
| Feb 17, 2026 | Passed Second Reading as amended in HD 1 and referred to the committee(s) on FIN with Representative(s) Garcia voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Cochran, Lee, M., Poepoe excused (3). |
| Feb 17, 2026 | Reported from EDN (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 316-26) as amended in HD 1, recommending passage on Second Reading and referral to FIN. |
| Feb 10, 2026 | The committee on EDN recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 10 Ayes: Representative(s) Woodson, La Chica, Amato, Evslin, Garrett, Kapela, Kila, Olds, Muraoka, Souza; Ayes with reservations: none; Noes: none; and Excused: none. |
| Feb 6, 2026 | Bill scheduled to be heard by EDN on Tuesday, 02-10-26 2:15PM in House conference room 309 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE. |
| Jan 30, 2026 | Referred to EDN, FIN, referral sheet 5 |
| Jan 28, 2026 | Introduced and Pass First Reading. |
| Jan 26, 2026 | Pending introduction. |
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Date
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Description
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Location
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Votes
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| Apr 24, 2026 | Final Reading | House Floor |
Passed |
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| Apr 14, 2026 | Third Reading | Senate Floor |
Passed |
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| Apr 6, 2026 | The committee(s) on WAM recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS | Senate Standing Committee on Ways and Means |
Passed |
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| Mar 25, 2026 | The committee(s) on EDU recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS | Senate Standing Committee on Education |
Passed |
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| Mar 6, 2026 | Third Reading | House Floor |
Passed |
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| Mar 4, 2026 | The committee on FIN recommend that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED | House Standing Committee on Finance |
Passed |
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| Feb 10, 2026 | The committee on EDN recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS | House Standing Committee on Education |
Passed |
This list shows positions taken on this bill by organizations on the date displayed, which is linked to the original source.
Positions by individuals are not included.
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Organization
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Position
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Date
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| Democratic Party of Hawai‘i Education Caucus | *** Support | Apr 1, 2026 |
| Department of Education | *** Support | Apr 1, 2026 |
| Hawaii Food Industry Association | *** Support | Apr 1, 2026 |
| Hawaiʻi Food+ Policy | ** Support | |
| Hawaiʻi Hunger Action Network | *** Support | Mar 25, 2026 |
| Hawai‘i Appleseed Center for Law and Economic Justice | *** Support | Mar 25, 2026 |
| Hawai‘i Children’s Action Network Speaks! | *** Support | Apr 1, 2026 |
| Hawai‘i Public Health Institute | *** Support | Apr 1, 2026 |
| Healthy Eating, Active Living (HEAL) Coalition | *** Support | Apr 1, 2026 |
| Office of the Governor | *** Support | Mar 4, 2026 |
| Office of the Governor | *** Support | Apr 1, 2026 |
STAND. COM. REP. NO. 954-26
Honolulu, Hawaii
, 2026
RE: H.B. No. 2296
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 Finance, to which was referred H.B. No. 2296, H.D. 1, entitled:
"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO SCHOOL MEALS,"
begs leave to report as follows:
Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Office of the Governor; Hawaiʻi Public Health Institute; Healthy Eating, Active Living Coalition; Hawaiʻi Children's Action Network Speaks!; Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi Education Caucus; Hawaiʻi Appleseed Center for Law & Economic Justice; Hawaiʻi Hunger Action Network; Hawaii Food Industry Association; and four individuals. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Education.
As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Finance that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2296, H.D. 1, and recommends that it pass Third Reading.
Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Finance,
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____________________________ CHRIS TODD, Chair |
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STAND. COM. REP. NO. 316-26
Honolulu, Hawaii
, 2026
RE: H.B. No. 2296
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. 2296 entitled:
"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO SCHOOL MEALS,"
begs leave to report as follows:
Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Office of the Governor; Department of Education; Hawaii Food Industry Association; Hawaiʻi Public Health Institute; Hawaii Appleseed Center for Law and Economic Justice; Hawaiʻi Children's Action Network Speaks!; Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi Education Caucus; Hawaiʻi Food+ Policy; and two individuals.
Your Committee finds that access to nutritious meals is necessary for students' academic success and overall well-being. However, the rising cost of school meals places an undue burden on families, which decreases student participation in school meal programs. This measure will reduce the required meal cost offset collection and increase affordability for school meals in Department of Education schools.
Your Committee has amended this measure by:
(1) Specifying that the price for school meals shall be set by the Department of Education to ensure that monies received from the sale of the meals shall be no more than one-quarter of the cost of preparing meals;
(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. 2296, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2296, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.
Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Education,
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____________________________ JUSTIN H. WOODSON, Chair |
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Date
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Testimony PDF
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| Apr 1, 2026 | HB2296_SD1_TESTIMONY_WAM_04-01-26_.PDF |
| Mar 25, 2026 | HB2296_HD1_TESTIMONY_EDU_03-25-26_.PDF |
| Mar 4, 2026 | HB2296_HD1_TESTIMONY_FIN_03-04-26_.PDF |
| Feb 10, 2026 | HB2296_TESTIMONY_EDN_02-10-26_.PDF |
Discussed in Hearing
17MIN
Senate Standing Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection
17MIN
Senate Standing Committee on Education
17MIN
Senate Standing Committee on Water, Land, Culture and the Arts
59SEC
Senate Standing Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection
59SEC
Senate Standing Committee on Education
59SEC
Senate Standing Committee on Water, Land, Culture and the Arts
3MIN
House Standing Committee on Finance
2MIN
House Standing Committee on Education
Bill Author
Bill Co-Author(s):